What the Data Shows
Detailed U.S. occupations are ranked by projected annual openings for 2024–2034. The graphic focuses on the top 15 occupations, selected from 832 comparable detailed occupations in the official BLS release. The first-ranked entry is fast food and counter workers at 904.3 thousand openings per year, followed by home health and personal care aides at 765.8 thousand openings per year. The third-ranked entry is retail salespersons at 555.8 thousand openings per year; these figures are BLS projections rather than observed future outcomes.
Data table
Unit: thousand per year · Period: 2024–2034
| Rank | Entry | Value | Period |
|---|
| 1 | Fast food and counter workers | 904.3 | 2024–2034 |
| 2 | Home & personal care aides | 765.8 | 2024–2034 |
| 3 | Retail salespersons | 555.8 | 2024–2034 |
| 4 | Cashiers | 542.6 | 2024–2034 |
| 5 | Stockers and order fillers | 472.3 | 2024–2034 |
| 6 | Waiters and waitresses | 456.7 | 2024–2034 |
| 7 | Freight & material movers | 384.3 | 2024–2034 |
| 8 | Janitors & cleaners | 351.3 | 2024–2034 |
| 9 | Customer service reps | 341.7 | 2024–2034 |
| 10 | Operations managers | 308.7 | 2024–2034 |
| 11 | Office clerks, general | 282.4 | 2024–2034 |
| 12 | Cooks, restaurant | 250.7 | 2024–2034 |
| 13 | Heavy truck drivers | 237.6 | 2024–2034 |
| 14 | Nursing assistants | 204.1 | 2024–2034 |
| 15 | Administrative assistants | 202.8 | 2024–2034 |
Sources
Source 1: Employment Projections 2024–2034
Publisher: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Dataset/table: Occupational Projections and Worker Characteristics, 2024–2034
Units: thousand annual openings
Date checked: 2026-07-14
Evidence: Provides projected annual-average occupational openings and supporting characteristics for detailed U.S. occupations on the stated national basis.
Data notes & caveats
BLS projections are national ten-year planning estimates rather than observed future outcomes. Employment, employment change and annual openings are reported in thousands where those supporting values are included.
Methodology
Detailed U.S. occupations are ranked by projected annual-average occupational openings using the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034 release. Broad summary groups are excluded. The graphic uses the top 15 entries, while the accompanying data retains all 832 comparable occupations.
Source consistency notes
All occupations or industries use the same national BLS release, 2024 base year, 2034 projection year and measurement basis, supporting a like-for-like comparison.
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