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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.
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.
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).