2.3 MILLION NEW JOBS PROJECTED

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has made it official…

Healthcare employment is leading the nation in fast paced growth. Statistics available to Home HealthCare TODAY show how incredibly important the healthcare industry is to the U.S. economy overall.

Employment of healthcare occupations is projected to grow 19 percent from 2014 to 2024, much faster than the average for all occupations, adding about 2.3 million new jobs. Healthcare occupations will add more jobs than any other group of occupations. This growth is expected due to an aging population and because federal health insurance reform is expected to increase the number of individuals who have access to health insurance.

BLS reports that the median annual wage for healthcare practitioners and technical occupations (such as registered nurses, physicians and surgeons, and dental hygienists) was $62,610 in May 2015, which was higher than the median annual wage for all occupations in the economy of $36,200.

On the flip side, healthcare support occupations (such as home health aides, occupational therapy assistants, and medical transcriptionists) had a median annual wage of $27,040 in May 2015, lower than the median annual wage for all occupations in the economy.

Here is how the Bureau of Labor Statistics pegged median salaries for healthcare professionals as of 2015.

Athletic Trainers — $44,670
Audiologists — $74,670
Chiropractors — $64,440
Dental Assistants — $35,980
Dental Hygienists — $72,330
Dentists — $158,310
Nutritionists — $57,910
EMTs & Paramedics — $31.980
Exercise Physiologists — $47,010
Genetic Counselors — $72,090
Home Health Aids — $21,920
Licensed Practical Nurses — $43,170
Massage Therapists — $38,040
Medial Lab Technologists — $50,550
Medical Assistants — $30,590
Medical Transcriptionists — $34,890
Nurse Anesthetists, Practitioners — $104,740
Occupational Health Specialists — $70,210
Occupational Therapists — $80,150
Opticians Dispensing — $34,840
Optometrists — $103,900
Orthotists & Prosthetists — $64,430
Pharmacists — $121,500
Phlebotomists — $31,630
Physical Therapist Assistants — $42,980
Physical Therapists — $84,020
Physicians & Surgeons — $187,200
Physicians Assistants — $98,180
Podiatrists — $119,340
Psychiatric Technicians — $28,230
Radiation Therapists — $80,220
Radiologic Technologists — $58,120
Recreational Therapists — $45,890
Registered Nurses — $67,490
Respiratory Therapists — $57,790
Speech Language Pathologists — $73,410
Surgical Technologists — $44,330
Veterinarians — $88,490