What Are the Most Common Occupations by Age Group?
Gone are the days of staying in one job from career beginning to retirement. These days, people change jobs multiple times throughout their working lives. In some cases, a person’s job can be influenced by their age, whether it is because they haven’t graduated from college yet, they’ve grown up in the digital age, or they’re simply looking to supplement their income. To determine the most common jobs in America by age group, the research team at Qualtrics analyzed data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey,” January 26, 2024, which surveyed more than 161 million employed persons.
The Most Common Job in America
Spanning all seven age groups, 16 through 65+, the most common job in America is customer service representative (CSR). This stands to reason as nearly every company in existence—whether business-to-business (B2B) or business-to-consumer (B2C)—must offer some level of support to its customers.
Another reason this may be such a popular job is that the barrier to entry is quite low. No degree is required, usually just a high school diploma. And even those with little experience can find employment as CSRs. In addition, it’s a job that can often be done remotely, which makes it a popular choice among job seekers, regardless of age.
Possibly one of the biggest contributing factors is the average salary of $60,658 per year, higher for those with more experience. This is just below the national average of $66,621 and roughly quadruple the annual amount earned by those making the national minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.
The fact that CSR is included in every age group surveyed may also mean people stay in that job for longer periods of time and are not job hopping as much as people in other fields do.
Working Past Retirement Age
Depending on when they were born, older adults are considered to be of retirement age when they’re between 65 and 67. Yet, hundreds of thousands of people in this age group continue to work rather than retire. Why is that?
While for some, it may simply be a way to keep busy, for many others, it may be that they need to supplement their retirement income—if they have retirement income at all. More than 17 million adults (roughly one in three) in that age group are economically insecure, with incomes below 200% of the federal poverty level of $30,120 per year for a single person. Unable to fully retire, they hold onto their jobs or possibly take on new ones.
For example, 274,000 seniors were retail salespersons. That’s less likely to be a job someone has from their teen years all the way through their retirement years. Adults who cannot retire are likelier to take on that work as it’s easier to get and usually not physically demanding.
The largest group of seniors (277,000) are in farming, ranching, or other agricultural fields. As farms are often passed down from generation to generation, many of those people have farmed their entire lives and continue to do so into their later years.
In fact, many of the jobs held by those 65 and older are more likely to be held for longer periods—such as registered nurses and bookkeepers—as they require specialized education.
Older people are also less likely to job-hop than those from younger generations. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that older workers stay in jobs approximately three times longer than younger workers. In later years, financial stability becomes even more critical, and changing jobs at that point can cause hardship.
Combatting Job Hopping
Every time an employee leaves a job, the company they worked for loses something—institutional knowledge. It’s a renewable resource, but it comes at a cost.
A new employee must be found, hired, and trained, all of which costs money and time. Even more time is required for the new employee to gain the amount of experience the departing employee had.
How could companies hold onto more employees for extended periods of time?
- Allow employees to work remotely. While many companies require their employees to return to the office, at least part-time, other companies continue to save on overhead expenses by keeping their employees remote. In addition, a study published by The Quarterly Journal of Economics showed remote employees were 13% more productive than their in-office counterparts, and those working from home reported higher work satisfaction.
- Improve the employee experience. In addition to working remotely, companies can improve employees’ lives in other ways. For example, it can facilitate work-life balance, offer unlimited paid time off (within reason), or offer paid parental and caregiver leave. Happy employees who feel respected and supported are less likely to job-hop.
- Pay a living wage. This is subjective depending on where an employee lives and other factors, but a living wage boils down to people being able to pay their bills and enjoy their lives without struggling or trying to hold down more than one job. The more energy employees spend on other money-making pursuits, the less energy they have to put into their primary job. And they are much more likely to leave if and when a better-paying option presents itself.
Optimize the Employee Journey
If you want to improve your business outcomes, improve the employee experience. Qualtrics can help capture that experience at every touchpoint with automated lifecycle feedback. By understanding your employees’ journey, you can gauge their intent to stay and other metrics, such as employee engagement.
Most Common Occupations by Age Group (Numbers in thousands)
16 to 19 Years
Occupation
Number Employed
Cashiers
657
Waiters and waitresses
372
Fast food and counter workers
345
Cooks
309
Retail salespersons
289
Customer service representatives
244
Food preparation workers
212
Stockers and order fillers
210
Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop
166
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand
155
20 to 24 Years
Occupation
Number Employed
Cashiers
554
Waiters and waitresses
536
Retail salespersons
510
Customer service representatives
442
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand
373
Stockers and order fillers
360
Construction laborers
278
Cooks
274
Fast food and counter workers
268
First-line supervisors of retail sales workers
247
25 to 34 Years
Occupation
Number Employed
Registered nurses
926
Software developers
779
Elementary and middle school teachers
773
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers
725
Customer service representatives
717
First-line supervisors of retail sales workers
711
Retail salespersons
554
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand
524
Construction laborers
520
Cashiers
436
35 to 44 Years
Occupation
Number Employed
Elementary and middle school teachers
938
Registered nurses
893
First-line supervisors of retail sales workers
759
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers
705
Software developers
582
Construction laborers
528
Customer service representatives
479
Janitors and building cleaners
410
General and operations managers
405
Financial managers
380
45 to 54 Years
Occupation
Number Employed
Elementary and middle school teachers
898
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers
825
Registered nurses
677
First-line supervisors of retail sales workers
610
Chief executives
514
Janitors and building cleaners
446
Customer service representatives
430
Construction laborers
419
Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive
412
Education and childcare administrators
375
55 to 64 Years
Occupation
Number Employed
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers
763
Registered nurses
573
First-line supervisors of retail sales workers
551
Chief executives
545
Elementary and middle school teachers
488
Janitors and building cleaners
464
Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive
441
Retail salespersons
408
Customer service representatives
367
Accountants and auditors
331
65 Years and Over
Occupation
Number Employed
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers
277
Retail salespersons
274
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers
267
First-line supervisors of retail sales workers
249
Janitors and building cleaners
226
Chief executives
201
Registered nurses
190
Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive
186
Personal care aides
184
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks
170