Careers by Field, 2026
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018 · 23 major fields
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics groups all jobs into 23 major occupational fields. Each field below shows current US employment, the typical median annual wage, and the average projected 10-year growth across roles in that field. Click any field for the top roles in it with detailed wage benchmarks.
Office and Administrative Support
Secretaries, customer service representatives, bookkeeping clerks, and administrative roles across organizations.
Food Preparation and Serving
Cooks, chefs, bartenders, servers, and food preparation workers across restaurants, institutions, and food service.
Transportation and Material Moving
Truck drivers, pilots, ship captains, warehouse workers, and the logistics roles that move people and goods.
Sales and Related
Retail salespeople, sales representatives, real estate agents, and sales managers across all sectors.
Management
Roles that plan, direct, or coordinate the activities of organizations, departments, or specific functions across all sectors.
Business and Financial
Accountants, analysts, HR specialists, and other professionals who manage the financial and operational health of organizations.
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
Doctors, nurses, pharmacists, therapists, and the licensed practitioners delivering clinical care.
Production
Machinists, welders, assemblers, fabricators, and production workers who manufacture goods.
Healthcare Support
Nursing assistants, home health aides, medical assistants, and other support roles enabling clinical care delivery.
Construction and Extraction
Carpenters, electricians, plumbers, masons, and miners who build infrastructure and extract natural resources.
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
Mechanics, technicians, and installers who maintain machines, vehicles, and equipment across industries.
Building and Grounds Cleaning
Janitors, cleaners, groundskeepers, and pest control workers maintaining commercial and residential properties.
Computer and Mathematical
Software developers, data scientists, systems analysts, and statisticians who build and analyze computational systems.
Protective Service
Police officers, firefighters, security guards, correctional officers, and other public safety roles.
Personal Care and Service
Hairstylists, fitness trainers, childcare workers, and personal service providers across wellness and lifestyle.
Community and Social Service
Counselors, social workers, religious workers, and community service professionals supporting individuals and families.
Architecture and Engineering
Architects, engineers across mechanical, civil, electrical, and other specialties, and the technicians who support them.
Education, Instruction, and Library
Teachers, professors, instructors, librarians, and the support staff who deliver education from preschool through graduate school.
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
Designers, performers, athletes, journalists, and creative professionals across visual, performing, and editorial fields.
Life, Physical, and Social Science
Biologists, chemists, physicists, economists, psychologists, and the researchers and technicians supporting scientific work.
Legal
Lawyers, judges, paralegals, and legal support staff working in courts, firms, and corporate legal departments.
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry
Agricultural workers, farmers, fishers, and forestry workers in primary food and natural resource production.
About This View
Career fields are grouped by the BLS Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) 2018 major group system. Workforce totals come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024. Median annual pay per field is the median of the per-role P50 hourly rates within each group, annualized at 2,080 hours. Growth percentages are the unweighted average projected 10-year change across roles in the field, sourced from BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.
For NAICS-level industry breakdowns (e.g. "what % of welders work in motor vehicle manufacturing?"), see the BLS Industry-Occupation Matrix →