Special Report
These 32 Rapidly Growing Jobs Are Held Mostly by Women
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Less than 30% of the U.S. workforce was female in 1950. Though women have since slowly narrowed the wage and employment gap in the U.S. labor force, inequalities persist. In 2020, less than 47% of U.S. workers were women, and full-time female workers earned a median weekly wage of $891 ($46,332 annually) — nearly $200 less per week than the median wage of males working full time.
Despite the disparity, there are some positives to be found. Many of the fastest growing jobs in America have labor forces with more than twice as many women than men. Some of these jobs have experienced labor force growth of more than 10% from 2015 to 2020, even as the overall U.S. labor force shrank by 0.7% in that time, in large part due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
To determine the fastest growing jobs dominated by women, 24/7 Wall St. calculated job growth from 2015 to 2020 for over 500 detailed occupations with data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Current Population Survey.
This earning disparity between male and female workers is due in part to gender discrimination — valuing the work of women less than that of men, be it at the same job or in traditionally care giving jobs. In addition, traditional gender roles within families often pressure women into lower-paying jobs.
While women earn less than men, median wages for the jobs on this list tend to be higher than the median wage for female full-time workers. A handful rank among the top-paying occupations for women in the country. These are the highest paying jobs for women.
In the first quarter of 2019 there were more college-educated women than men in the U.S. labor force. Though gender discrimination will likely not simply disappear, workers with a college degree can expect to earn much higher wages than workers without. These are the college majors that pay off the most.
Click here to see the 32 fastest growing jobs held mostly by women.
32. Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians
> Pct. change in total employment, 2015-2020: 1.2%
> Total employment, 2020: 331,000
> Pct. of Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians who are female: 70.4%
> Median yearly earnings for full-time female workers, 2020: $49,192 ($53,456 for all workers)
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31. Personal care aides
> Pct. change in total employment, 2015-2020: 2.5%
> Total employment, 2020: 1,282,000
> Pct. of Personal care aides who are female: 81.5%
> Median yearly earnings for full-time female workers, 2020: $27,924 ($28,236 for all workers)
30. Physical therapists
> Pct. change in total employment, 2015-2020: 2.6%
> Total employment, 2020: 281,000
> Pct. of Physical therapists who are female: 67.2%
> Median yearly earnings for full-time female workers, 2020: $75,452 ($76,336 for all workers)
29. Paralegals and legal assistants
> Pct. change in total employment, 2015-2020: 4.0%
> Total employment, 2020: 416,000
> Pct. of Paralegals and legal assistants who are female: 85.8%
> Median yearly earnings for full-time female workers, 2020: $47,736 ($48,984 for all workers)
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28. Payroll and timekeeping clerks
> Pct. change in total employment, 2015-2020: 5.8%
> Total employment, 2020: 146,000
> Pct. of Payroll and timekeeping clerks who are female: 86.9%
> Median yearly earnings for full-time female workers, 2020: $47,892 ($49,140 for all workers)
27. Librarians
> Pct. change in total employment, 2015-2020: 6.0%
> Total employment, 2020: 176,000
> Pct. of Librarians who are female: 83.2%
> Median yearly earnings for full-time female workers, 2020: $58,604 ($55,796 for all workers)
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26. Occupational therapists
> Pct. change in total employment, 2015-2020: 6.9%
> Total employment, 2020: 124,000
> Pct. of Occupational therapists who are female: 86.3%
> Median yearly earnings for full-time female workers, 2020: $70,564 ($71,396 for all workers)
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25. Elementary and middle school teachers
> Pct. change in total employment, 2015-2020: 6.9%
> Total employment, 2020: 3,371,000
> Pct. of Elementary and middle school teachers who are female: 79.6%
> Median yearly earnings for full-time female workers, 2020: $56,420 ($58,136 for all workers)
24. Court, municipal, and license clerks
> Pct. change in total employment, 2015-2020: 7.0%
> Total employment, 2020: 76,000
> Pct. of Court, municipal, and license clerks who are female: 85.1%
> Median yearly earnings for full-time female workers, 2020: $39,728 ($40,404 for all workers)
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23. Medical assistants
> Pct. change in total employment, 2015-2020: 7.1%
> Total employment, 2020: 561,000
> Pct. of Medical assistants who are female: 90.2%
> Median yearly earnings for full-time female workers, 2020: $34,580 ($35,100 for all workers)
22. Dental hygienists
> Pct. change in total employment, 2015-2020: 7.3%
> Total employment, 2020: 190,000
> Pct. of Dental hygienists who are female: 93.9%
> Median yearly earnings for full-time female workers, 2020: $56,316 ($58,500 for all workers)
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21. Nonfarm animal caretakers
> Pct. change in total employment, 2015-2020: 7.9%
> Total employment, 2020: 272,000
> Pct. of Nonfarm animal caretakers who are female: 76.5%
> Median yearly earnings for full-time female workers, 2020: $30,732 ($32,552 for all workers)
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20. Loan interviewers and clerks
> Pct. change in total employment, 2015-2020: 8.6%
> Total employment, 2020: 151,000
> Pct. of Loan interviewers and clerks who are female: 76.1%
> Median yearly earnings for full-time female workers, 2020: $45,448 ($47,372 for all workers)
19. Compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists
> Pct. change in total employment, 2015-2020: 8.8%
> Total employment, 2020: 74,000
> Pct. of Compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists who are female: 76.0%
> Median yearly earnings for full-time female workers, 2020: $54,132 ($59,436 for all workers)
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18. Health practitioner support technologists and technicians
> Pct. change in total employment, 2015-2020: 8.9%
> Total employment, 2020: 682,000
> Pct. of Health practitioner support technologists and technicians who are female: 78.1%
> Median yearly earnings for full-time female workers, 2020: $23,755 ($34,589 for all workers)
17. Other education, training, and library workers
> Pct. change in total employment, 2015-2020: 9.3%
> Total employment, 2020: 176,000
> Pct. of Other education, training, and library workers who are female: 73.4%
> Median yearly earnings for full-time female workers, 2020: $57,616 ($59,540 for all workers)
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16. Social workers
> Pct. change in total employment, 2015-2020: 9.4%
> Total employment, 2020: 837,000
> Pct. of Social workers who are female: 83.4%
> Median yearly earnings for full-time female workers, 2020: $49,703 ($50,355 for all workers)
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15. Registered nurses
> Pct. change in total employment, 2015-2020: 9.5%
> Total employment, 2020: 3,256,000
> Pct. of Registered nurses who are female: 87.4%
> Median yearly earnings for full-time female workers, 2020: $64,480 ($65,624 for all workers)
14. Eligibility interviewers, government programs
> Pct. change in total employment, 2015-2020: 10.8%
> Total employment, 2020: 82,000
> Pct. of Eligibility interviewers, government programs who are female: 81.8%
> Median yearly earnings for full-time female workers, 2020: $42,848 ($46,696 for all workers)
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13. Medical and health services managers
> Pct. change in total employment, 2015-2020: 11.8%
> Total employment, 2020: 711,000
> Pct. of Medical and health services managers who are female: 70.3%
> Median yearly earnings for full-time female workers, 2020: $76,128 ($80,860 for all workers)
12. Social and community service managers
> Pct. change in total employment, 2015-2020: 12.2%
> Total employment, 2020: 424,000
> Pct. of Social and community service managers who are female: 72.5%
> Median yearly earnings for full-time female workers, 2020: $60,476 ($64,168 for all workers)
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11. Counselors
> Pct. change in total employment, 2015-2020: 12.7%
> Total employment, 2020: 904,000
> Pct. of Counselors who are female: 69.3%
> Median yearly earnings for full-time female workers, 2020: $49,864 ($49,819 for all workers)
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10. Respiratory therapists
> Pct. change in total employment, 2015-2020: 13.0%
> Total employment, 2020: 122,000
> Pct. of Respiratory therapists who are female: 72.4%
> Median yearly earnings for full-time female workers, 2020: $56,836 ($60,424 for all workers)
9. Physical therapist assistants and aides
> Pct. change in total employment, 2015-2020: 14.7%
> Total employment, 2020: 78,000
> Pct. of Physical therapist assistants and aides who are female: 71.7%
> Median yearly earnings for full-time female workers, 2020: N/A ($50,128 for all workers)
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8. Social and human service assistants
> Pct. change in total employment, 2015-2020: 18.6%
> Total employment, 2020: 230,000
> Pct. of Social and human service assistants who are female: 79.6%
> Median yearly earnings for full-time female workers, 2020: $41,756 ($43,732 for all workers)
7. Speech-language pathologists
> Pct. change in total employment, 2015-2020: 23.4%
> Total employment, 2020: 195,000
> Pct. of Speech-language pathologists who are female: 94.4%
> Median yearly earnings for full-time female workers, 2020: $66,144 ($67,444 for all workers)
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6. Human resources workers
> Pct. change in total employment, 2015-2020: 25.7%
> Total employment, 2020: 832,000
> Pct. of Human resources workers who are female: 74.3%
> Median yearly earnings for full-time female workers, 2020: $61,048 ($65,052 for all workers)
5. Teacher assistants
> Pct. change in total employment, 2015-2020: 27.1%
> Total employment, 2020: 1,220,000
> Pct. of Teacher assistants who are female: 80.1%
> Median yearly earnings for full-time female workers, 2020: $31,408 ($32,084 for all workers)
4. Fundraisers
> Pct. change in total employment, 2015-2020: 28.6%
> Total employment, 2020: 99,000
> Pct. of Fundraisers who are female: 74.8%
> Median yearly earnings for full-time female workers, 2020: $77,272 ($76,908 for all workers)
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3. Interviewers, except eligibility and loan
> Pct. change in total employment, 2015-2020: 37.7%
> Total employment, 2020: 208,000
> Pct. of Interviewers, except eligibility and loan who are female: 78.3%
> Median yearly earnings for full-time female workers, 2020: $36,920 ($36,972 for all workers)
2. Nurse practitioners
> Pct. change in total employment, 2015-2020: 46.3%
> Total employment, 2020: 218,000
> Pct. of Nurse practitioners who are female: 88.0%
> Median yearly earnings for full-time female workers, 2020: $97,084 ($97,344 for all workers)
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1. Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers
> Pct. change in total employment, 2015-2020: 57.9%
> Total employment, 2020: 60,000
> Pct. of Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers who are female: 75.8%
> Median yearly earnings for full-time female workers, 2020: N/A
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