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According to USA Today, nine of the 10 best jobs for this year are from the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) category. According to Tony Lee, publisher of Career Cast and JobsRated.com, this goes to show how important the category is for job seekers. These jobs occupied three of the top four spots in the list.

There were surprises in the ranking this year as three of those jobs jumped double digits. Usually, it will only be a single digit jump on a yearly basis. This can be attributed to the Bureau of Labor Statistics recently updating their database to include recent statistics and projections through 2022. The STEM jobs are the best when considering a wide range of criteria.

To come up with their list, CareerCast identified 200 of the most populated jobs and ranked them on a criteria from four major categories: environment, income, outlook, and stress. Here now are the Top 5 best jobs for 2014.

1. Mathematician

Median Annual Salary: $101,360

Projected Job Growth by 2022: 23%

Key Factors for ranking: Work environment, high income and outlook, low stress

It used to be that mathematicians were confined in the halls of the school. Nowadays, we see them computing numbers for huge projects in sectors such as energy, transportation, and information technology. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job opportunities for mathematicians will increase by 23% from 2012 to 2022.

2. Tenured university professor

BLS Median Annual Salary: 68,970

Projected Job Growth by 2022: 19%*

Key factors for ranking: work environment (no. 1 in all jobs) and lack of stress

With the word "tenured" on it, this means that there is security attached to the career. Tenured university professors are given a six-month sabbatical every seven years. Aside from that, they usually teach about three to four classes weekly and has a say in setting their schedule.

3. Statisticians

Median Annual Salary: $75,560

Projected Job Growth by 2022: 27%

Key factors for ranking: work environment and outlook

Statisticians work across most industries. They are usually tasked to determine the statistical probability of things such as how many people will buy a new iPad or if breakfast cereal will sell amidst changing demographics. Anything that involves any kind of planning in the future, the statistician is called upon to do such tasks.

4. Actuary

Median Annual Salary: $93,680

Projected Job Growth by 2022: 26%

Key factors for ranking: environment, hiring outlook

Actuary is the top career in last year's list. Their job is to computer how long something is likely to last. 80 percent of actuaries are working for insurance companies. Their job is to estimate the duration of life expectancy and the statistical probability of getting a particular disease.

5. Audiologist

Median Annual Salary: $69,720

Projected Job Growth by 2022: 34%

Key factors for ranking: outlook, lack of stress

The job of an audiologist is very rewarding and involves a low stress environment. Their focus is to help patients deal with hearing issues. The career is further boosted by aging baby boomers and retiring audiologists.