Careers with the most job openings
Occupations with the most projected openings per year, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fast food and counter workers | $31,200 | +5.8% | 827,400 | No formal educational credential |
| Home health and personal care aides | $35,800 | +18.1% | 760,500 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Cashiers | $32,880 | -6.5% | 521,300 | No formal educational credential |
| Retail salespersons | $35,410 | -0.3% | 520,600 | No formal educational credential |
| Stockers and order fillers | $37,330 | +8.9% | 430,700 | No formal educational credential |
| Waiters and waitresses | $35,230 | +2.0% | 423,100 | No formal educational credential |
| Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand | $40,240 | +1.8% | 340,500 | No formal educational credential |
| Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners | $36,840 | +2.2% | 321,800 | No formal educational credential |
| Customer service representatives | $44,770 | -5.3% | 289,500 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| General and operations managers | $105,770 | +5.0% | 285,000 | Bachelor's degree |
| Office clerks, general | $45,010 | -6.0% | 249,000 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Cooks, restaurant | $37,390 | +12.1% | 218,600 | No formal educational credential |
| Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers | $58,640 | +3.8% | 214,500 | Postsecondary nondegree award |
| Nursing assistants | $42,260 | +2.6% | 196,200 | Postsecondary nondegree award |
| Registered nurses | $97,550 | +5.6% | 180,800 | Bachelor's degree |
| Teaching assistants, except postsecondary | $36,780 | -0.3% | 176,200 | Some college, no degree |
| Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive | $47,540 | -6.0% | 163,900 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Security guards | $38,020 | +0.9% | 156,000 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Childcare workers | $34,980 | -2.0% | 150,300 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Landscaping and groundskeeping workers | $39,150 | +4.7% | 149,500 | No formal educational credential |
| Maintenance and repair workers, general | $49,590 | +4.2% | 148,700 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks | $50,670 | -5.6% | 144,100 | Some college, no degree |
| Miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators | $44,650 | +1.1% | 138,700 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Food preparation workers | $35,320 | -3.0% | 135,700 | No formal educational credential |
| Bartenders | $34,340 | +5.0% | 121,200 | No formal educational credential |
| Construction laborers | $47,120 | +7.3% | 120,000 | No formal educational credential |
| Accountants and auditors | $83,680 | +5.0% | 115,300 | Bachelor's degree |
| Medical assistants | $45,690 | +12.9% | 109,700 | Postsecondary nondegree award |
| Light truck drivers | $44,860 | +6.3% | 107,200 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop | $31,200 | +3.4% | 107,100 | No formal educational credential |
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?
Fast food and counter workers: median pay $31,200 in 2025, projected growth +5.8% for 2025–35, about 827,400 openings a year (BLS).