Top Texas Jobs

Wondering what the future holds for Texas and its careers?

It's hard to tell what might happen — according to many experts, the top jobs of the future haven't even been invented yet! But the following charts should give you a good idea of the top jobs Texans hold today, and what kind of education is required for these positions.

Top Ten Occupations in Texas by Education Level, Based on 2008 Employment

Postsecondary Vocational Award/Certificate

Rank	Occupation Description	Number of Jobs
1	Real estate sales agents	145,353
2	Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants	104,145
3	Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses	73,927
4	Automotive service technicians and mechanics	68,759
5	Preschool teachers, except special education	42,640
6	Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists	37,455
7	Appraisers and assessors of real estate	32,537
8	Medical secretaries	24,590
9	Legal secretaries	23,931
10	Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists	22,468

Associate’s Degree

Rank	Occupation Description	Number of Jobs
1	Registered nurses	173,836
2	Computer support specialists	45,195
3	Paralegals and legal assistants	19,042
4	Electrical and electronic engineering technicians	17,243
5	Radiologic technologists and technicians	14,438
6	Medical and clinical laboratory technicians	13,901
7	Civil engineering technicians	13,695
8	Computer specialists, all other	11,343
9	Medical records and health information technicians	10,673
10	Dental hygienists	9,595

Bachelor’s Degree

Rank	Occupation Description	Number of Jobs
1	Elementary school teachers, except special education	159,463
2	Accountants and auditors	125,977
3	Property, real estate, and community association managers	101,565
4	Secondary school teachers, except special and vocational education	100,866
5	Middle school teachers, except special and vocational education	81,303
6	Construction managers	70,804
7	Personal financial advisors	68,428
8	Business operation specialists, all other	68,390
9	Insurance sales agents	63,874
10	Teachers and instructors, all other	61,974

Degree Plus Work Experience

Rank	Occupation Description	Number of Jobs
1	General and operations managers	188,115
2	Chief executives	95,624
3	Management analysts	81,855
4	Financial managers	48,094
5	Farm, ranch, and other agricultural managers	38,457
6	Sales managers	26,228
7	Administrative services managers	26,095
8	Education administrators, elementary and secondary school	23,501
9	Medical and health services managers	23,206
10	Computer and information systems managers	17,951

Master’s Degree

Rank	Occupation Description	Number of Jobs
1	Clergy	21,167
2	Educational, vocational, and school counselors	20,382
3	Physical therapists	12,365
4	Instructional coordinators	12,312
5	Geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers	12,267
6	Librarians	11,595
7	Speech-language pathologists	11,416
8	Environmental scientists and specialists, including health	8,635
9	Occupational therapists	6,911
10	Operations research analysts	6,176

First Professional Degree

Rank	Occupation Description	Number of Jobs
1	Lawyers	63,325
2	Physicians and surgeons	57,862
3	Pharmacists	18,419
4	Dentists, general	5,679
5	Veterinarians	5,539
6	Chiropractors	3,686
7	Optometrists	3,312
8	Podiatrists	2,110
9	Orthodontists	990
10	Audiologists	969

Doctoral Degree

Based on Economic Modeling Specialists, Inc. data, only nine occupations were listed with doctoral degree requirements.

Rank	Occupation Description	Number of Jobs
1	Postsecondary teachers	112,605
2	Clinical, counseling, and school psychologists	9,647
3	Medical scientists, except epidemiologists	9,555
4	Computer and information scientists, research	5,316
5	Microbiologists	644
6	Physicists	532
7	Biochemists and biophysicists	454
8	Astronomers	352
9	Mathematicians	141

Source: Economic Modeling Specialists, Inc.