Step aside, “finance guys” — according to single Americans, health care is the most attractive career sector.
The survey of 1,000 single men and 1,000 single women aimed to uncover the hottest careers of 2025 and which are the most dateable.
Men and women agreed that those in health care make the best partners (29%) and, when broken down by specific jobs, 26% of respondents said doctors are the most attractive career for a partner, while nurses ranked third (22%).
While careers in education ranked as the second most attractive overall (23%), men were more likely to find it desirable for a partner than women (28% vs. 19%).
Following the “summer of the finance bro,” 18% of women are still looking for a man with a job in finance, but it still ranked below being an entrepreneur (21%), and was tied with women looking for an artist (18%).
Lawyers (24%), scientists (16%), pharmacists (15%) and careers in tech (14%), such as web or software developers, also ranked in the top most dateable jobs for both genders.
Conducted by Talker Research on behalf of The League, the survey not only looked at the most desirable careers for 2025, but also worked to explore how careers — and everything that comes along with them — impact the lives of singles.
Perhaps because of the way careers impact Americans’ lives, 44% would prefer someone whose career ambition is the same as their own — while 34% are looking for someone who is even more ambitious.
Alongside ambition also, often, comes salary — and 39% of respondents said they’d like to be an equal “breadwinner” with their partner.
However, this was more common for women surveyed: 45% of women prefer it to be equal, compared to 33% of men.
The survey explored the ideal time to have the “career conversation” with potential partners.
According to the results, a fifth of respondents (22%) said that, ideally, they’ll have a conversation about work values, goals and aspirations before going on a first date.
When respondents are on a first date, on average, they mention their job within the first hour of a first date (minute 54).
Some don’t want to wait even that long, as the results found that 18% will bring their job up within the first half hour.
“Careers in healthcare typically combine aspects of financial security, intelligence, and caregiving – which are all very appealing qualities in a partner. On top of that, transparency is more attractive than ever. While there may be no perfect time to talk about careers and ambitions, bringing it up in conversation sooner than later in the dating process allows singles to determine if they share similar values and life goals from the start,” said Rachel DeAlto, Dating Expert at The League.
Despite many respondents being eager to speak with potential partners about their career, that doesn’t mean single Americans are “all work and no play.”
While some may be deterred if a potential partner were to spend time actually working on a first date, the younger generations are less concerned about that: less than half of young respondents (39% of Gen Zers and 47% of millennials) said working on a first date was a turn-off.
This career focus isn’t all about money though: Respondents want their potential partners to have a passion for what they’re doing (40%) and prioritize a work/life balance (34%).
Respondents are also looking for partners who understand there is always more to learn and ways to improve (28%), have an ability to work well with others and build relationships with colleagues (25%), and a desire to leave a positive impact on society or other people (21%).
On the flip side, constant burn-out (32%), long overtime hours (29%) and switching jobs every year (25%) are a few of the top career “red flags.” Being an “influencer” also came out as a “red flag” for one in five respondents (22%).
Fifty-six percent of respondents even said it’s important their partner has the same career values that they do.
“When partners share similar aspirations and value the same things in life, they’re better equipped to support and understand each other – and careers can be a great example of that. The key is to stay open to finding that alignment in unexpected places,” said DeAlto. “We’re really seeing the importance of ambition underscored in this research, with 53% willing to give an undergraduate a chance, while 64% are likely to date someone in graduate school, further demonstrating the appeal of having drive and goals, no matter where your career is at.”
MOST ATTRACTIVE CAREERS FOR A POTENTIAL PARTNER
- Healthcare (doctors, nurses, therapists, etc.) – 29%
- Education (teachers, aids, tutors, etc.) – 23%
- Emergency response (firefighters, EMTs, ER doctors/nurses, etc.) – 19%
- Law (lawyers, police officers, etc.) – 18%
- Business (marketing, sales, etc.) – 18%
- Science (pharmacist, chemist, researcher, etc.) – 17%
- Tech (data analysts, information technology, etc.) – 17%
- Finance (investing, hedge fund managing, etc.) – 16%
WHAT CAREER VALUES ARE IMPORTANT IN A POTENTIAL NEW PARTNER?
- Passion for what they’re doing — 40%
- Prioritizing work/personal life balance — 34%
- Understanding that there is always more to learn/ways to improve — 28%
- Ability to work well with others and build relationships with colleagues — 25%
- Desire to leave a positive impact on society or other people — 21%
- Competitiveness or wanting to be successful — 19%
- Desire to leave a positive impact on the environment — 15%
- Desire to be a good manager or leader — 15%
- Commitment to pushing the boundaries and paving new ways — 15%
Survey methodology:
Talker Research surveyed 1,000 men and 1,000 women who are single or casually dating; the survey was commissioned by The League and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between Dec. 4 and Dec. 10, 2024.
