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Economy
Madison Hoff
2024-04-23T09:58:01Z
- Employment is projected to increase for software developers, a high-paying job, from 2022 to 2032.
- BI looked at employment projections and median annual wages to create a ranking of similar jobs.
- Nurse practitioners ranked No. 5 on this list of high-paying and fast-growing jobs.
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Spoiler alert: Software developers tops Business Insider's list of the top 20 high-paying and fast-growing jobs in the US.
To get the top 20 job titles, Business Insider looked at jobs projected to see employment increase between 2022 and 2032 and had median annual wages greater than the median annual wage for all jobs in the US, which was $48,060.
The annual wage estimates used were part of the release of May 2023 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics earlier this month. Projection data also comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
We calculated the geometric mean for all the jobs that both pay above the overall median and were also projected to see employment climb. That means our list is ranked based on a combination of growth and pay. For example, while the median wage for the No. 2 job is a bit higher than for the No. 1 job, the projected growth in number of positions for the No. 1 job is so much more than No. 2 that it rose to the top spot in the ranking.
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We only looked at jobs with specific annual wage estimates. We excluded titles that contained "All Other" in their occupation titles, such as "Computer Occupations, All Other," given that label doesn't specify one role.
While several tech-related jobs were among the top 20, some healthcare roles were highly ranked. Nurse practitioners ranked No. 5, for instance.
Below are the top 20. Pay estimates, employment projections, and the "typical education needed for entry" stated for each job below come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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20. Software quality assurance analysts and testers
Median annual wage: $101,800
Projected employment increase: 40,800
Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor's degree
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19. Personal financial advisors
Median annual wage: $99,580
Projected employment increase: 42,000
Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor's degree
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18. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
Median annual wage: $54,320
Projected employment increase: 89,300
Typical education needed for entry: Postsecondary nondegree award
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17. Physician assistants
Median annual wage: $130,020
Projected employment increase: 39,300
Typical education needed for entry: Master's degree
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16. Postsecondary health specialties teachers
Median annual wage: $105,650
Projected employment increase: 50,200
Typical education needed for entry: Doctoral or professional degree
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15. Computer systems analysts
Median annual wage: $103,800
Projected employment increase: 51,100
Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor's degree
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14. Accountants and auditors
Median annual wage: $79,880
Projected employment increase: 67,400
Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor's degree
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13. Project management specialists
Median annual wage: $98,580
Projected employment increase: 54,700
Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor's degree
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12. Information security analysts
Median annual wage: $120,360
Projected employment increase: 53,200
Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor's degree
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11. Data scientists
Median annual wage: $108,020
Projected employment increase: 59,400
Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor's degree
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10. Market research analysts and marketing specialists
Median annual wage: $74,680
Projected employment increase: 116,600
Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor's degree
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9. Lawyers
Median annual wage: $145,760
Projected employment increase: 62,400
Typical education needed for entry: Doctoral or professional degree
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8. Management analysts
Median annual wage: $99,410
Projected employment increase: 95,700
Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor's degree
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7. Computer and information systems managers
Median annual wage: $169,510
Projected employment increase: 86,000
Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor's degree
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6. General and operations managers
Median annual wage: $101,280
Projected employment increase: 147,300
Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor's degree
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5. Nurse practitioners
Median annual wage: $126,260
Projected employment increase: 118,600
Typical education needed for entry: Master's degree
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4. Registered nurses
Median annual wage: $86,070
Projected employment increase: 177,400
Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor's degree
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3. Medical and health services managers
Median annual wage: $110,680
Projected employment increase: 144,700
Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor's degree
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2. Financial managers
Median annual wage: $156,100
Projected employment increase: 126,600
Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor's degree
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1. Software developers
Median annual wage: $132,270
Projected employment increase: 410,400
Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor's degree
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