The US workforce is diverse, with jobs in almost every industry. Sales and clerical work, professional jobs, manufacturing, transportation, service, management, finance, and business are popular. Job trends are cyclical, influenced by location and historical events. Census data provides a snapshot of employment trends, but it’s not inclusive of all Americans. The 2000 census data shows the most common jobs are in sales and office, followed by professional and related, production and transportation, service, management, financial, business, construction and maintenance, and agriculture, fishing, and forestry.
Americans have jobs in almost every industry. The country’s workforce is diverse, as are the opportunities; there aren’t many jobs that no American has. Some careers and professions outnumber others, but people of any talent or ability can find some form of employment somewhere in the United States. One way to think about the types of jobs Americans have is in the context of census data. In the United States, the government collects statistical information about residents periodically, usually every 10 years, and this is called a census. The information is usually quite extensive, but typically includes employment status and title along with things like gender, age, and family structure.
According to the 2000 census, the most common jobs for Americans are in the category of sales and clerical work; Professional jobs such as lawyers, doctors, teachers, and other subject matter experts are also popular, followed by jobs in manufacturing and transportation. People also often work in service, which can include things like restaurants and hotels. Management, finance and business professionals are also very numerous, especially in large cities. Jobs in construction and maintenance are also quite common, and employment in agriculture, forestry and fishing usually rounds out the main categories.
Understanding of employment dynamics in general
Job trends in any country are often quite cyclical in nature, and while the US is quite large, it generally follows this trend. In times of prosperity, jobs in services, construction, and manufacturing are often among the most popular and easiest to obtain, and high-paying, professional jobs also usually grow during these times. During recessions or economic downturns, jobs are often harder to get and people often take jobs in industries that don’t necessarily match their training or education – and sometimes they actually go back to school to retrain for something that is more required .
Several trends may also influence the popularity of American work. During the expansion of the American West, for example, jobs on railroad lines and as forestry experts were in great demand; by the mid-1990s, the high-tech industry was booming, paving the way for jobs in coding and computer technology. Location can also be a big driver, with communities that are largely rural with a stronger agricultural sector while those that are densely urban need more services, transportation, and career opportunities.
Graphical representation of trends numerically
One of the best ways to get a snapshot of employment trends for the country as a whole is to look at census data. The results aren’t entirely accurate and usually only capture the most popular or common jobs. People who have more unusual job situations or who have more unique titles aren’t always reflected, but looking at the data as a whole can give you a good general sense of the kind of jobs most Americans have, at least.
It’s important to note that the data collected is usually not inclusive of Americans universally; Americans sometimes work overseas as well, and the jobs they can find on a more global scale are virtually unlimited. For the most part, censuses only reflect the employment trends of those living in the United States. Since not everyone who lives and works in the US is American, and since not all Americans live in the US, the results should be taken more as an estimate than an exact reading.
The following chart is based on published data from the 2000 census and reflects a broad view of the composition of the US labor force and American jobs. The blue component of the horizontal bars represents men and the green component represents women.
Type of work
number of workers
sales and office
34,621,000
professional and related
26,199,000
production and transportation.
19,968,000
service
19,277,000
mgmt, financial, bus.
17,448,000
construction and maintenance.
12,256,000
agriculture, fishing, forestry
952,000
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