Thanks to a larger population of elderly, advances in technology, and a focus on preventative care, health care is the most rapidly expanding industry in the US. In fact, healthcare employment is expected to make up over a quarter of all new jobs created in the United States with 5.7 million new positions opening up before 2020.
Here is a projection of some the fastest-growing health care jobs between 2010 and 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (Find out more about dental assistant employment.)
|
Occupation |
Percent Change in Jobs, |
| Home Health Aides |
69.4%
|
| Physical Therapist Assistants |
45.7%
|
| Physical Therapist Assistants and Aides |
44.6%
|
| Diagnostic Medical Sonographers |
43.5%
|
| Occupational Therapy Assistants |
43.3%
|
| Physical Therapist Aides |
43.1%
|
| Physical Therapists |
39.0%
|
| Dental Hygienists |
37.7%
|
| Audiologists |
36.8%
|
| Veterinarians |
35.9%
|
| Occupational Therapists |
33.5%
|
| EMTs and Paramedics |
33.3%
|
| Optometrists |
33.1%
|
| Occupational Therapy Aides |
33.0%
|
| Pharmacy Technicians |
32.4%
|
| Therapists |
30.9%
|
| Medical Assistants |
30.9%
|
| Dental Assistants |
30.8%
|
| Athletic Trainers |
30.0%
|
| Physician Assistants |
29.5%
|
| Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians |
29.3%
|
| Opticians, Dispensing |
28.9%
|
| Pharmacy Aides |
28.6%
|
| Chiropractors |
28.3%
|
| Physicians and surgeons |
27.9%
|
| Therapists, All Other |
27.8%
|
| Radiologic Technologists and Technicians |
27.7%
|
| Respiratory Therapists |
26.0%
|
| Registered Nurses |
26.0%
|
Figures courtesy of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Employment & Wages database.
