Number crunchers, spreadsheet managers, software engineers and dental hygienists should be most satisfied with their jobs, with a new survey ranking them among the top 10 “best” careers to be in.

On the flipside, newspaper journalists, enlisted military personnel, cooks and taxi drivers were the most unappealing jobs, according to the report.

The Jobs Rated Almanac, by US jobs site CareerCast.com, has ranked the top 200 jobs for 2015, using a methodology based on environment, income, outlook and stress.

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CareerCast’s Tony Lee said the objective for the annual report was to help high school and middle school kids turn their career dreams into the most realistic path possible, and to help those in a mid-career transition make a smart choice about their future.

Australian career consultant Rebecca Fraser said the US findings mostly reflected the Australian market, except for the top job which was an actuary.

Ms Fraser said it was no surprise to see IT and health-based professions – which are growing sectors and in high demand – ranked in the top 10.

She added that the lower-ranked careers – newspaper reporters, broadcasters and photojournalists – reflected the diminishing print media industry which is being taken over by the internet.

“Statistician type roles are coming across into the HR sector, and businesses need to know online and social media outcomes and trends,” Ms Fraser said.

“What organisations are looking at is data retention, sales-based actives and that’s why we’re seeing a lot more of the analytics coming through.”

Ms Fraser said the health sector was now attracting engineers as more technology is introduced to the field.

“A lot of our jobs are driven by where our skill shortages lie, and there is always the opportunity to increase pay,” she said.

She said most Australian workers were under high levels of stress compared to overseas counterparts, with higher standards and pressure placed on employees by the employer.

IT and new technology sales jobs were paying the most.

A full list of the 200 ranked jobs can be found here.

Mr Lee said people have used the findings to help direct them into a new path at mid-career.

“I’ll never forget the military soldier who studied to become a financial planner after leaving the service because, he said, it seemed like a great match for his skills after he saw the job ranked highly in our report,” Mr Lee said.

“Making a career change in mid-life is never an easy task, especially if the change is being forced by a layoff or another economic necessity.

“But by identifying your skills that are most transferable, you can target new industries that will value both your skills and your experience and will allow you to tap into them in new ways.”