The 15 best careers for self-employment
AJR_photo / Shutterstock.com
Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on HireAHelper.
Self-employment is proving to be an increasingly popular choice for many workers.
Self-employment often offers more of the qualities workers desire, such as greater flexibility in time or location, and less of those they don’t have, such as feelings of disrespect or lack of advancement opportunities.
As a result, the number of self-employed has grown over the past two and a half years.
Self-employment also has the potential to increase workers’ incomes. The median income of workers who have been self-employed in their own incorporated business in the past 12 months exceeds the income of any other category of workers except federal employees.
However, career prospects and earning potential vary by industry, so some workers will find self-employment conditions more favorable than others.
Here are the best careers for self employment.
15. Meeting, Convention and Event Planner
Monkey Business Images / Shutterstock.comComposite Score: 62.2 Average Annual Salary: $49,470 Projected Job Growth: +17.8% Unemployment Rate: 9.7% Typical Education Required to Get Started: Bachelor’s degree
14. Electrician
ETAP / Shutterstock.comComposite Score: 62.8 Median Annual Salary: $60,040 Projected Job Growth: +7.1% Unemployment Rate: 6.4% Typical Education Required to Entry: High school diploma or equivalent
13. Supervisors of construction trades and quarry workers
Cat Box / Shutterstock.comComposite Score: 63.1 Average Annual Wage: $72,010 Projected Job Growth: +4.1% Unemployment Rate: 3.7% Typical Education Required to Entry: High school diploma or equivalent
12. Private detectives and investigators
New Africa / Shutterstock.comComposite Score: 64.0 Average Annual Wage: $59,380 Projected Job Growth: +5.6% Unemployment Rate: 4.0% Typical Education Required to Entry: High school diploma or equivalent
11. Insurance Agent
Dmytro Zinkevych / Shutterstock.comComposite Score: 64.3 Average Annual Wage: $49,840 Projected Job Growth: +6.3% Unemployment Rate: 3.2% Typical Education Required to Entry: High school diploma or equivalent
10. Travel Agencies
wavebreakmedia / Shutterstock.comComposite Score: 64.9 Average Annual Wage: $43,810 Projected Job Growth: +19.7% Unemployment Rate: 4.4% Typical Education Required to Entry: High school diploma or equivalent
9. Food Service Manager
Phonlamai Photo / Shutterstock.comComposite Score: 66.8 Average Annual Wage: $59,440 Projected Job Growth: +9.8% Unemployment Rate: 5.9% Typical Education Required to Entry: High school diploma or equivalent
8. Producers and Directors
Studio 72 / Shutterstock.comComposite Score: 69.9 Average Annual Salary: $79,000 Projected Job Growth: +7.7% Unemployment Rate: 5.0% Typical Education Required to Get Started: Bachelor’s degree
7. Accommodation Manager
ESB Professional / Shutterstock.comComposite Score: 70.2 Average Annual Salary: $59,430 Projected Job Growth: +18.0% Unemployment Rate: 8.4% Typical Education Required to Entry: High school diploma or equivalent
6. Interpreters and translators
MDV Edwards / Shutterstock.comComposite Score: 74.2 Average Annual Wage: $49,110 Projected Job Growth: +20.2% Unemployment Rate: 4.8% Typical Education Required to Entry: Bachelor’s degree
5. Site manager
Cineberg / Shutterstock.comComposite Score: 77.6 Average Annual Wage: $98,890 Projected Job Growth: +7.6% Unemployment Rate: 3.4% Typical Education Required to Get Started: Bachelor’s degree
4. Marketing Manager
Pixel-Shot / Shutterstock.comComposite Score: 78.2 Average Annual Salary: $135,030 Projected Job Growth: +9.9% Unemployment Rate: 5.0% Typical Education Required to Get Started: Bachelor’s degree
3. Management Analysts
fizkes / Shutterstock.comComposite Score: 81.5 Average Annual Salary: $93,000 Projected Job Growth: +11.4% Unemployment Rate: 3.4% Typical Education Required to Get Started: Bachelor’s degree
2. Personal Financial Advisor
EdBockStock / Shutterstock.comComposite Score: 85.5 Average Annual Salary: $94,170 Projected Job Growth: +15.4% Unemployment Rate: 3.2% Typical Education Required to Get Started: Bachelor’s degree
1. Managers of medical and health services
Josep Suria / Shutterstock.comComposite Score: 97.2 Average Annual Wage: $101,340 Projected Job Growth: +28.3% Unemployment Rate: 1.8% Typical Education Required to Get Started: Bachelor’s degree
Detailed results and methodology
Bacho / Shutterstock.com
The data used in this analysis comes from the 2021 US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment and Payroll Statistics and the US Census Bureau’s Annual Social and Economic Supplement of the Current Population Survey.
To determine the best occupations for self-employment, HireAHelper researchers calculated a composite score based on the median annual wage in 2021, projected job growth from 2021 to 2031, and the median unemployment rate for 2020 and 2021.
In the event of a tie, the occupation with the higher median annual wage was ranked higher. Only occupations with at least 30,000 employees in the US and a self-employment rate above the national average were included in this analysis.
