Jobs in America take on many forms, but which 10 are the most common? To answer this question, we turned to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS),
which tracks job statistics and calculates the top 10 jobs by number of employees in the U.S. The BLS breaks down these statistics into three categories – management, business, and financial; legal; education, training, and library; and healthcare practitioners and technical occupations.
1) Registered nurse
This career is one of most commonly held jobs in America, but only ranks No. 33 on our list because it is more widely distributed throughout the country than most other common jobs.
Many people don’t realize that nursing is actually a field with quite a few different categories: registered nurses (RNs), licensed practical nurses (LPNs), and certified nurse assistants (CNAs) are just a few.
You might not make as much as an RN if you decide to become an LPN or CNA, but these careers still pay better than average and come with low unemployment rates and excellent growth potential. According to U.S.
Also Read : 7 Tips to Help You Get a Job in the USA
2) Salesperson
According to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report, there are over 2.3 million salespeople employed nationwide, making it one of the most common jobs in America.
You might be thinking: Of course it’s a popular job; selling is one of life’s basic skills. But how easy is it to become a salesperson?
Is anyone able to sell anything, or do you need special skills? The truth is that anyone can learn how to sell something—as long as they have patience and persistence—but everyone can’t be successful at it.
The first step is figuring out what type of salesperson you want to be (retail vs. wholesale vs. e-commerce). Then, network with other industry professionals and read books on sales techniques.
3) Cashier
Cashiers are among some of America’s most common jobs. According to recent data, there are over 3 million people working as cashiers.
These jobs have a high turnover rate, however; many cashiers work for only a few months before moving on to new jobs or taking time off from work.
Cashier positions also offer little opportunity for promotion or raises and only require an average of 15 hours of work per week.
Being a cashier is one of the most common jobs, but it isn’t one of the best jobs in America. That said, job security is relatively high and pay starts at $8 per hour!
4) Retail salesperson
While it may not seem like much of a job to some, being a retail salesperson is actually one of the most common jobs in America.
With more than 3 million people employed as retail salespeople, it’s clear that everyone from high school students to senior citizens has found their way into retail shops at some point.
Retail employees are often expected to be on their feet for extended periods of time and interact with customers frequently; it’s definitely not an easy job.
The good news? With more than 18,000 companies offering openings for part-time and full-time positions, chances are you won’t have trouble finding work as a sales associate—and many of these companies
also offer great benefits packages and perks that could sweeten your work life.
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5) Chef or cook
The best-known jobs in America, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), are personal care and service workers.
This occupational group includes chefs and cooks, who earn a median annual salary of $23,390 and roughly $11 an hour. If you’re interested in a career as a chef or cook but don’t want to spend years as an entry-level worker — yes, it’s possible! — consider becoming a sous chef instead.
A sous chef is second-in-command to the head chef: more often than not, they’ll be responsible for cooking what’s on your plate at one of New York City’s finest restaurants.
6) Customer service representative
The most common job in America is also one of its least-loved. A 2013 Gallup poll found that customer service reps are tied with mail carriers as having one of the lowest job satisfaction ratings—with only 30 percent saying they like their jobs.
However, customer service reps do have it better than their counterparts at a few other American industries.
The median salary for a customer service rep is $27,000—but that’s more than fast food workers (median pay $18,400) and telemarketers ($17,600).
With just an associate’s degree and three to four years of experience, you can get started as a bank teller or bookkeeper at around $23,000 per year—the third most common job in America.
7) Driver/sales worker
The driver/sales worker profession, also known as an auto and truck driver, according to BLS data. This job involves driving trucks or other vehicles that transport goods from one location to another and selling goods at retailers or wholesalers to customers.
About 2.6 million Americans work as drivers/sales workers, which accounts for about 1% of all jobs in America. The mean annual wage for such professionals is $38,280, according to BLS data (or $18.51 per hour).
In addition to truck drivers, salespeople and marketing specialists are among some of the other most common jobs in America.
8) General office clerk
This is a really large job category, and there are all sorts of different job duties that fall under it.
It’s not hard to see why general office clerks rank as one of the most common jobs in America – they do a little bit of everything! From answering phones to opening mail, these are some of our more generic office jobs.
A few years ago, CareerCast reported that 11% of American workers are employed as an office clerk – that’s nearly 19 million people nationwide.
In California alone, however, almost 24% (or more than 1.3 million) people have office clerk jobs — that makes it one of only five states where general office clerks make up 20% or more of all local employment opportunities.
9) Teacher assistant/aide
It’s no surprise that one of the most common jobs in America is teacher assistant/assistant teacher. Public school teachers often require assistance with grading papers, planning lessons and other tasks to keep their workload manageable.
According to Glassdoor, they earn an average salary of $36,511 (as of May 2016). Whether you have a teaching certificate or not, working as a teacher’s aide can be a great way to gain experience if you’re interested in becoming a teacher yourself or moving up into administrative roles within schools.
And who knows—it might also help get your foot in door at schools as you pursue your own career dreams down the road.
10) Waiters and waitresses
According to BLS, there are approximately 3.3 million waiters and waitresses serving customers. By far, it’s one of the most common jobs in America, representing about 2 percent of all jobs.
However, unlike other food service workers, waiters and waitresses receive a tip from each customer that he or she serves.
So how much money can you really make as a waiter? It really depends on your per hour rate of pay. A server working at an upscale restaurant with high tips might be able to earn $15 per hour or more.
But even at minimum wage, servers still have an advantage over some other jobs in America because they have generous overtime options.
For example, if you work more than 40 hours a week as a server (without being paid extra), you should be compensated for those extra hours with time-and-half pay under federal law.
And keep in mind that many states require employers to give servers time-and-half for every hour worked beyond 40 hours during any given week—even if they aren’t required by federal law to do so.
