Career Trends 2026
Where US careers are heading, drawn from real BLS pay and outlook data and O*NET work activities. Pay and growth are BLS figures, with any that BLS publishes only for a related group marked; AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates.
Fastest growing
Projected employment growth, 2025 to 2035.
- Nurse Practitioners+41%
- Solar Panel Installers+37%
- Data Scientists+35%
- Wind Turbine Technicians+30%
- Medical & Health Services Managers+24%
- Physical Therapist Assistants+23%
- Psychiatric Technicians+22%
- Computer & Information Research Scientists+22%
Highest paying
By median annual pay.
- Cardiologists$496k
- Radiologists$421k
- SurgeonsGroup figure$414k
- Anesthesiologists$391k
- Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons$352k
- Dermatologists$329k
- Orthodontists$289k
- Psychiatrists$282k
Most exposed to AI
Modeled estimate of how much of the work today’s AI could take on.
- UX Researchers99th pct
- Software QA & Testers99th pct
- Web & Digital Designers99th pct
- Software Developers99th pct
- Web Developers99th pct
- Computer Programmers99th pct
- Technical Writers99th pct
- Writers & Authors99th pct
Most AI-resilient
Highest future-proof score (growth, low displacement risk, pay, retention).
- Physician Assistants88/100
- Nurse Practitioners87/100
- Nurse Anesthetists86/100
- Dermatologists83/100
- Orthodontists82/100
- Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons82/100
- Neurologists81/100
- SurgeonsGroup figure80/100
High pay, easy to enter
Median pay of $90k or more, a bachelor’s degree or less, and the lowest barriers to entry.
- Web Developers$93k
- Software QA & Testers$104k
- Software Developers$136k
- Computer Programmers$100k
- Facilities Managers$107k
- Web & Digital Designers$104k
- Computer Systems Analysts$106k
- Database Administrators$105k
Sources: BLS OEWS 2025, BLS Employment Projections 2025-2035, O*NET 30.3.