Fastest Growing Jobs in Washington

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

Where Washington already employs the growth list

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

  1. 1. Software Developers · Computer and Mathematical Occupations 107,030 jobs · +15.8%
  2. 2. Home Health and Personal Care Aides · Healthcare Support Occupations 103,260 jobs · +17%
  3. 3. Cooks, Restaurant · Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations 35,140 jobs · +14.9%
  4. 4. Medical Assistants · Healthcare Support Occupations 19,500 jobs · +12.5%
  5. 5. Computer and Information Systems Managers · Management Occupations 16,960 jobs · +15.2%
  6. 6. Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors · Community and Social Service Occupations 14,250 jobs · +16.8%
  7. 7. Financial Managers · Management Occupations 12,930 jobs · +14.8%
  8. 8. Industrial Machinery Mechanics · Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations 10,710 jobs · +16.1%
  9. 9. Data Scientists · Computer and Mathematical Occupations 9,600 jobs · +33.5%
  10. 10. Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors · Personal Care and Service Occupations 9,270 jobs · +11.9%
  11. 11. Medical and Health Services Managers · Management Occupations 7,490 jobs · +23.2%
  12. 12. Nurse Practitioners · Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations 6,700 jobs · +40.1%
  13. 13. Animal Caretakers · Personal Care and Service Occupations 6,620 jobs · +12.1%
  14. 14. Information Security Analysts · Computer and Mathematical Occupations 6,030 jobs · +28.5%
  15. 15. Logisticians · Business and Financial Operations Occupations 5,670 jobs · +16.7%
  16. 16. Computer Network Architects · Computer and Mathematical Occupations 4,730 jobs · +11.9%
  17. 17. Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary · Educational Instruction and Library Occupations 4,510 jobs · +17.3%
  18. 18. Massage Therapists · Healthcare Support Occupations 3,740 jobs · +15.4%
  19. 19. Speech-Language Pathologists · Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations 3,570 jobs · +15%
  20. 20. Occupational Health and Safety Specialists · Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations 3,570 jobs · +12.5%

Largest Washington footprint

Software Developers

107,030 jobs in-state

That role's growth

+15.8%

national projection 2024-2034

OEWS coverage

46/50

Washington 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 Washington OEWS estimates where published.

In Washington, the national percentage leader Wind Turbine Service Technicians (+49.9%) currently accounts for 210 OEWS jobs while the largest in-state footprint among this growth list is Software Developers (107,030 jobs , +15.8% projected). Next by in-state count: Home Health and Personal Care Aides (103,260) and Cooks, Restaurant (35,140).

That mismatch is the useful Washington 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, 46 publish Washington employment; 26 of those covered rows are projected at +15% or more (all-occupations baseline 3.1%). Among the ten largest OEWS rows on this list, 36% 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 Washington 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.

Washington footprint order on the national growth list

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

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

Nearby & Related Pages

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

Washington Overview

Full state salary data

Highest Paying in Washington

Top 100 by median salary

National Rankings

Fastest growing jobs nationwide

Software Developers

Largest Washington footprint on this list

Job Outlook Explorer

Browse every occupation
Compare Software Developers side-by-side with another occupation →

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 Washington 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 Washington 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.