Most Common Occupation by Age As we get older, job options shift — along with experience, education, and wear on our bodies.

I got my first job at 17, during the summer between my junior and senior year of high school. I was a kitchen worker at a Chinese restaurant who washed dishes and prepped foods. It was seven days a week until closing each night. Although I learned a lot and my chopping skills crossed over to adulthood, I am glad more options came along with age. Experience happens. For some this is through working up a ladder. Others earn an education and then enter the workforce. As we get older, opportunities change. Let’s look at the shifts through the lense of occupation rankings by age.

Most Common Start at the top. Here are the most common jobs for different age groups, from age 16 to 60 and older. Cashier positions are most common for those in the youngest group, which is to be expected. Then the list shifts towards supervisor jobs. This is based on the 5-year American Community Survey from 2016, which classified 440 occupations worked by 7.5 million people in the labor force. Top Three Branch out a bit more. Here are the three most common occupations in each age group. You start to see more variation — waiters, teachers, and drivers — in addition to cashiers and managers. Rank All of the Occupations But why stop at top three? Here are all of the occupations listed by survey participants. Flip the axes so that age groups are on the horizontal. Rank is on the vertical. That way each column represents all the occupations for each age group in the sample. Now we can see shifts over age groups. Some jobs decline as we get older. Some grow more common. Others are less dependent on age. Cashiers Looking back at the top occupation for the youngest group, there’s a gentle decline as you look to older age groups. However, likely due to its low barrier to entry, it stays higher on the lists. By Number of People with Each Occupation You see a similar but more pronounced pattern when you look at counts instead of rankings. There are millions of young cashiers. The bulk of occupations fall in the 10,000-ish range. But let’s keep looking at rankings. They’re easier to browse and convey similar patterns. Managers In contrast to cashiers, those in a manager position grow more common with age, typically tied to years of experience. That said, it’s not impossible for a younger person to become a manager, as the catch-all title can cover various industries. Physicians and Surgeons While it’s possible to become a manager at a younger age, occupations such as a physician, require more years of education and training. Notice that in this sample, there was no one between 16 and 20 who was a physician or a surgeon. An actual Doogie Howser, M.D. is rare. Maybe that’s why they made a show about him, which is 100% real. Athletes Then there are occupations that rely primarily on physical ability. The body peaks and declines relatively early, so you see fewer professional athletes (and related) at older ages. However, the sweep upwards at 56 and older is interesting. My guess is that we see athletes become coaches, trainers, and scouts. Seems like a natural progression. Dancers and Choreographers The quick dip is more prominent with dancers and choreographers, without the swing up at older ages. It’s like the age breakdown for the cast of So You Think You Can Dance. Search Interested in a specific occupation? Enter one below in the search bar or select occupations on the lists to see all the shifts up and down. Or, see a random occupation .

If you are looking for motivation in a career switch, it’s nice to see that for every occuption there was someone in every age group with that job, with the exception of the youngest. You can see what jobs people typically switch away from here, along with the path they might take to get there. These views, coupled with the above rankings give you a good idea of getting from point A to point B. A drawback of ranking by count is that it’s easy to miss the jobs that are more specific to each age group. The most common occupations (or the ones with the most generic title) find their way to the top regardless of the age breakdown. For example, cashiers are ranked at the top for the 16- to 20-year-old group, but there are also many cashiers in the other age groups. On the other hand, if you look at hosts and hostesses, you see that the job is primarily young people. It’s more specific to that age group. So here is one more view that highlights the top five occupations most specific to each age group. I calculated the percentages for each age group and occupation and then sorted by highest value.

Jobs Most Specific to Age Groups These are the top five jobs in each age group, ranked by the percentage of the respective age group. 16 to 20 years old 21 to 25 26 to 30 Host and Hostesses Military Enlisted Tactical Operations Dancers and Choreographers Counter Attendants Dancers and Choreographers Bartenders Law Enforcement Workers, Misc. Residential Advisors Military Officers and Leaders Ushers and Lobby Attendants Military, Rank Not Specified Enlisted Military Supervisors Military Enlisted Tactical Operations Waiters and Waitresses Military, Rank Not Specified 0% 50% 100% 0% 50% 100% 0% 50% 100% 31 to 35 36 to 40 41 to 45 Enlisted Military Supervisors Enlisted Military Supervisors Supervisors of Police and Detectives Physician Assistants Plasterers and Stucco Masons Locomotive Engineers and Operators Physical Scientists, Misc. Military Special Operations Leaders Supervisors of Correctional Officers Medical and Life Scientists, Misc. Auto. Glass Installers and Repairers Computer & Information Systems Managers Firefighters Medical and Life Scientists, Misc. Personal Appearance Workers, Misc. 0% 50% 100% 0% 50% 100% 0% 50% 100% 46 to 50 51 to 55 56 to 60 Postal Service Clerks Supervisors of Firefighters Supervisors of Firefighters Tool and Die Makers Supervisors of Police and Detectives Postal Service Clerks Bus and Ambulance Drivers Supervisors of Correctional Officers Architectural & Engineering Managers Stationary Engineers & Boiler Operators Textile Winding and Machine Operators Postal Service Mail Carriers Transportation Inspectors Architectural & Engineering Managers Chief Executives and Legislators 0% 50% 100% 0% 50% 100% 0% 50% 100% 61 and older Motor Vehicle Operators, Misc. Crossing Guards Tailors, Dressmakers, and Sewers Clergy Psychologists 0% 50% 100%