As the U.S. labor market evolves, some occupations are poised to grow far more rapidly than others. A recent visualization from USAFacts, based on projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), highlights the jobs expected to add the most new positions nationwide over the next decade, through 2034.
Caregiving Roles Lead by a Wide Margin
Driven largely by an aging population, home health and personal care aides are projected to be the fastest-growing occupation in the country by a substantial margin. Over the next ten years, nearly 740,000 new jobs are expected to be added in this field alone.
However, this rapid growth comes with a trade-off. These roles also have one of the lowest median salaries on the list, with annual pay below $35,000, underscoring ongoing concerns about compensation in the caregiving sector.
Technology, Healthcare, and Service Jobs Dominate
Beyond caregiving, growth is spread across several major sectors:
Technology remains a key driver, with strong projected growth for software developers, data scientists, and computer and information systems managers.
Healthcare continues to expand, including roles such as registered nurses, nurse practitioners, medical assistants, and medical and health services managers.
Service and logistics roles, including stockers and order fillers, fast food workers, restaurant cooks, and truck drivers, also feature prominently due to sustained consumer demand and high turnover.
Below is a snapshot of the top 20 occupations by projected job growth, along with median annual pay:
| Rank | Occupation | Projected New Jobs | Median Annual Pay (2024) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Home health & personal care aides | 739.8K | $34.9K |
| 2 | Software developers | 267.7K | $133.1K |
| 3 | Stockers & order fillers | 235.0K | $37.1K |
| 4 | Fast food & counter workers | 233.2K | $30.5K |
| 5 | Cooks, restaurant | 217.0K | $36.8K |
| 6 | Registered nurses | 166.1K | $93.6K |
| 7 | General & operations managers | 164.0K | $103.0K |
| 8 | Medical & health services managers | 142.9K | $118.0K |
| 9 | Financial managers | 128.8K | $161.7K |
| 10 | Nurse practitioners | 128.4K | $129.2K |
| 11 | Construction laborers | 106.5K | $46.7K |
| 12 | Computer & IS managers | 101.6K | $171.2K |
| 13 | Medical assistants | 101.2K | $44.2K |
| 14 | Management analysts | 94.5K | $101.2K |
| 15 | Heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers | 89.3K | $57.4K |
| 16 | Data scientists | 82.5K | $112.6K |
| 17 | Substance abuse & mental health counselors | 81.0K | $59.2K |
| 18 | Light truck drivers | 78.9K | $44.1K |
| 19 | Electricians | 77.4K | $62.4K |
| 20 | First-line food service supervisors | 73.0K | $42.0K |
High Growth Doesn’t Always Mean High Pay
One notable takeaway from the data is the wide disparity between job growth and compensation. While many of the fastest-growing roles pay modest wages, several high-paying careers also make the list.
Occupations with median annual earnings well above $100,000 include:
Computer and information systems managers ($171.2K)
Financial managers ($161.7K)
Software developers ($133.1K)
Nurse practitioners ($129.2K)
Data scientists ($112.6K)
These roles combine strong demand with high earning potential, making them particularly attractive over the coming decade.
What About AI and Job Security?
Although tech roles feature heavily in the growth projections, the long-term impact of artificial intelligence remains a key question. Notably, major technology companies slowed developer hiring in 2025, fueling debate about which roles are most resilient to automation.