Chart 15. Ten fastest growing occupations, projected 2021–31
2021 National Employment Matrix title Percent employment change, 2021–31 Employment change (in thousands), 2021–31 Median annual wage, 2021

Nurse practitioners

45.7 112.7 $120,680

Wind turbine service technicians

44.3 4.9 $56,260

Ushers, lobby attendants, and ticket takers

40.5 25.6 $24,440

Motion picture projectionists

40.3 0.8 $29,350

Cooks, restaurant

36.6 459.9 $30,010

Data scientists

35.8 40.5 $100,910

Athletes and sports competitors

35.7 5.7 $77,300

Information security analysts

34.7 56.5 $102,600

Statisticians

32.7 11.2 $95,570

Umpires, referees, and other sports officials

31.7 4.2 $35,860

Note: Data are from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Wage data cover nonfarm wage and salary workers and do not cover the self-employed, owners and partners in unincorporated firms, or household workers. Some occupations are expected to experience cyclical recovery from the COVID-19 recession, which results in fast growth for these occupations.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.