The top 20 fast-growing, high-paying jobs in the US

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The top 20 fast-growing, high-paying jobs in the US
  • 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.

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.

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

20. Software quality assurance analysts and testers
SeventyFour/Getty Images

Median annual wage: $101,800

Projected employment increase: 40,800

Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor's degree

19. Personal financial advisors

19. Personal financial advisors
Thomas Barwick/Getty Images

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

18. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
Jetta Productions Inc/Getty Images

Median annual wage: $54,320

Projected employment increase: 89,300

Typical education needed for entry: Postsecondary nondegree award

17. Physician assistants

17. Physician assistants
fizkes/Getty Images

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

16. Postsecondary health specialties teachers
Nastasic/Getty Images

Median annual wage: $105,650

Projected employment increase: 50,200

Typical education needed for entry: Doctoral or professional degree

15. Computer systems analysts

15. Computer systems analysts
Charday Penn/Getty Images

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

14. Accountants and auditors
boonchai wedmakawand/Getty Images

Median annual wage: $79,880

Projected employment increase: 67,400

Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor's degree

13. Project management specialists

13. Project management specialists
RGtimeline/Getty Images

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

12. Information security analysts
Maskot/Getty Images

Median annual wage: $120,360

Projected employment increase: 53,200

Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor's degree

11. Data scientists

11. Data scientists
Nitat Termmee/Getty Images

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

10. Market research analysts and marketing specialists
filadendron/Getty Images

Median annual wage: $74,680

Projected employment increase: 116,600

Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor's degree

9. Lawyers

9. Lawyers
Maskot/Getty Images

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

8. Management analysts
AzmanL/Getty Images

Median annual wage: $99,410

Projected employment increase: 95,700

Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor's degree

7. Computer and information systems managers

7. Computer and information systems managers
Marco VDM/Getty Images

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

6. General and operations managers
FG Trade/Getty Images

Median annual wage: $101,280

Projected employment increase: 147,300

Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor's degree

5. Nurse practitioners

5. Nurse practitioners
SDI Productions/Getty Images

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

4. Registered nurses
Thomas Barwick/Getty Images

Median annual wage: $86,070

Projected employment increase: 177,400

Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor's degree

3. Medical and health services managers

3. Medical and health services managers
sturti/Getty Images

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

2. Financial managers
Thomas Barwick/Getty Images

Median annual wage: $156,100

Projected employment increase: 126,600

Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor's degree

1. Software developers

1. Software developers
Luis Alvarez/Getty Images

Median annual wage: $132,270

Projected employment increase: 410,400

Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor's degree

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