60% of these careers already have a full profile page; the rest publish with the next tranche and show the same bank data here in the meantime.
The 30 Fastest-Growing Careers, by BLS Projected Growth (2026)
Wind Turbine Service Technician tops this list at $64,120 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with +49.9% projected employment change over 2024–2034. Below are 30 careers that meet the criteria, each with its real median wage, outlook and entry requirement.
Occupations with the highest projected employment growth over the BLS 2024–2034 projection cycle.
- Careers on this list
- 30
- Median pay on the list
- $84,770
- Projected to grow
- 30 of 30
- Openings a year
- 2,118,700
From 923 in the bank
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Combined, BLS EP
How we built this list
- Ranked by projected percentage employment change over the current BLS Employment Projections cycle.
- Occupations without a BLS projection are excluded.
- Occupations with no BLS wage or projection data are excluded rather than estimated.
- The list is regenerated from source data on every bank refresh. It is not hand-picked and no editorial ranking is applied.
The top 30 fastest-growing careers
1. Wind Turbine Service Technician
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
- Median pay
- $64,120
- Growth
- +49.9%
- Openings / yr
- 2,300
- Education
- Certificate
Inspect, diagnose, adjust, or repair wind turbines.
Profile coming in the next tranche.
2. Solar Photovoltaic Installer
Construction and Extraction
- Median pay
- $53,140
- Growth
- +42.1%
- Openings / yr
- 4,100
- Education
- High school
Assemble, install, or maintain solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on roofs or other structures in compliance with site assessment and schematics.
Profile coming in the next tranche.
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Median pay
- $132,300
- Growth
- +40.1%
- Openings / yr
- 29,500
- Education
- Master's
Diagnose and treat acute, episodic, or chronic illness, independently or as part of a healthcare team.
Computer and Mathematical
- Median pay
- $120,230
- Growth
- +33.5%
- Openings / yr
- 23,400
- Education
- Bachelor's
Develop and implement a set of techniques or analytics applications to transform raw data into meaningful information using data-oriented programming languages and visualization software.
Computer and Mathematical
- Median pay
- $120,230
- Growth
- +33.5%
- Openings / yr
- 23,400
- Education
- Bachelor's
Produce financial and market intelligence by querying data repositories and generating periodic reports.
Computer and Mathematical
- Median pay
- $120,230
- Growth
- +33.5%
- Openings / yr
- 23,400
- Education
- Bachelor's
Apply knowledge of health care and database management to analyze clinical data, and to identify and report trends.
Computer and Mathematical
- Median pay
- $129,180
- Growth
- +28.5%
- Openings / yr
- 16,000
- Education
- Bachelor's
Plan, implement, upgrade, or monitor security measures for the protection of computer networks and information.
Management
- Median pay
- $123,860
- Growth
- +23.2%
- Openings / yr
- 62,100
- Education
- Bachelor's
Plan, direct, or coordinate medical and health services in hospitals, clinics, managed care organizations, public health agencies, or similar organizations.
9. Physical Therapist Assistant
Healthcare Support
- Median pay
- $68,380
- Growth
- +22.0%
- Openings / yr
- 19,800
- Education
- Associate's
Assist physical therapists in providing physical therapy treatments and procedures.
Profile coming in the next tranche.
Computer and Mathematical
- Median pay
- $130,000
- Growth
- +21.8%
- Openings / yr
- 2,400
- Education
- Bachelor's
Analyze statistical data, such as mortality, accident, sickness, disability, and retirement rates and construct probability tables to forecast risk and liability for payment of future benefits.
11. Operations Research Analyst
Computer and Mathematical
- Median pay
- $88,940
- Growth
- +21.5%
- Openings / yr
- 9,600
- Education
- Bachelor's
Formulate and apply mathematical modeling and other optimizing methods to develop and interpret information that assists management with decisionmaking, policy formulation, or other managerial functions.
Profile coming in the next tranche.
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Median pay
- $135,880
- Growth
- +20.4%
- Openings / yr
- 12,000
- Education
- Master's
Provide healthcare services typically performed by a physician, under the supervision of a physician.
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Median pay
- $135,880
- Growth
- +20.4%
- Openings / yr
- 12,000
- Education
- Master's
Assist anesthesiologists in the administration of anesthesia for surgical and non-surgical procedures.
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Median pay
- $45,130
- Growth
- +20.0%
- Openings / yr
- 15,900
- Education
- Certificate
Care for individuals with mental or emotional conditions or disabilities, following the instructions of physicians or other health practitioners.
15. Ophthalmic Medical Technician
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Median pay
- $45,570
- Growth
- +19.8%
- Openings / yr
- 12,500
- Education
- Certificate
Assist ophthalmologists by performing ophthalmic clinical functions.
Profile coming in the next tranche.
16. Computer and Information Research Scientist
Computer and Mathematical
- Median pay
- $140,300
- Growth
- +19.7%
- Openings / yr
- 3,200
- Education
- Master's
Conduct research into fundamental computer and information science as theorists, designers, or inventors.
Profile coming in the next tranche.
17. Occupational Therapy Assistant
Healthcare Support
- Median pay
- $72,300
- Growth
- +19.2%
- Openings / yr
- 7,200
- Education
- Associate's
Assist occupational therapists in providing occupational therapy treatments and procedures.
Profile coming in the next tranche.
18. Financial Examiner
Business and Financial Operations
- Median pay
- $94,160
- Growth
- +18.5%
- Openings / yr
- 5,700
- Education
- Bachelor's
Enforce or ensure compliance with laws and regulations governing financial and securities institutions and financial and real estate transactions.
Profile coming in the next tranche.
19. Hearing Aid Specialist
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Median pay
- $65,160
- Growth
- +18.4%
- Openings / yr
- 1,000
- Education
- High school
Select and fit hearing aids for customers.
Profile coming in the next tranche.
Educational Instruction and Library
- Median pay
- $107,310
- Growth
- +17.3%
- Openings / yr
- 27,400
- Education
- Doctorate
Teach courses in health specialties, in fields such as dentistry, laboratory technology, medicine, pharmacy, public health, therapy, and veterinary medicine.
Healthcare Support
- Median pay
- $35,800
- Growth
- +17.0%
- Openings / yr
- 765,800
- Education
- High school
Monitor the health status of an individual with disabilities or illness, and address their health-related needs, such as changing bandages, dressing wounds, or administering medication.
Healthcare Support
- Median pay
- $35,800
- Growth
- +17.0%
- Openings / yr
- 765,800
- Education
- High school
Provide personalized assistance to individuals with disabilities or illness who require help with personal care and activities of daily living support (e.g., feeding, bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, and ambula…
23. Nursing Instructor and Teacher, Postsecondary
Educational Instruction and Library
- Median pay
- $80,250
- Growth
- +16.8%
- Openings / yr
- 8,600
- Education
- Doctorate
Demonstrate and teach patient care in classroom and clinical units to nursing students.
Profile coming in the next tranche.
Business and Financial Operations
- Median pay
- $82,320
- Growth
- +16.7%
- Openings / yr
- 26,400
- Education
- Bachelor's
Analyze and coordinate the ongoing logistical functions of a firm or organization.
Business and Financial Operations
- Median pay
- $82,320
- Growth
- +16.7%
- Openings / yr
- 26,400
- Education
- Bachelor's
Design or analyze operational solutions for projects such as transportation optimization, network modeling, process and methods analysis, cost containment, capacity enhancement, routing and shipment optimization, or i…
Business and Financial Operations
- Median pay
- $82,320
- Growth
- +16.7%
- Openings / yr
- 26,400
- Education
- Bachelor's
Analyze product delivery or supply chain processes to identify or recommend changes.
27. Epidemiologist
Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Median pay
- $87,220
- Growth
- +16.2%
- Openings / yr
- 800
- Education
- Master's
Investigate and describe the determinants and distribution of disease, disability, or health outcomes.
Profile coming in the next tranche.
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
- Median pay
- $64,520
- Growth
- +16.1%
- Openings / yr
- 45,700
- Education
- High school
Repair, install, adjust, or maintain industrial production and processing machinery or refinery and pipeline distribution systems.
Computer and Mathematical
- Median pay
- $135,980
- Growth
- +15.8%
- Openings / yr
- 115,200
- Education
- Bachelor's
Research, design, and develop computer and network software or specialized utility programs.
30. Massage Therapist
Healthcare Support
- Median pay
- $58,450
- Growth
- +15.4%
- Openings / yr
- 24,700
- Education
- Certificate
Perform therapeutic massages of soft tissues and joints.
Profile coming in the next tranche.
Fastest-Growing Careers: FAQ
What is the top career on the fastest-growing careers list?
Wind Turbine Service Technician leads the list with a median wage of $64,120 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025) and projected employment change of +49.9% over 2024–2034. Typical entry-level education is certificate.
How was this list put together?
Occupations with the highest projected employment growth over the BLS 2024–2034 projection cycle. Ranked by projected percentage employment change over the current BLS Employment Projections cycle. Occupations without a BLS projection are excluded. Every figure comes from BLS OEWS May 2025, BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET 30.3 Database.
How much do fastest-growing careers pay?
Across the 30 careers on this list the middle occupation pays $84,770 a year, from $35,800 at the bottom to $140,300 at the top (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The median across all US occupations is $50,980.
How many of these careers can you enter without a degree?
9 of the 30 careers on this list have a typical entry requirement below an associate's degree: a high school diploma, a postsecondary certificate, or no formal credential (BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034).