Key points from the chart
- The chart ranks the 20 US occupations projected to add the most jobs between 2023 and 2033, using Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projections.
- Home health and personal care aides lead with 820,500 projected new jobs, about 2.7 times the second place occupation, software developers (303,700).
- Six of the 20 are health related: home health and personal care aides, registered nurses, medical and health services managers, nurse practitioners, medical assistants and mental health counsellors. Together they account for 1,516,300 of the projected new jobs (our sum of the BLS figures).
- Pay varies widely. The top occupation had a 2023 median wage of $33,530, while computer and information systems managers had the highest on the list at $169,510.
The healthcare careers infographic in text
Title: Most new jobs are expected in home health and personal care roles. Subtitle: 20 occupations with the highest projected total change in employment, 2023-2033. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics. Logo: USAFacts. The chart has two bar columns, projected new jobs (pink) and median annual pay, 2023 (navy).
The growth rate column is not on the chart. We added it from the BLS table the chart is based on [2].
| Rank | Occupation | Projected new jobs, 2023 to 2033 | Growth, % (BLS) | Median annual pay, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Home health and personal care aide | 820,500 | 20.7% | $33,530 |
| 2 | Software developer | 303,700 | 17.9% | $132,270 |
| 3 | Cook, restaurant | 244,500 | 17.0% | $35,780 |
| 4 | Fast food and counter worker | 212,500 | 5.7% | $29,540 |
| 5 | General and operations manager | 210,400 | 5.8% | $101,280 |
| 6 | Registered nurse | 197,200 | 6.0% | $86,070 |
| 7 | Stocker and order filler | 168,600 | 5.9% | $36,390 |
| 8 | Medical and health services manager | 160,600 | 28.5% | $110,680 |
| 9 | Financial manager | 138,300 | 16.5% | $156,100 |
| 10 | Nurse practitioner | 135,500 | 46.3% | $126,260 |
| 11 | Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand | 125,700 | 4.2% | $37,660 |
| 12 | Medical assistant | 118,000 | 15.0% | $42,000 |
| 13 | Construction laborer | 115,400 | 8.2% | $45,300 |
| 14 | Management analyst | 107,900 | 10.6% | $99,410 |
| 15 | Computer and information systems manager | 106,900 | 17.4% | $169,510 |
| 16 | Heavy and tractor-trailer truck driver | 102,000 | 4.6% | $54,320 |
| 17 | Light truck driver | 96,300 | 8.8% | $42,470 |
| 18 | Accountant and auditor | 91,400 | 5.8% | $79,880 |
| 19 | Substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselor | 84,500 | 18.8% | $53,710 |
| 20 | Electrician | 84,300 | 10.8% | $61,590 |
Why home health aides top the list
Home health and personal care aides monitor the condition of people with disabilities or chronic illnesses and help them with daily living activities, working in clients’ homes, group homes and day services programmes [4]. In the 2023 to 2033 projections their employment was set to rise from 3,961,900 to 4,782,400, a gain of 820,500 or 20.7% [2]. That one occupation accounted for about 12% of all projected job growth in the US economy, which BLS put at 6,739,200 jobs over the decade (our calculation) [2].
Nurse practitioners had the fastest growth rate among the 20, at 46.3%, and medical and health services managers were second at 28.5% [2]. Both pay well above the median wage for all occupations, which BLS gave as $48,060 in 2023 [2].
What newer projections show
BLS updates its projections every year, so the figures on the chart have been replaced. In the 2025 to 2035 projections, employment of home health and personal care aides is expected to grow 18%, adding 847,300 jobs, with about 760,500 openings a year on average once workers who leave the occupation are counted [4]. Their median wage was $35,800 in May 2025 [4]. USAFacts has since updated its own article to the 2024 to 2034 projections, where the occupation is still first with 739,800 new positions [1].
Notes on this infographic
- The chart shows the 2023 to 2033 BLS projections. Every figure on it matches BLS Table 1.4 for that period [2], but newer projections are now available [1][4].
- “Projected new jobs” is the net change in employment. It is not the number of job openings, which also includes replacing workers who leave [4].
- Pay figures are 2023 medians from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme. They do not cover the self employed [2].
- The chart’s title says most new jobs are in home health and personal care. That is true of the single largest occupation, but 14 of the 20 occupations shown are outside healthcare.
Questions about healthcare careers
How many jobs are available in health care?
BLS projects about 1.9 million openings a year, on average, in healthcare occupations over 2025 to 2035, from growth and from replacing workers who leave [3].
What is the job outlook for healthcare?
BLS says overall employment in healthcare occupations is projected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations from 2025 to 2035 [3].
What is the fastest growing healthcare job?
Nurse practitioners had the fastest growth rate of the 20 occupations with the most projected new jobs, 46.3% between 2023 and 2033, adding 135,500 jobs [2]. Medical and health services managers were second at 28.5%, with 160,600 new jobs [2]. Both pay well above the 2023 median wage for all occupations of $48,060, with medians of $126,260 and $110,680 [2].
How much do home health aides make?
Home health and personal care aides had a median annual pay of $33,530 in 2023, the figure on the chart [2]. Their median wage was $35,800 in May 2025 [4]. The occupation is projected to add the most jobs in the US, 820,500 between 2023 and 2033 [2]. In the newer 2025 to 2035 projections, employment is expected to grow 18%, adding 847,300 jobs [4].
Sources
- USAFacts, What are the fastest-growing professions in America?, updated 17 October 2025. The creator’s article; this chart is the earlier 2023 to 2033 version of the one it now shows.
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Table 1.4, Occupations with the most job growth, 2023 and projected 2033 (opened via the Internet Archive copy of 2 March 2025 because bls.gov blocks automated access).
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Healthcare Occupations (opened via the Internet Archive copy of 19 October 2026).
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Home Health and Personal Care Aides (opened via the Internet Archive copy of 23 October 2026).
Last reviewed 30 October 2026
