Fastest-growing careers
Occupations with the highest projected employment growth, 2025–35. Top 30 of 290 occupations we profile, from official BLS Employment Projections (2025–35). Use the Career Explorer to filter all of them.
Updated
| Occupation | Median pay | Growth | Openings/yr | Typical entry education |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nurse practitioners | $132,300 | +41.0% | 29,400 | Master's degree |
| Data scientists | $120,230 | +34.6% | 24,800 | Bachelor's degree |
| Medical and health services managers | $123,860 | +24.2% | 62,300 | Bachelor's degree |
| Physical therapist assistants | $68,380 | +23.0% | 18,500 | Associate's degree |
| Psychiatric technicians | $45,130 | +22.3% | 17,000 | Postsecondary nondegree award |
| Occupational therapy assistants | $72,300 | +21.5% | 8,100 | Associate's degree |
| Physician assistants | $135,880 | +21.1% | 11,500 | Master's degree |
| Information security analysts | $129,180 | +21.0% | 14,100 | Bachelor's degree |
| Occupational health and safety specialists | $90,150 | +18.5% | 17,100 | Bachelor's degree |
| Substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors | $59,350 | +18.4% | 50,500 | Master's degree |
| Home health and personal care aides | $35,800 | +18.1% | 760,500 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Health specialties teachers, postsecondary | $107,310 | +17.9% | 24,900 | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Industrial machinery mechanics | $64,520 | +17.8% | 44,400 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Logisticians | $82,320 | +17.6% | 26,600 | Bachelor's degree |
| Nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary | $80,250 | +17.1% | 8,500 | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Speech-language pathologists | $97,870 | +16.6% | 12,500 | Master's degree |
| Computer and information systems managers | $175,140 | +15.8% | 53,500 | Bachelor's degree |
| Massage therapists | $58,450 | +15.3% | 20,400 | Postsecondary nondegree award |
| Occupational therapists | $100,330 | +14.8% | 10,000 | Master's degree |
| Diagnostic medical sonographers | $96,590 | +13.9% | 6,000 | Associate's degree |
| Marriage and family therapists | $66,940 | +13.5% | 6,900 | Master's degree |
| Medical assistants | $45,690 | +12.9% | 109,700 | Postsecondary nondegree award |
| Community health workers | $51,850 | +12.7% | 7,000 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Medical scientists, except epidemiologists | $103,410 | +12.6% | 10,500 | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Medical equipment repairers | $61,660 | +12.6% | 8,200 | Associate's degree |
| Industrial engineers | $102,440 | +12.4% | 23,100 | Bachelor's degree |
| Cooks, restaurant | $37,390 | +12.1% | 218,600 | No formal educational credential |
| Animal caretakers | $35,360 | +12.1% | 62,800 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Operations research analysts | $88,940 | +11.9% | 7,500 | Bachelor's degree |
| Physical therapists | $102,760 | +11.9% | 13,400 | Doctoral or professional degree |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, Table 1.2 Occupational projections, 2025–35, and worker characteristics, 2025 ↗. Employment is for 2025, projections to 2035; median annual wage is for 2025; openings are the projected annual average for 2025–35. Figures are national, not local. Data last downloaded Oct 16, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is #1 on this list?
Nurse practitioners: median pay $132,300 in 2025, projected growth +41.0% for 2025–35, about 29,400 openings a year (BLS).