The Labor Department's latest projections show employment increasing about 7.4 percent nationally between 2016 and 2026, averaging about 0.7 percent annually. But several occupations are poised for much steeper growth -- more than three times the national rate for all jobs.
Regions where these jobs are more concentrated will likely receive a boost to their local economies.
Federal projections indicate many of the fastest-growing jobs are found in the health-care industry. Occupations tied to social services, computers and mathematics are also among those expected to expand sharply.
The following summaries detail occupations with the top projected job gains in raw numbers through 2026, as well as the metro areas where they're most prevalent.
Personal Care Aides
The health-care sector is slated to expand exponentially as baby boomers age. That's why personal care aids, who help the elderly or disabled with daily activities in nursing homes or private residences, are likely to see their profession grow rapidly.The Labor Department estimates that employment for this typically low-wage occupation will increase from about 2 million to nearly 2.8 million nationwide by 2026, a 37 percent jump.
Labor Department estimates show these jobs are most concentrated in the Northeast, upper Midwest and Southwest. The following metro areas had the largest concentrations of personal care aides as measured by their location quotients. (Higher location quotients indicate an industry makes up a greater share of all jobs in an area, with a value of 1 meaning its local concentration is equal to that of the national economy.)
Metro Area | Location Quotient | Occupation Employment | Employment per Thousand Jobs |
---|---|---|---|
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX | 9.05 | 13,240 | 96.16 |
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX | 7.81 | 20,720 | 82.96 |
Laredo, TX | 5.68 | 5,890 | 60.36 |
Mankato-North Mankato, MN | 4.52 | 2,480 | 48.05 |
Las Cruces, NM | 3.93 | 2,940 | 41.75 |
Alexandria, LA | 3.54 | 2,300 | 37.67 |
Hammond, LA | 3.52 | 1,560 | 37.42 |
Sherman-Denison, TX | 3.48 | 1,600 | 37.03 |
Grants Pass, OR | 3.16 | 810 | 33.61 |
Glens Falls, NY | 3.07 | 1,680 | 32.67 |
Food Preparation and Serving Workers
This occupation, which includes most fast food workers, is already one of the largest in the country with a workforce of about 3.5 million Americans. Federal estimates project it will grow 17 percent over the decade, more than double the national rate for all jobs.The Labor Department cites a growing number of Americans dining out or ordering food for delivery or take-out. More meal preparation jobs in grocery stores and nursing home facilities are also expected to contribute to an increase.
Every region has at least a fair number of food preparation and serving workers, but they’re most concentrated in the following smaller metro areas. (This industry does not include counter attendants, those who serve food at nonrestaurant establishments, bartender helpers and a few other smaller related occupations.)
Metro Area | Location Quotient | Occupation Employment | Employment per Thousand Jobs |
---|---|---|---|
Jacksonville, NC | 3.2 | 3,540 | 78.2 |
Burlington, NC | 2.16 | 3,120 | 52.75 |
Bay City, MI | 2.07 | 1,760 | 50.6 |
Fayetteville, NC | 2.07 | 6,350 | 50.41 |
New Bern, NC | 1.98 | 2,060 | 48.32 |
Greenville, NC | 1.92 | 3,470 | 46.94 |
Homosassa Springs, FL | 1.9 | 1,480 | 46.25 |
Hinesville, GA | 1.83 | 750 | 44.77 |
Corpus Christi, TX | 1.76 | 8,000 | 43.06 |
Parkersburg-Vienna, WV | 1.76 | 1,650 | 42.95 |
Registered Nurses
Employment of registered nurses is expected to swell about 15 percent over the next decade, adding 437,000 additional workers.The Labor Department attributes the projected increase to high rates of chronic conditions and greater demand for treatment as baby boomers age. More gains are expected in outpatient facilities as procedures once performed exclusively in hospitals become more common in physicians’ offices and other settings. The occupation, with a median annual wage exceeding $68,000, tends to pay better than most other fast-growing health-care jobs.
The following metro areas recorded the highest location quotients for registered nurses:
Metro Area | Location Quotient | Occupation Employment | Employment per Thousand Jobs |
---|---|---|---|
Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA | 3.68 | 3,160 | 74.84 |
Rochester, MN | 3.57 | 8,330 | 72.63 |
Greenville, NC | 2.48 | 3,730 | 50.45 |
Morgantown, WV | 2.33 | 3,030 | 47.39 |
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 2.19 | 13,070 | 44.65 |
Gainesville, FL | 2.02 | 5,260 | 41.18 |
Rome, GA | 1.93 | 1,430 | 39.26 |
Sioux Falls, SD | 1.93 | 5,860 | 39.24 |
La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN | 1.92 | 2,840 | 39.16 |
Iowa City, IA | 1.88 | 3,470 | 38.24 |
Home Health Aides
Demand for home health aides is expected to skyrocket in the coming years, even more so than other health occupations. The Labor Department projects 426,000 new jobs by 2026, a gain of nearly 47 percent.It cites an increasing reliance on home-based care as an alternative to nursing homes or hospitals as one reason the occupation will be in high demand. These typically low-wage workers perform a range of different health services, while personal care aides usually don’t provide medical care.
Not surprisingly, states and regions with older populations have higher concentrations of these workers.
Metro Area | Location Quotient | Occupation Employment | Employment per Thousand Jobs |
---|---|---|---|
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX | 7.01 | 5,600 | 40.66 |
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX | 5.78 | 8,370 | 33.51 |
New York-Jersey City-White Plains, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division | 4.18 | 159,830 | 24.27 |
Lynn-Saugus-Marblehead, MA NECTA Division | 3.87 | 960 | 22.44 |
Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton, MA NECTA Division | 3.51 | 1,600 | 20.35 |
Lawrence-Methuen Town-Salem, MA-NH NECTA Division | 3.4 | 1,570 | 19.73 |
Peabody-Salem-Beverly, MA NECTA Division | 3.38 | 1,860 | 19.59 |
New Bern, NC | 2.88 | 710 | 16.73 |
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | 2.88 | 2,480 | 16.68 |
Pueblo, CO | 2.7 | 900 | 15.68 |
Application Software Developers
Most jobs tied to software or computer systems will continue to be in high demand. Strong growth is especially expected for those working on application software development. About 253,000 additional jobs are projected over the decade, an increase of 30 percent.The Labor Department attributes the increase, in part, to greater use of apps on smartphones and tablets. More future products using software, along with investments in cybersecurity, could also help propel the numbers higher.
Application software developers are among the few fast-growing occupations with six-figure salaries. The median annual wage was $100,080 as of May of last year.
Silicon Valley and other tech-heavy regions employ large concentrations of these workers.
Metro Area | Location Quotient | Occupation Employment | Employment per Thousand Jobs |
---|---|---|---|
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 7.02 | 41,490 | 39.69 |
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA Metropolitan Division | 5.07 | 45,500 | 28.64 |
Boulder, CO | 4.56 | 4,540 | 25.78 |
San Francisco-Redwood City-South San Francisco, CA Metropolitan Division | 4.35 | 26,250 | 24.6 |
Framingham, MA NECTA Division | 3.84 | 3,790 | 21.71 |
Trenton, NJ | 3.6 | 4,600 | 20.37 |
Madison, WI | 3.49 | 7,540 | 19.74 |
Nashua, NH-MA NECTA Division | 2.57 | 1,880 | 14.52 |
Raleigh, NC | 2.56 | 8,610 | 14.46 |
Lowell-Billerica-Chelmsford, MA-NH NECTA Division | 2.53 | 2,160 | 14.3 |