The Fastest-Growing Job in Each State

This story originally appeared on SmartAsset.com.

The U.S. unemployment rate shot up to a shocking 14.7% in April amid the coronavirus crisis. That devastating turn of events highlighted the importance of achieving job security.

In the short term, job security allows you to cover day-to-day expenses. In the long term, it means the ability to address both financial emergencies as well as save up for bigger goals. And while different places had varying levels of joblessness according to recent unemployment data, it’s equally important to consider more long-term trends to find the industries that might be growing the fastest.

That’s why SmartAsset crunched the numbers to find the fastest-growing jobs across the country.

To identify the fastest-growing job in each state, we examined employment data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). We found the percentage change in the number of employees in every listed occupation from 2015 to 2019.

Data and methodology

To find the fastest-growing occupation for each state and Washington, D.C., we examined employment data from 2015 and compared it with 2019 data.

We filtered out any occupation for which the standard error for the estimated number of people employed in the occupation was greater than 20. We also filtered out any occupation with “other” or “miscellaneous” in the title. To rank the occupations, we considered the percentage change in employed workers in each occupation from 2015 to 2019.

All data, including earnings data, comes from the BLS’ Occupation Employment Statistics.

Following is the fastest-growing job in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Alabama

• Fastest-growing job: Meatpackers and slaughterers
• 2015 workers: 680
• 2019 workers: 3,370
• Change in the number of workers: 396%

Alaska

• Fastest-growing job: Postsecondary nursing instructors and teachers
• 2015 workers: 40
• 2019 workers: 140
• Change in the number of workers: 250%

Arizona

• Fastest-growing job: Metal and plastic multiple machine tool setters, operators and tenders
• 2015 workers: 380
• 2019 workers: 1,430
• Change in the number of workers: 276%

Arkansas

• Fastest-growing job: Interviewers, except eligibility and loan
• 2015 workers: 1,030
• 2019 workers: 2,860
• Change in the number of workers: 178%

California

• Fastest-growing job: Marriage and family therapists
• 2015 workers: 8,340
• 2019 workers: 31,710
• Change in the number of workers: 280%

Colorado

• Fastest-growing job: Statisticians
• 2015 workers: 420
• 2019 workers: 1,110
• Change in the number of workers: 164%

Connecticut

• Fastest-growing job: Manicurists and pedicurists
• 2015 workers: 1,610
• 2019 workers: 4,010
• Change in the number of workers: 149%

Delaware

• Fastest-growing job: Occupational therapists
• 2015 workers: 250
• 2019 workers: 600
• Change in the number of workers: 140%

District of Columbia

• Fastest-growing job: Postsecondary education teachers
• 2015 workers: 340
• 2019 workers: 1,940
• Change in the number of workers: 471%

Florida

• Fastest-growing job: Traffic technicians
• 2015 workers: 150
• 2019 workers: 800
• Change in the number of workers: 433%

Georgia

• Fastest-growing job: Forest fire inspectors and prevention specialists
• 2015 workers: 110
• 2019 workers: 390
• Change in the number of workers: 255%

Hawaii

• Fastest-growing job: Dietetic technicians
• 2015 workers: 60
• 2019 workers: 230
• Change in the number of workers: 280%

Idaho

• Fastest-growing job: Production worker helpers
• 2015 workers: 1,250
• 2019 workers: 2,890
• Change in the number of workers: 131%

Illinois

• Fastest-growing job: Costume attendants
• 2015 workers: 70
• 2019 workers: 270
• Change in the number of workers: 286%

Indiana

• Fastest-growing job: Museum technicians and conservators
• 2015 workers: 80
• 2019 workers: 190
• Change in the number of workers: 138%

Iowa

• Fastest-growing job: Statisticians
• 2015 workers: 140
• 2019 workers: 520
• Change in the number of workers: 271%

Kansas

• Fastest-growing job: Postsecondary philosophy and religion teachers
• 2015 workers: 40
• 2019 workers: 290
• Change in the number of workers: 625%

Kentucky

• Fastest-growing job: Metal and plastic heat-treating equipment setters, operators and tenders
• 2015 workers: 150
• 2019 workers: 610
• Change in the number of workers: 307%

Louisiana

• Fastest-growing job: Materials engineers
• 2015 workers: 80
• 2019 workers: 350
• Change in the number of workers: 338%

Maine

• Fastest-growing job: Metal and plastic milling and planing machine setters, operators and tenders
• 2015 workers: 40
• 2019 workers: 300
• Change in the number of workers: 650%

Maryland

• Fastest-growing job: Bailiffs
• 2015 workers: 130
• 2019 workers: 540
• Change in the number of workers: 315%

Massachusetts

• Fastest-growing job: Costume attendants
• 2015 workers: 30
• 2019 workers: 130
• Change in the number of workers: 333%

Michigan

• Fastest-growing job: Postsecondary architecture teachers
• 2015 workers: 50
• 2019 workers: 200
• Change in the number of workers: 300%

Minnesota

• Fastest-growing job: Avionics technicians
• 2015 workers: 40
• 2019 workers: 160
• Change in the number of workers: 300%

Mississippi

• Fastest-growing job: Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists
• 2015 workers: 260
• 2019 workers: 560
• Change in the number of workers: 115%

Missouri

• Fastest-growing job: First-line supervisors of correctional officers
• 2015 workers: 130
• 2019 workers: 600
• Change in the number of workers: 362%

Montana

• Fastest-growing job: Automotive and watercraft service attendants
• 2015 workers: 90
• 2019 workers: 250
• Change in the number of workers: 178%

Nebraska

• Fastest-growing job: Private detectives and investigators
• 2015 workers: 100
• 2019 workers: 320
• Change in the number of workers: 220%

Nevada

• Fastest-growing job: Interpreters and translators
• 2015 workers: 250
• 2019 workers: 1,220
• Change in the number of workers: 388%

New Hampshire

• Fastest-growing job: Training and development managers
• 2015 workers: 90
• 2019 workers: 240
• Change in the number of workers: 167%

New Jersey

• Fastest-growing job: Highway maintenance workers
• 2015 workers: 1,500
• 2019 workers: 4,020
• Change in the number of workers: 168%

New Mexico

• Fastest-growing job: Judges, magistrate judges and magistrates
• 2015 workers: 110
• 2019 workers: 340
• Change in the number of workers: 209%

New York

• Fastest-growing job: Financial examiners
• 2015 workers: 4,070
• 2019 workers: 11,310
• Change in the number of workers: 178%

North Carolina

• Fastest-growing job: Fast-food cooks
• 2015 workers: 8,070
• 2019 workers: 22,720
• Change in the number of workers: 182%

North Dakota

• Fastest-growing job: Legislators
• 2015 workers: 210
• 2019 workers: 650
• Change in the number of workers: 210%

Ohio

• Fastest-growing job: Conservation scientists
• 2015 workers: 340
• 2019 workers: 820
• Change in the number of workers: 141%

Oklahoma

• Fastest-growing job: Interviewers, except eligibility and loan
• 2015 workers: 690
• 2019 workers: 2,160
• Change in the number of workers: 213%

Oregon

• Fastest-growing job: Electronics engineers, except computer
• 2015 workers: 1,270
• 2019 workers: 5,000
• Change in the number of workers: 294%

Pennsylvania

• Fastest-growing job: Postsecondary health specialties teachers
• 2015 workers: 6,100
• 2019 workers: 15,130
• Change in the number of workers: 148%

Rhode Island

• Fastest-growing job: Structural metal fabricators and fitters
• 2015 workers: 230
• 2019 workers: 1,780
• Change in the number of workers: 674%

South Carolina

• Fastest-growing job: Metal and plastic forging machine setters, operators and tenders
• 2015 workers: 240
• 2019 workers: 1,210
• Change in the number of workers: 404%

South Dakota

• Fastest-growing job: Metal and plastic forging machine setters, operators and tenders
• 2015 workers: 90
• 2019 workers: 260
• Change in the number of workers: 189%

Tennessee

• Fastest-growing job: Metal and plastic multiple machine tool setters, operators and tenders
• 2015 workers: 1,880
• 2019 workers: 8,910
• Change in the number of workers: 374%

Texas

• Fastest-growing job: Cleaning, washing and metal pickling equipment operators and tenders
• 2015 workers: 660
• 2019 workers: 1,810
• Change in the number of workers: 174%

Utah

• Fastest-growing job: Statisticians
• 2015 workers: 140
• 2019 workers: 550
• Change in the number of workers: 293%

Vermont

• Fastest-growing job: Separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, operators and tenders
• 2015 workers: 120
• 2019 workers: 320
• Change in the number of workers: 167%

Virginia

• Fastest-growing job: Community health workers
• 2015 workers: 420
• 2019 workers: 890
• Change in the number of workers: 112%

Washington

• Fastest-growing job: Community health workers
• 2015 workers: 750
• 2019 workers: 2,600
• Change in the number of workers: 247%

West Virginia

• Fastest-growing job: Operations research analysts
• 2015 workers: 140
• 2019 workers: 400
• Change in the number of workers: 186%

Wisconsin

• Fastest-growing job: Hand grinding and polishing workers
• 2015 workers: 780
• 2019 workers: 2,950
• Change in the number of workers: 278%

Wyoming

• Fastest-growing job: Merchandise displayers and window trimmers
• 2015 workers: 70
• 2019 workers: 190
• Change in the number of workers: 171%

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