These Are the Most and Least Trusted Professions in the US

When you think about all the professions you choose from in America, there is no shortage of options. It doesn’t matter what your interests or degree are anymore, as you can find work, even if it’s something unrelated from what you did previously. 

The problem with working in America is that not every profession is treated equally. Some occupations are no longer considered trustworthy, while others are the opposite.

For this reason, according to a recent Gallup poll, we can and should examine the most and least trustworthy professions.

20. Least Trusted: Lobbyists

In a not-at-all-surprising turn of events, Lobbyists are considered the least trusted profession in America, with 68% of Americans saying this role is untrustworthy. Even the 7% of Americans who trusted lobbyists in 2015 have fallen to just 4% in 2025. 

19. Least Trusted: Members of Congress

It shouldn’t be surprising to learn that Members of Congress are America’s second least trusted professionals. A whopping 68% of Americans say this job is untrustworthy, while only 8% say it is trustworthy in both 2015 and 2025, showing no increase at all. 

18. Least Trusted: TV Reporters

Sadly, TV reporters hover around 55% of Americans believing this job is not considered trustworthy, which is undoubtedly a response to the current political climate and efforts to tear down mainstream media. 

17. Least Trusted: Advertising 

Unfortunately, Don Draper didn’t do much to make America fall in love with marketers as only 50% of Americans consider this role trustworthy. In 2015, this was the fifth least trusted profession, so things are moving in the wrong direction. 

16. Least Trusted: Car Salespeople

Car salespeople are traditionally jobs that don’t get any trust from Americans, and Gallup emphasizes this, with only 47% of all Americans believing there is a very low level of trust. On the same line, though, only 7% of Americans believe this role deserves trust, so there is plenty of work to do. 

15. Least Trusted: Business Executives

According to the Gallup survey, something of a vague job description, the “Business Executive” suffers from a lack of trust, to the tune of 43% of all Americans. In 2015, 17% of Americans trusted this role, but in 2025, this number dropped to 12%. 

14. Least Trusted: State Officeholders

While Members of Congress in Washington, D.C. have it worse, state officeholders also lack trust from the people. In this regard, 42% of Americans believe this role to have a low or very low level of trust. 

13. Least Trusted: Newspaper Reporters

Sticking with the idea that anyone in the news is struggling with trust, approximately 45% of Americans don’t believe this job is trustworthy. Once again, this reflects the changing media landscape as this role didn’t appear on any list in 2015. 

12. Least Trusted: Lawyers

It should go without saying that lawyers are often considered untrustworthy, and this Gallup survey proves this. Around 33% of Americans believe this role deserves low trust, which is disappointing considering it wasn’t on the same Gallup survey in 2015. 

11. Least Trusted: Nursing Home Operators

Sadly, while nurses remain a strong and trustworthy profession, those who operate nursing homes can’t say the same. At least 34% of Americans believe there isn’t enough trust with this profession, though this profession didn’t even make the list in 2015. 

10. Trusted: Clergy

Falling from sixth place in 2015, members of the Clergy receive a 30% trust rating from all Americans. However, a not-so-distant 20% of all Americans have a negative impression of this role, so there is room for improvement. 

9. Trusted: Auto Mechanics

An Auto Mechanic isn’t necessarily a job you tend to associate with trustworthiness, but this Gallup poll indicates that 33% of Americans believe this job requires high trust. Considering this role didn’t make the 2015 survey, this is a significant improvement over the last decade. 

8. Trusted: Police Officers

While Police Officers have received a bad rap over the last few decades due to some newsmaking incidents, 44% of Americans still believe this role is trustworthy. However, in the same regard, 20% of all Americans have little trust in the police. 

7. Trusted: Funeral Directors

Funeral Directors were in seventh place in 2015 and again in 2025, with 37% of all Americans believing this profession deserves their utmost trust. 

6. Trusted: Day Care Providers

While a few Day Care Providers have given the profession a bad name, 42% of Americans believe this profession deserves high trust. Interestingly enough, ten years ago, this profession didn’t even make the list of the top 20 professions, so a pretty strong showing in 2025. 

5. Trusted: Medical Doctors

Surprisingly, Medical Doctors are only the fifth most trusted profession in America, with 53% of Americans believing they have a very or very high trust level. Ten years ago, medical doctors had a 67% trust level, a fairly substantial drop in the last decade. 

4. Trusted: Pharmacists

In fourth place, trust for Pharmacists is hovering right around 57% in America, as many Americans believe this individual is someone they trust. If you look back at this role 10 years ago, pharmacists were in second place right behind nurses, so there has been a slight drop in trustworthiness over the last 10 years. 

3. Trusted: Military Officers

In third place, 59% of those surveyed in the Gallup poll said they were trustworthy, a dramatic increase from 10 years ago when military officers didn’t even make the same Gallup Survey. 

2. Trusted: Grade-School Teachers

We trust them to teach our youngest children at some of their most impressionable ages, so it shouldn’t be surprising to see grade-school teachers in second place. With a 61% trustworthy rating, this profession might be underpaid, but it’s not considered untrustworthy. 

1. Trusted: Nurses

Coming in with a 76% belief that nurses have a high or very high trust level, this profession is the most trustworthy in America. Three out of every four Americans view nurses as honest and ethical. Nurses have unsurprisingly been one of the most trustworthy professions for decades. 

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