--- title: "Report: Marijuana Is the Fastest Growing Job Sector in the U.S." description: "According to a new report the U.S. added 64,389 full-time legal cannabis jobs last year — a 44 percent gain in the workforce in 2018." date: "2019-03-20" modified: "2019-03-20" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/report-marijuana-growing-jobs-sector-us" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "cannabis" - "job market" - "jobs" - "marijuana" - "the digest" --- # Report: Marijuana Is the Fastest Growing Job Sector in the U.S. ![According to a new report the U.S. added 64,389 full-time legal cannabis jobs last year — a 44 percent gain in the workforce in 2018.]() *\Image: Cannabis Tours\* ## Weed Workforce According to a [new report]() by cannabis website Leafly and consultancy firm Whitney Economics, the United States added 64,389 full-time legal cannabis jobs last year — a 44 percent increase in the weed workforce in 2018, meaning it's the [fastest-growing job sector]() in the U.S. right now. The report calls it "America's hidden job boom," estimating that more than 200,000 people work full time in the U.S. cannabis industry — and counting related jobs, like accountants and lawyers, that number rises close to 300,000. Moreover, those numbers are projected to keep rising over the next few years. Legal cannabis is here to stay, and it's quickly becoming one of the fastest rising job makers nationwide. ## Take It to the Dank The legal cannabis industry is now worth over $10 billion, according to the report, having increased a whopping 34 percent nationwide in 2018 alone. California and Florida are alone expected to add 10,000 and 9,500 full time jobs in 2019 respectively. "There are now more legal cannabis industry workers than dental hygienists in the United States," reads the new report. ## 420 Employ It But the numbers don't necessarily tell the full story: after all, the use of marijuana is still technically illegal on the federal level, despite [ten U.S. states]() legalizing recreational marijuana with more likely to follow. While hiring has [slowed significantly]() in February nationwide according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the marijuana industry is alive and well. "US marijuana legalization is a rare example of disruption creating jobs rather than destroying them," DataTrek Research co-founder Nick Colas said in a statement last week, as [quoted by *CNBC*](). "With the US labor market recently showing signs of weakness and fears of an eventual recession in the wings, this is one industry that might soften the blow of an economic downturn." **READ MORE:** [The marijuana industry looks like the fastest-growing job market in the country]()\[*CNBC*\] **More on Mary Jane:** *[Marijuana Courses Are Cropping Up at Colleges Across the US]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()