You already know tech and healthcare are growing but the fastest-expanding jobs often live in surprising corners of the economy — rooftop solar crews, wind-turbine mechanics, actuaries, even hearing-aid specialists. Wondering which occupations are rising fastest and are here to dominate till 2034), why the demand exists and what the research and official data say about pay, prospects and the forces behind the growth?The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) published official 10-year projections for occupations and its fastest-growing list for 2024–34 (ranked by percent growth) opened with two clean-energy trades that are healthcare and data and security roles. These include wind turbine service technicians (50% growth), solar photovoltaic installers (42%), nurse practitioners (40%), data scientists (34%) and information security analysts (29%), among others. The BLS table shows growth rates, projected numeric changes and median pay for each occupation.Start here because BLS projections combine historical trends, demographic shifts and industry forecasts and they are the standard baseline for job-market planning in the U.S. Check out the fastest-growing jobs in America below –
Clean-energy trades: Wind turbine techs and solar installers
As per BLS, wind turbine service technicians top the list (50% growth) and solar photovoltaic installers are close behind (42%). Median pay for wind techs was roughly $62,580 in 2024, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Multiple reports show clean-energy construction and operations are growing fast: the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2024 USEER and the Clean Jobs datasets document rapid employment increases in wind, solar and other renewable sectors that are driven by deployment incentives, falling equipment costs, grid expansion and policy (including IRA-era investments). Clean energy technologies accounted for 79% of net new electric power generation employment and the energy sector added hundreds of thousands of jobs in 2023, as per the Department of Energy’s Energy.gov.Clean energy employment increased by 142,000 jobs, accounting for more than half of net new electric power generation employment. Policies and private investment have created a sudden practical need for trained installers and maintenance technicians or people who climb towers and mount panels, not just PhDs, making these trade jobs unusually fast-growing and well-paid for vocational roles.
Healthcare’s new frontiers: nurse practitioners, physician assistants, home-health aides, mental-health counsellors
Nurse practitioners (40% growth), physician assistants (20% growth), home health and personal care aides (17% growth) and substance-abuse/mental-health counsellors (~17%) all appear on the fastest-growing list of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Demographics (an ageing population), post-pandemic service demand and policy changes expanding access to care are major drivers. JAMA-published workforce modelling projects large increases in demand for registered nurses and advanced practice clinicians as federal reports highlight behavioural-health shortages and policy moves to expand access to treatment. For behavioural health specifically, HRSA’s 2024 brief documents critical workforce gaps and expanding service needs. Workforce modelling shows large, sustained demand in nursing and related clinical roles. Health care is expanding both at the bedside and behind the scenes (managers, specialists, counsellors). Ageing populations plus greater recognition of mental-health and long-term care needs are fuelling long-term hiring.
Data scientists and information-security analysts
Data scientists (34% growth) and information security analysts (29% growth) are among the fastest-growing college-level occupations. Median pay is six-figure for both as per the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Firms across sectors need analytics to compete and cybersecurity threats have skyrocketed. Brookings’ 2024 digital-economy analysis documents rapid growth in digital occupations and management roles tied to digital transformation. Simultaneously, industry studies like ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study published in2024, document significant global shortages in cybersecurity talent and rising demand for protective staff. Data and security roles pay well and grow fast because every modern employer needs analysts to interpret data and defenders to protect systems. As AI and cloud adoption expand, so does the need for skilled humans who can apply, audit and secure the technology.
Actuaries, operations-research analysts and other analytical specialists
Actuaries (22% growth) and operations research analysts (21% growth) show strong projected growth and high median pay, or so the Bureau of Labor Statistics claimed. Financial complexity, risk modelling, logistics optimisation and data availability drive demand for people who turn numbers into decisions. Industry reports on analytics and modelling show that employers increasingly rely on sophisticated forecasting and risk analysis across finance, healthcare and the public sector. If you like math applied to real problems then pricing risk, routing supply chains, forecasting demand and similar specialised analyst roles are expanding rapidly and pay well.
Some surprising entries: Hearing-aid specialists, tire builders, photographic process workers
Hearing-aid specialists (18% growth), some manufacturing roles (tire builders) and photographic/process occupations appear on the BLS list as these are the places where technology, demographics, or reshoring/industrial changes create pockets of rapid demand. For hearing-aid specialists, an ageing population converges with improved device adoption and direct-to-consumer distribution. Manufacturing’s resurging niches (EVs, renewable components, specialty production) create local spikes in skilled production roles. Department of Energy and industry reports note that construction and utility hiring for clean-energy infrastructure has spilled the demand into manufacturing supply chains as well. Not every fast job is high tech. Demographic trends and supply-chain shifts sometimes create unexpectedly large local or niche demand for skilled hands.The fastest-growing occupations (2024–34) point to real opportunities in clean energy trades, healthcare (including advanced practice clinicians and aides), data analytics and cybersecurity along with several niche, high-growth roles that reflect demographic and technological shifts. The drivers are simple: ageing populations and health-policy changes, a national pivot toward clean energy and digital transformation (data and security). That mix of policy, demographics and technology, creates job openings across skill levels and education pathways. If you are choosing training or advising students, match real employer needs to one of these growth pockets and you will likely find that the market is already hiring.