Job-growth ranking

The 50 fastest-growing occupations, 2024–2034

Ranked by projected percentage employment growth among occupations with at least 1,000 workers today (BLS treats smaller occupation estimates as low-precision, so tiny occupations are excluded from this ranking), each with its AI-exposure score. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 (wages as of May 2024), demand is concentrating in clean energy, healthcare and data, and O*NET task analysis of more than 18,000 tasks flags which of those roles are also hard to automate. See our methodology for how scores are computed.

Fastest-growing: Wind turbine service technicians
Its growth: +49.9%
Median of list: +15.3%
Low AI exposure: 30/50

The short version

According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034, covering more than 18,000 occupational tasks across 832 occupations, demand is concentrating in clean energy, healthcare, and data. Wind turbine service technicians tops the list at +49.9% projected growth, and 30 of these 50 fast-growing roles also carry low AI exposure - the sweet spot of rising demand and durable, hard-to-automate work.

Growth is from BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (wages as of BLS May 2024); see our methodology for how AI-exposure scores are computed.

The full ranking

#	Occupation	AI exposure	Growth 2024–34	Median wage
1	Wind turbine service technicians	18%	+49.9%	$62,580
2	Solar photovoltaic installers	42%	+42.1%	$51,860
3	Nurse practitioners	26%	+40.1%	$129,210
4	Data scientists	61%	+33.5%	$112,590
5	Information security analysts	45%	+28.5%	$124,910
6	Medical and health services managers	41%	+23.2%	$117,960
7	Physical therapist assistants	27%	+22.0%	$65,510
8	Actuaries	35%	+21.8%	$125,770
9	Operations research analysts	48%	+21.5%	$91,290
10	Physician assistants	37%	+20.4%	$133,260
11	Psychiatric technicians	23%	+20.0%	$42,590
12	Ophthalmic medical technicians	34%	+19.8%	$44,080
13	Computer and information research scientists	41%	+19.7%	$140,910
14	Occupational therapy assistants	25%	+19.2%	$68,340
15	Financial examiners	61%	+18.5%	$90,400
16	Hearing aid specialists	22%	+18.4%	$61,560
17	Health specialties teachers, postsecondary	32%	+17.3%	$105,620
18	Home health and personal care aides	35%	+17.0%	$34,900
19	Substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors	35%	+16.8%	$59,190
20	Nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary	29%	+16.8%	$79,940
21	Logisticians	52%	+16.7%	$80,880
22	Epidemiologists	31%	+16.2%	$83,980
23	Industrial machinery mechanics	33%	+16.1%	$63,760
24	Software developers	45%	+15.8%	$133,080
25	Massage therapists	39%	+15.4%	$57,950
26	Computer and information systems managers	38%	+15.2%	$171,200
27	Speech-language pathologists	47%	+15.0%	$95,410
28	Cooks, restaurant	41%	+14.9%	$36,830
29	Financial managers	81%	+14.8%	$161,700
30	Health information technologists and medical registrars	43%	+14.7%	$67,310
31	Forest fire inspectors and prevention specialists	49%	+14.6%	$52,380
32	Occupational therapists	36%	+13.8%	$98,340
33	Orthotists and prosthetists	21%	+13.3%	$78,310
34	Diagnostic medical sonographers	48%	+13.0%	$89,340
35	Medical equipment repairers	33%	+12.9%	$62,630
36	Forensic science technicians	61%	+12.8%	$67,440
37	Computer numerically controlled tool programmers	49%	+12.8%	$65,670
38	Marriage and family therapists	32%	+12.6%	$63,780
39	Counselors, all other	35%	+12.6%	$49,830
40	Occupational health and safety specialists	28%	+12.5%	$83,910
41	Medical assistants	49%	+12.5%	$44,200
42	Respiratory therapists	23%	+12.1%	$80,450
43	Animal caretakers	19%	+12.1%	$33,470
44	Computer network architects	49%	+11.9%	$130,390
45	Exercise trainers and group fitness instructors	25%	+11.9%	$46,180
46	Therapists, all other	25%	+11.5%	$65,010
47	Recreational vehicle service technicians	14%	+11.5%	$50,540
48	Mechanical door repairers	18%	+11.4%	$51,050
49	Community health workers	40%	+11.3%	$51,030
50	Clinical and counseling psychologists	27%	+11.2%	$95,830

Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (employment growth and wages); O*NET task data for AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce. Ranked across 832 tracked occupations.

How this ranking is built

Growth figures come directly from BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, the percentage change in projected employment for each detailed occupation over the decade. AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis of O*NET 30.0 task data, estimating the share of each role's tasks susceptible to current automation. Pairing the two reveals which fast-growing roles are also resilient to AI.

Caveats and limitations

BLS projections are model-based and carry uncertainty; they predate the most recent macroeconomic shifts. Percentage growth can look dramatic for small occupations, a 50% rise on a small base adds fewer jobs than a 5% rise on a large one. Check absolute employment on each occupation page for the full picture.

Safest occupations from AI → All rankings How to future-proof your career

Compiled by PlainWorkforce Editorial, AI Workforce Editorial Team · May 15, 2026

Every figure on PlainWorkforce is rendered directly from BLS/O*NET source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these figures, or report a data error. Data current as of BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.

The full ranking

How this ranking is built

Caveats and limitations

Related rankings