Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

10 major occupational groups with higher-than-average wages projected to grow faster than average

December 05, 2023

Total employment is projected to grow 2.8 percent over the 2022-32 decade. Data for over 800 occupations are categorized into major groups. Most occupational groups with faster than average projected growth earned more than the overall median annual wage of $46,310 in 2022. Those groups appear in the upper right side of the chart. For example, management occupations, the highest paying group in 2022 ($107,360), is projected to grow 5.4 percent over the 2022-32 decade. Computer and mathematical occupations – the second-fastest growing group at 15.2 percent – earned a median annual wage of $100,440 in 2022.

Projected rate of employment change and median annual wages, by major occupational group
Occupation Employment change, percent, 2022-32 Median annual wage, 2022

Healthcare support occupations

15.4 $33,600

Computer and mathematical occupations

15.2 $100,440

Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations

8.0 $77,760

Community and social service occupations

7.8 $49,380

Life, physical, and social science occupations

6.1 $74,330

Personal care and service occupations

6.1 $31,340

Legal occupations

5.9 $95,170

Business and financial operations occupations

5.6 $76,850

Management occupations

5.4 $107,360

Transportation and material moving occupations

5.4 $37,940

Architecture and engineering occupations

5.2 $83,700

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations

3.8 $58,030

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

3.6 $50,080

Construction and extraction occupations

2.5 $50,570

Educational instruction and library occupations

2.3 $57,490

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations

1.7 $33,870

Food preparation and serving related occupations

1.7 $29,640

Protective service occupations

0.3 $45,450

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations

-1.9 $33,970

Sales and related occupations

-2.6 $35,290

Production occupations

-3.2 $39,910

Office and administrative support occupations

-6.2 $40,910

Conversely, healthcare support occupations, a group that is expected to grow faster than any other group over the projections period, 15.4%, earned a median wage of $33,600, less than the average of all occupations. All four occupational groups projected to see employment declines through 2032 earned a less-than-average wage. Among the groups expected to have slower-than-average growth, none had average earnings of more than $60,000 per year.

These data are from the Employment Projections program. Projected growth and median wages are also available for detailed occupations within each broader occupational group. To learn more, see the Occupational Outlook Handbook for information about hundreds of careers.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, 10 major occupational groups with higher-than-average wages projected to grow faster than average at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2023/10-major-occupational-groups-with-higher-than-average-wages-are-projected-to-grow-faster-than-average.htm (visited November 10, 2024).

OF INTEREST
spotlight
Recent editions of Spotlight on Statistics


triangle