An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Employment Projections > Data > Fastest growing occupations

Fastest growing occupations

Other available formats: (XLSX)

Table 1.3 Fastest growing occupations, 2018 and projected 2028
(Numbers in thousands)
2018 National Employment Matrix title and code		Employment		Change, 2018–28		Median annual wage, 2018 (1)
2018 National Employment Matrix title and code		2018	2028	Number	Percent	Median annual wage, 2018 (1)
Total, all occupations	00-0000	161,037.7	169,435.9	8,398.1	5.2	$38,640
Solar photovoltaic installers	47-2231	9.7	15.8	6.1	63.3	$42,680
Wind turbine service technicians	49-9081	6.6	10.3	3.8	56.9	$54,370
Home health aides	31-1011	831.8	1,136.6	304.8	36.6	$24,200
Personal care aides	39-9021	2,421.2	3,302.1	881.0	36.4	$24,020
Occupational therapy assistants	31-2011	43.8	58.3	14.5	33.1	$60,220
Information security analysts	15-1122	112.3	147.7	35.5	31.6	$98,350
Physician assistants	29-1071	118.8	155.7	37.0	31.1	$108,610
Statisticians	15-2041	44.4	58.0	13.6	30.7	$87,780
Nurse practitioners	29-1171	189.1	242.4	53.3	28.2	$107,030
Speech-language pathologists	29-1127	153.7	195.6	41.9	27.3	$77,510
Physical therapist assistants	31-2021	98.4	125.0	26.7	27.1	$58,040
Genetic counselors	29-9092	3.0	3.8	0.8	27.0	$80,370
Mathematicians	15-2021	2.9	3.6	0.8	26.0	$101,900
Operations research analysts	15-2031	109.7	137.9	28.1	25.6	$83,390
Software developers, applications	15-1132	944.2	1,185.7	241.5	25.6	$103,620
Forest fire inspectors and prevention specialists	33-2022	2.2	2.8	0.5	24.1	$39,600
Health specialties teachers, postsecondary	25-1071	254.8	313.9	59.1	23.2	$97,370
Phlebotomists	31-9097	128.3	157.8	29.5	23.0	$34,480
Physical therapist aides	31-2022	49.8	61.2	11.3	22.8	$26,240
Medical assistants	31-9092	686.6	841.5	154.9	22.6	$33,610
Substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors	21-1018	304.5	373.1	68.5	22.5	$44,630
Marriage and family therapists	21-1013	55.3	67.7	12.3	22.3	$50,090
Massage therapists	31-9011	159.8	195.2	35.4	22.2	$41,420
Cooks, restaurant	35-2014	1,362.3	1,661.3	299.0	21.9	$26,530
Physical therapists	29-1123	247.7	301.9	54.2	21.9	$87,930
Respiratory therapists	29-1126	134.0	162.0	27.9	20.8	$60,280
Market research analysts and marketing specialists	13-1161	681.9	821.1	139.2	20.4	$63,120
Actuaries	15-2011	25.0	30.0	5.0	20.1	$102,880
Computer numerically controlled machine tool programmers, metal and plastic	51-4012	24.3	29.2	4.9	20.0	$53,190
Nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary	25-1072	69.0	82.8	13.8	20.0	$73,490
Footnotes: (1) Data are from the Occupational Employment Statistics program, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Wage data cover non-farm wage and salary workers and do not cover the self-employed, owners and partners in unincorporated firms, or household workers. Source: Employment Projections program, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Last Modified Date: September 4, 2019