Fastest Growing Jobs in North Carolina

National growth leaders filtered through North Carolina's actual employment footprint – BLS 2024–2034

Where North Carolina already employs the growth list

Ranked by published North Carolina employment (not by national growth %). Sibling state pages diverge here because the occupation title set and order change with the OEWS footprint.

  1. 1. Home Health and Personal Care Aides · Healthcare Support Occupations 58,880 jobs · +17%
  2. 2. Software Developers · Computer and Mathematical Occupations 58,470 jobs · +15.8%
  3. 3. Cooks, Restaurant · Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations 50,150 jobs · +14.9%
  4. 4. Computer and Information Systems Managers · Management Occupations 25,650 jobs · +15.2%
  5. 5. Medical Assistants · Healthcare Support Occupations 23,650 jobs · +12.5%
  6. 6. Financial Managers · Management Occupations 22,460 jobs · +14.8%
  7. 7. Industrial Machinery Mechanics · Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations 15,720 jobs · +16.1%
  8. 8. Medical and Health Services Managers · Management Occupations 14,820 jobs · +23.2%
  9. 9. Data Scientists · Computer and Mathematical Occupations 11,430 jobs · +33.5%
  10. 10. Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors · Personal Care and Service Occupations 10,670 jobs · +11.9%
  11. 11. Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors · Community and Social Service Occupations 10,300 jobs · +16.8%
  12. 12. Nurse Practitioners · Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations 9,800 jobs · +40.1%
  13. 13. Animal Caretakers · Personal Care and Service Occupations 9,730 jobs · +12.1%
  14. 14. Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary · Educational Instruction and Library Occupations 9,240 jobs · +17.3%
  15. 15. Information Security Analysts · Computer and Mathematical Occupations 8,670 jobs · +28.5%
  16. 16. Computer Network Architects · Computer and Mathematical Occupations 8,350 jobs · +11.9%
  17. 17. Logisticians · Business and Financial Operations Occupations 7,860 jobs · +16.7%
  18. 18. Physician Assistants · Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations 7,490 jobs · +20.4%
  19. 19. Psychiatric Technicians · Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations 5,950 jobs · +20%
  20. 20. Speech-Language Pathologists · Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations 5,600 jobs · +15%

Largest North Carolina footprint

Home Health and Personal Care Aides

58,880 jobs in-state

That role's growth

+17%

national projection 2024-2034

OEWS coverage

48/50

North Carolina employment published

National #1 growth

Wind Turbine Service Technicians

+49.9% · different from state footprint lead

Growth % and openings are national BLS projections. The employment and wage columns are North Carolina OEWS estimates where published.

In North Carolina, the national percentage leader Wind Turbine Service Technicians (+49.9%) currently accounts for 120 OEWS jobs while the largest in-state footprint among this growth list is Home Health and Personal Care Aides (58,880 jobs , +17% projected). Next by in-state count: Software Developers (58,470) and Cooks, Restaurant (50,150).

That mismatch is the useful North Carolina read: percentage growth ranks a national change rate, not how many workers the state already employs in the role. Of the 50 national growth rows, 48 publish North Carolina employment; 27 of those covered rows are projected at +15% or more (all-occupations baseline 3.1%). Among the ten largest OEWS rows on this list, 28% of summed employment sits in Healthcare Support Occupations (2 occupations).

Annual openings (growth plus replacements) still live on each occupation profile. A high percentage on a tiny base can add fewer North Carolina seats than a mid-single-digit gain on a large OEWS count. Education and credential columns on the profile set the entry clock; several fast-growth rows need multi-year training before the projection window helps a new entrant.

North Carolina footprint order on the national growth list

Rows with published North Carolina employment are sorted by in-state jobs. Occupations without a state OEWS row stay at the bottom in national growth order.

# Occupation Growth %
1 Home Health and Personal Care Aides +17%
2 Software Developers +15.8%
3 Cooks, Restaurant +14.9%
4 Computer and Information Systems Managers +15.2%
5 Medical Assistants +12.5%
6 Financial Managers +14.8%
7 Industrial Machinery Mechanics +16.1%
8 Medical and Health Services Managers +23.2%
9 Data Scientists +33.5%
10 Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors +11.9%
11 Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors +16.8%
12 Nurse Practitioners +40.1%
13 Animal Caretakers +12.1%
14 Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary +17.3%
15 Information Security Analysts +28.5%
16 Computer Network Architects +11.9%
17 Logisticians +16.7%
18 Physician Assistants +20.4%
19 Psychiatric Technicians +20%
20 Speech-Language Pathologists +15%
21 Occupational Health and Safety Specialists +12.5%
22 Respiratory Therapists +12.1%
23 Occupational Therapists +13.8%
24 Physical Therapist Assistants +22%
25 Diagnostic Medical Sonographers +13%
26 Clinical and Counseling Psychologists +11.2%
27 Medical Equipment Repairers +12.9%
28 Financial Examiners +18.5%
29 Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary +16.8%
30 Operations Research Analysts +21.5%
31 Massage Therapists +15.4%
32 Health Information Technologists and Medical Registrars +14.7%
33 Community Health Workers +11.3%
34 Ophthalmic Medical Technicians +19.8%
35 Occupational Therapy Assistants +19.2%
36 Marriage and Family Therapists +12.6%
37 Mechanical Door Repairers +11.4%
38 Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers +12.8%
39 Solar Photovoltaic Installers +42.1%
40 Actuaries +21.8%
41 Computer and Information Research Scientists +19.7%
42 Therapists, All Other +11.5%
43 Forensic Science Technicians +12.8%
44 Recreational Vehicle Service Technicians +11.5%
45 Orthotists and Prosthetists +13.3%
46 Hearing Aid Specialists +18.4%
47 Epidemiologists +16.2%
48 Wind Turbine Service Technicians +49.9%
49 Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists +14.6%
50 Counselors, All Other +12.6%

Nearby & Related Pages

Related growth and salary pages for North Carolina and the broader U.S. labor market.

North Carolina Overview

Full state salary data

Highest Paying in North Carolina

Top 100 by median salary

National Rankings

Fastest growing jobs nationwide

Home Health and Personal Care Aides

Largest North Carolina footprint on this list

Job Outlook Explorer

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About This Data

Employment projections come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections program, covering 2024 to 2034. Growth rates represent the projected percentage change in national employment over the 10-year period.

State employment and salary data comes from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. Some occupations may not have state-level data for North Carolina if employment is too small to report.

Last updated: May 2025. Source: BLS Employment Projections program, 2024–2034 and BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025.

State employment totals for North Carolina from BLS OEWS State and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, May 2025.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. State employment and wage rows use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and openings use national BLS Employment Projections for 2024–2034. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.