Guides › Careers
Top Careers in the US for 2025 to 2035, and How Exposed They Are to AI
The short answer: the US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 5.9 million new jobs from 2025 to 2035, growth of 3.5%, and healthcare and social assistance alone accounts for about 37% of them. Nurse practitioners (+41%), solar installers (+36.5%) and data scientists (+34.6%) grow fastest. Office and administrative support is projected to lose 752,100 jobs, the most of any group, partly because AI tools are taking over routine office work. Alongside the projections, BLS published its first AI exposure rating for every occupation, which is what the tables below use.
For the worldwide picture, see Top Careers and the Impact of AI.
How BLS rates AI exposure
BLS combines five external sources for 831 occupations: three theoretical exposure measures and two measures of observed AI interactions mapped to tasks or work activities. It normalizes the measures and uses clustering to form Low, Moderate, High and Very high categories; these are not necessarily equal-size quartiles. The observed interactions do not directly show that workers in each occupation used AI on the job. Exposure is relative and is not a forecast of replacement, employment growth, productivity or wages.
Even so, the projections and the ratings line up in a telling way. In our tally of the BLS table, occupations rated Very high employ about 53 million people, or 31% of all jobs, and are projected to grow just 2.0% over the decade. Occupations rated Moderate are projected to grow 6.2%, the fastest of the four groups, because they include much of healthcare support, the trades and food service.
Fastest-growing careers
| Career | Growth to 2035 | Median pay | Typical entry | AI exposure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nurse practitioners | 41.0% | $132,300 | Master’s degree | High |
| Solar photovoltaic installers | 36.5% | $53,140 | High school | Moderate |
| Data scientists | 34.6% | $120,230 | Bachelor’s degree | Very high |
| Wind turbine service technicians | 29.5% | $64,120 | Postsecondary award | Moderate |
| Medical and health services managers | 24.2% | $123,860 | Bachelor’s degree | High |
| Physical therapist assistants | 23.0% | $68,380 | Associate’s degree | Low |
| Psychiatric technicians | 22.3% | $45,130 | Postsecondary award | Moderate |
| Computer and information research scientists | 21.8% | $140,300 | Master’s degree | Very high |
| Physician assistants | 21.1% | $135,880 | Master’s degree | Low |
| Information security analysts | 21.0% | $129,180 | Bachelor’s degree | Very high |
| Home health and personal care aides | 18.1% | $35,800 | High school | Moderate |
| Industrial machinery mechanics | 17.8% | $64,520 | High school | Moderate |
Fast growth from a small base adds few jobs. Wind turbine technicians grow almost 30% but add only about 3,500 jobs. The renewable energy roles are growing partly because AI data centers need more electricity.
Careers adding the most jobs
| Career | New jobs to 2035 | Median pay | AI exposure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home health and personal care aides | 847,300 | $35,800 | Moderate |
| Stockers and order fillers | 250,700 | $37,330 | Moderate |
| Fast food and counter workers | 223,300 | $31,200 | Moderate |
| Registered nurses | 194,700 | $97,550 | High |
| General and operations managers | 181,300 | $105,770 | High |
| Software developers | 174,700 | $135,980 | Very high |
| Restaurant cooks | 171,400 | $37,390 | Moderate |
| Medical and health services managers | 155,100 | $123,860 | High |
| Nurse practitioners | 137,800 | $132,300 | High |
| Construction laborers | 109,300 | $47,120 | Low |
Software developers are a good example of high exposure alongside strong demand. BLS rates the occupation Very high for AI exposure, yet projects it to grow 10.2%, about three times as fast as the average job, as demand for software and AI tools keeps rising.
Well-paid, growing careers with low AI exposure
If you want a career that pays well, is growing faster than average, and is among the least exposed to AI, these are the occupations in the BLS data that meet all three tests (pay above $75,000, growth of 8% or more, and a Low or Moderate rating):
| Career | Growth to 2035 | Median pay | Typical entry | AI exposure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nurse anesthetists | 9.7% | $236,590 | Master’s degree | Low |
| Airline pilots, copilots and flight engineers | 8.3% | $232,140 | Bachelor’s degree | Moderate |
| Optometrists | 9.5% | $136,570 | Doctoral degree | Low |
| Physician assistants | 21.1% | $135,880 | Master’s degree | Low |
| Powerhouse, substation and relay repairers | 9.7% | $103,020 | Postsecondary award | Moderate |
| Dental hygienists | 8.0% | $98,100 | Associate’s degree | Low |
| Diagnostic medical sonographers | 13.9% | $96,590 | Associate’s degree | Moderate |
| Electrical power-line installers and repairers | 10.3% | $95,320 | High school | Low |
| Respiratory therapists | 8.5% | $82,280 | Associate’s degree | Low |
Most of these are hands-on healthcare or skilled work on the power grid. Several need only an associate’s degree or a postsecondary certificate, which keeps the cost of getting in lower than a four-year degree.
Careers shrinking fastest
| Career | Change to 2035 | Median pay | AI exposure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Word processors and typists | -34.4% | $49,280 | Very high |
| Data entry keyers | -25.5% | $41,340 | Very high |
| Telemarketers | -21.4% | $35,450 | Very high |
| Payroll and timekeeping clerks | -15.9% | $58,260 | Very high |
| Bank tellers | -13.2% | $43,030 | High |
| Bill and account collectors | -10.4% | $47,030 | Very high |
| Computer programmers | -7.3% | $100,390 | Very high |
| Cashiers | -6.5% | $32,880 | High |
| Secretaries and administrative assistants | -6.0% | $47,540 | Very high |
| Bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks | -5.6% | $50,670 | Very high |
| Customer service representatives | -5.3% | $44,770 | Very high |
Computer programmers falling while software developers grow shows how AI splits a field: writing code to a specification is easy to automate, while designing systems and deciding what to build is not. BLS also expects generative AI to limit demand in some arts, design and media jobs, and AI sales tools to add to job losses in sales.
What to do with this
- Look up your own occupation. The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook and the AI exposure table cover every major job, with pay, training and outlook.
- If your job is Very high and shrinking, start building skills toward a related role that is growing. Bookkeeping clerks can move toward accounting or financial analysis; customer service staff toward account management or technical support.
- If your job is Very high and growing, consider learning relevant tools and reviewing which tasks are changing. Exposure and projected growth do not establish that AI proficiency guarantees hiring, retention or promotion.
- Count the full cost of a switch. Tuition, lost earnings while training and a possible pay cut at the start all count. The Income Percentile calculator shows how a salary compares with all US earners.
Earning power is the base of Financial wealth, one of the eight dimensions this site measures. The Financial assessment shows how your income, savings and safety net work together.
Common questions
What is the fastest-growing job in the US?
Nurse practitioners are projected to grow fastest, by 41% from 2025 to 2035, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Solar photovoltaic installers (36.5%) and data scientists (34.6%) come next. Home health and personal care aides add the most jobs, about 847,000.
Which US jobs are least exposed to AI?
BLS rates mostly hands-on work as Low exposure: physician assistants, nurse anesthetists, dental hygienists, respiratory therapists, power-line installers, construction laborers, carpenters, roofers, welders and nursing assistants, among others.
Which US jobs are most at risk from AI?
Occupations that BLS rates Very high for AI exposure and projects to decline, such as word processors, data entry keyers, telemarketers, payroll clerks, bookkeeping clerks, customer service representatives and computer programmers, face the most pressure.
Does a Very high AI exposure rating mean a job will disappear?
No. BLS says exposure does not imply job loss. Data scientists, software developers and information security analysts are all rated Very high and are projected to grow much faster than the average job.
Related guides
Use these dated projections and source tables as starting points, not promises about an individual job. A shortage, unmet care need or projected occupation-wide increase is not necessarily a funded local vacancy. Check current local requirements, vacancies and training costs before committing to a career move.
Sources
- Employment Projections: 2025 to 2035 (news release), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) exposure categories, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Fastest growing occupations, 2025 to 2035, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Occupations with the most job growth, 2025 to 2035, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Fastest declining occupations, 2025 to 2035, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
This guide is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not financial, career, legal, or tax advice. Projections and AI exposure ratings describe occupations, not individual jobs, and can change as new data is published.
See how a salary ranks against all US earners →
See how your income and savings score in the Financial assessment →