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Employment Projections
Bureau of Labor Statistics > Employment Projections > Data

Occupations that Need More Education for Entry are Projected to Grow Faster Than Average

Other available formats: (XLSX)

Table 5.2 Employment, wages, and projected change in employment by typical entry-level education, 2025 and projected 2035 (Employment in thousands)
Typical education needed for entry Employment, 2025 Employment, 2035 Employment distribution, percent, 2025 Employment distribution, percent, 2035 Employment change, numeric,
2025–35		 Employment change, percent,
2025–35		 Median annual wage, dollars, 2025

Total, all occupations

 170,280.8 176,198.5 100.0 100.0 5,917.6 3.5 50,980

Doctoral or professional degree

 4,543.2 4,833.6 2.7 2.7 290.5 6.4 128,870

Master's degree

 3,941.3 4,376.7 2.3 2.5 435.4 11.0 83,210

Bachelor's degree

 42,870.1 45,292.0 25.2 25.7 2,421.9 5.6 96,480

Associate's degree

 3,554.1 3,728.7 2.1 2.1 174.6 4.9 64,990

Postsecondary nondegree award

 10,679.1 11,284.6 6.3 6.4 605.5 5.7 49,910

Some college, no degree

 4,172.9 4,039.7 2.5 2.3 -133.2 -3.2 46,670

High school diploma or equivalent

 60,319.0 61,503.4 35.4 34.9 1,184.4 2.0 48,050

No formal educational credential

 40,201.2 41,139.8 23.6 23.3 938.6 2.3 36,400

Note:

Wage data are from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program. The wage data cover non-farm wage and salary workers and do not cover the self-employed, owners and partners in unincorporated firms, or household workers.

The data shown in this table include all jobs from 2025–35, not just entry-level jobs. Entry-level education reflects 2025 requirements—BLS does not project educational requirements.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Last modified date: September 1, 2026