The most common job in the U.S. is a three-way tie, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Home health care and personal aides, retail workers and fast food counter workers ranked at the top of the list with 3.6 million workers in each occupation.
As for the least common job, The Washington Post reported that the federal government recorded 260 wood pattern makers employed in the U.S.
The desire for home health and personal care aides is on the rise as the share of the elderly U.S. population grows exponentially. This occupation is the fastest growing among most states, news outlet Stacker, reported.
Here’s what you need to know about the most common occupations in the U.S.:
What are the most common jobs?
Home health care aides typically assist people living with disabilities or with chronic illness. Personal care aides are often hired to care for people in hospice care, according to BLS.
Advanced degrees are not required for most home health aides, rather those employed by home health or hospice agencies may need to complete formal training or pass a standardized test.
Retail salespeople and fast food counter workers do not require a formal education, the BLS reported.
The nation’s most common jobs tend to pay lower wages.
On average, home health aides, retail and fast food workers earned less than $40,000 annually. By comparison, the average U.S. worker earned more than $59,384 per year.
Among the nation’s 10 most common occupations, only registered nurses earned an average salary above the national average for all jobs.
Jobs report: Economy added 206,000 jobs in June, unemployment at 4.1%
Jobs vary by state
The most common occupation in 14 states was fast food and counter workers.
In states like Massachusetts, where the population is aging quicker than other states, home health aide was the most common occupation. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that more than a quarter of Massachusetts’s population will be 60 and older by 2030.
Washington, DC is the only region where the top occupation was business operations specialist.
A decade ago, home health and personal care aides were not on the top 10 list of most common jobs.
Instead, the most common occupation in 2013 was retail salesperson, employing 4.5 million people. The average annual income for retail sales workers was $25,370.
Between 2013 and 2023, the number of retail salespeople decreased, but the average wages of workers in this field increased 45%, according to BLS.
