top 12 jobs and growing industries in phoenix, arizona.

Phoenix is a modern-day boomtown. The metro area population now tops 5 million, with more people moving to Maricopa County, where Phoenix is located, than anywhere else in the country. And the city’s jobs market is booming too: From 2015 to 2020, employment grew 13 percent in the Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale region, compared to the national growth rate of 3.1 percent. Those numbers are expected to rise, with Maricopa County employment projected to increase by 199,513 jobs (4.4 percent) from 2022 through 2024.

Phoenix’s growing industries include traditional fields such as office and administrative support (14.6 percent of total employment) and business and financial operations (7.3 percent), according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. But there’s also a cutting-edge advanced technology and biomedical industry, drawing major names like Waymo (formerly known as the Google Self-Driving Car Project) and developing sprawling bioscience hubs in the city.

And a bit more good news: Full-time job seekers in Phoenix can expect salaries 7 percent above the national average. So if you’re on the lookout for exciting industries hiring in Phoenix, read on for our list of the best jobs in the city.

There are more than 120,000 jobs in the cybersecurity field in the Greater Phoenix area. Opportunities range from the numerous cybersecurity firms that have an office in the region to research collaborations with local universities to the U.S. Army. A security analyst, who works to maintain and beef up a company’s cybersecurity, can earn between $94k and $120k.

Also in the high-demand office and administrative field, there are 84,730 customer service representatives in the Phoenix area, above the national average share. With the rise of remote technologies, it’s a popular work-from-home job in Phoenix. Customer service representatives can typically expect to earn from $33k to $42k.

Phoenix projects 30.1 percent employment growth in the healthcare and biomedical industries in the decade to 2030, compared to 16.7 percent nationally. That’s thanks in part to the 120-acre Discovery Oasis medical and research campus, the Phoenix Bioscience Core (PBC), and the newest hub, the Phoenix Medical Quarter.  All that leads to greater demand for clinical research associates, who work in research and development (R&D) at pharma and life sciences companies. You can expect to earn $65k to $103k in this field.

With its mild winter temperatures, luxury spas and numerous golf courses, Phoenix is a popular tourist destination. In 2022, there were 40.2 million overnight visits in Arizona and $17.3 billion of direct travel spending in Maricopa County. To keep the industry running, the city needs receptionists to staff its hotels, resorts, restaurants and attractions. The salary ranges from $29k to $33k.

The Greater Phoenix insurance cluster is home to 580 companies with over 53,000 jobs, so insurance underwriters are also in demand. An underwriter, who evaluates the risk in insurance applications, earns an average annual salary of between $68k and $88k.

CNC (computer numerical control) machinists are highly skilled workers who use a combination of software programs, drawings and mechanical equipment to create precision parts in a factory setting. They’re sought in the Phoenix area to support the region’s electronic, high-tech and aerospace engineering companies. This is also a high-paying job you can pursue without a university degree, with an average hourly rate of around $20 to $23.