NEW YORK—A job as an optometrist or optician apparently is a good career path in 2013, according to a recent ranking by CareerCast.com, a career website that listed 200 jobs from best to worst. The job of optometrist made it into the list’s top ten best jobs, at number 8, while optician was ranked at number 22 on the list.

The report, titled Jobs Rated 2013: Ranking 200 Jobs From Best To Worst, ranked jobs based on a wide range of critical aspects and categorized them into four “Core Criteria” inherent to every job: environment, income, outlook and stress. To compile its list, the firm primarily used data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and other government agencies.

According to the report, “Promising growth in industries of ever-increasing importance is one trait common among all of the 10 best jobs of 2013.” Several professions geared toward serving the financial and health needs of an aging population made the top ten, including audiologist, financial planner, physical therapist and optometrist, said Tony Lee, publisher of CareerCast.com.

The study’s explanation for why optometrist came in at number 8 on the list: “Vision is critical to so many facets of everyday life, both for work and leisure. Because sight deteriorates due to age and strain, the work of an optometrist is especially beneficial as the U.S. population ages thanks to the large Baby Boom generation, who all expect 20/20 vision.”

The best job for 2013? Actuaries, who put a financial value on risk, are able to make a good living with a minimum of stress in a field that has been booming lately with natural and man-made disasters, according to the CareerCast.com Jobs Rated report.

At the bottom of the list was the job of newspaper reporter. Ever-shrinking newsrooms, low pay, high stress and competition from Internet businesses have created very difficult conditions for the profession, which was ranked as this year's worst job, according to the report.