The 10 Fastest-Growing Jobs Through 2034: Top Two Add Under 20,000 Roles

The latest U.S. employment projections still put renewable-energy trades at the top of the growth-rate ranking, but the headline percentages conceal an important limitation: wind turbine technicians and solar installers together are expected to add only 18,800 jobs. The current official forecast covers 2024–2034, not a literal five-year period.

The top 10 has also changed from older versions of this list. Actuaries and operations research analysts now make the cut, while statisticians and home health and personal care aides are outside it. For anyone choosing a career, the useful comparison is not percentage growth alone but the combination of growth, employment scale, pay and qualification requirements.

The 10 fastest-growing occupations in the latest forecast

The current BLS occupational table ranks jobs by projected percentage change from 2024 to 2034 and reports employment counts and 2024 median annual wages. The figures below use its unrounded growth rates; projected job gains are calculated by BLS in thousands and are not estimates of annual vacancies.

1. Wind turbine service technicians — 49.9% growth. Employment is projected to rise from 13,600 to 20,500, an increase of about 6,800 positions. The 2024 median annual wage was $62,580.
2. Solar photovoltaic installers — 42.1% growth. The occupation is expected to expand from 28,600 to 40,600 workers, adding approximately 12,000 jobs. Its 2024 median annual wage was $51,860.
3. Nurse practitioners — 40.1% growth. Projected employment increases from 320,400 to 448,800, producing 128,400 additional positions—far more than the two renewable-energy leaders combined. The median annual wage was $129,210.
4. Data scientists — 33.5% growth. Employment is projected to move from 245,900 to 328,300, a gain of 82,500 jobs. The occupation had a 2024 median annual wage of $112,590.
5. Information security analysts — 28.5% growth. The forecast adds 52,100 positions, taking employment from 182,800 to 234,900. The median annual wage was $124,910.
6. Medical and health services managers — 23.2% growth. This occupation has the largest numerical gain in the top 10: 142,900 jobs, from a substantial base of 616,200. Its 2024 median annual wage was $117,960.
7. Physical therapist assistants — 22.0% growth. Employment is expected to increase by 24,500, reaching 136,000 in 2034. The median annual wage was $65,510.
8. Actuaries — 21.8% growth. The projected rate translates into only 7,300 additional jobs because employment started at 33,600. The 2024 median annual wage was $125,770.
9. Operations research analysts — 21.5% growth. BLS projects a gain of 24,100 positions, taking employment to 136,200. The median annual wage was $91,290.
10. Physician assistants — 20.4% growth. Employment is forecast to rise from 162,700 to 195,800, adding approximately 33,200 jobs. At $133,260, this occupation had the highest 2024 median annual wage among the top 10.

Why the highest percentage does not mean the most opportunity

A growth rate describes how quickly an occupation’s total employment is expected to change. It does not reveal how large that occupation already is, how many workers will leave it, or how many openings employers may need to fill each year. A 49.9% increase from a small base can create fewer positions than a 20% increase in a much larger field.

That distinction is stark here. The first two occupations add 18,800 jobs combined, whereas medical and health services managers alone add 142,900. Nurse practitioners add another 128,400. Someone assessing opportunity should therefore look at both the percentage and the numerical employment change rather than treating rank as a direct measure of hiring volume.

Projected employment gains are also different from annual openings. Openings can result from growth, but they also arise when workers retire, leave the labor force or transfer to another occupation. Consequently, an occupation outside this top 10 may generate many more opportunities for applicants than a fast-growing but small specialty.

What is driving the new ranking

The composition of the list reflects three distinct forces: energy investment, expanding healthcare needs and demand for advanced analytical work. In its 2024–2034 projections release, BLS attributes renewable-power growth partly to rising electricity demand associated with data centers, artificial intelligence and electric vehicles. It connects healthcare growth to an aging population and chronic conditions, while demand for AI development, data analysis and protection against cyberattacks supports computer and mathematical occupations.

These forces operate differently. Wind and solar projects create rapid percentage growth in relatively small installation and maintenance occupations. Healthcare expansion affects both clinical roles and the managers who coordinate increasingly large systems. Data science, cybersecurity, actuarial work and operations research apply across multiple industries, although the precise tasks and hiring conditions vary considerably by employer.

How to use the ranking for a career decision

Start by separating occupational outlook from personal fit. Median wage is the midpoint for all workers in an occupation, not a guaranteed starting salary, and it does not account for regional costs, schedules or employment arrangements. The national projections also cannot show whether a specific city has enough wind facilities, hospitals or analytical employers to support the same trend.

Entry routes differ just as sharply. Renewable-energy technicians perform physical, site-based work and may face heights, travel or outdoor conditions. Advanced clinical occupations require formal professional education and licensing, while analytics and security careers generally depend on substantial technical preparation. Medical management often combines healthcare knowledge with administrative experience.

A practical shortlist should compare:

• the projected numerical gain as well as the percentage rate;
• typical education, licensing and supervised-training requirements;
• local or state demand rather than the national forecast alone;
• working conditions, schedules and physical requirements;
• median pay against the time and cost needed to qualify.

The projections are best treated as a directional planning tool, not a promise. BLS explicitly warns that precise long-range values cannot capture all the uncertainty in labor-market forecasting. The durable conclusion is narrower: healthcare, renewable-energy maintenance and quantitative technology work dominate the current growth-rate leaders, but the number of jobs behind each percentage varies by more than twentyfold.

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