Occupation ranking

Largest Occupations by Employment

Occupations with the largest published US OEWS job estimates.

50
Occupations ranked
4,305,810
Highest (Estimated Jobs)
754,500
Lowest in list

This list, in one line

Every occupation on this list employs 754,500 or better, led by Home Health and Personal Care Aides at 4,305,810 - 5.7x the #50 cutoff.

4,305,810
#1 - Home Health and Personal Care Aides
754,500
#50, the cutoff to make this list

Based on 50 occupations ranked by estimated jobs, BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics / Employment Projections.

This ranking surfaces 50 distinct occupations using the selected measure from Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), each scored on the "Estimated Jobs" dimension. The top-ranked occupation is Home Health and Personal Care Aides at 4,305,810, versus 754,500 at rank 50. This is the observed spread in the selected published measure and does not establish its causes. Every row links to the occupation's national profile with state and local-area wage breakdowns.

These detailed occupations have the largest published OEWS national employment estimates. OEWS employment is a count of jobs in the program’s covered establishment scope, not a count of unique people and not a measure of openings, turnover, stability, or resistance to automation.

The values are published BLS estimates from the program named above, not job-board averages. Wage rankings use OEWS; growth, openings, and typical-entry education assignments use Employment Projections. Occupation profiles show OEWS wage percentiles and local-area estimates where published, plus BLS education assignments and projections where available. See our methodology for the source and field definitions.

Largest Occupations by Employment

Total U.S. employment, 15 largest occupations

workers
Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS / Employment Projections As of May 2025

Full ranking table

# Occupation Estimated Jobs
1 Home Health and Personal Care Aides 4,305,810
2 Retail Salespersons 3,897,860
3 Fast Food and Counter Workers 3,854,050
4 General and Operations Managers 3,503,020
5 Registered Nurses 3,379,720
6 Cashiers 3,089,410
7 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand 2,950,280
8 Stockers and Order Fillers 2,833,810
9 Customer Service Representatives 2,595,750
10 Office Clerks, General 2,464,940
11 Waiters and Waitresses 2,270,910
12 Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 2,209,760
13 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 2,062,040
14 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive 1,706,790
15 Software Developers 1,687,890
16 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General 1,529,700
17 Accountants and Auditors 1,449,500
18 Nursing Assistants 1,448,910
19 First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers 1,436,680
20 Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary 1,420,350
21 Cooks, Restaurant 1,409,890
22 Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators 1,405,030
23 Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education 1,388,390
24 Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks 1,373,680
25 Security Guards 1,283,470
26 Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel 1,256,010
27 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products 1,238,190
28 First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers 1,223,240
29 First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers 1,121,800
30 Construction Laborers 1,096,780
31 Business Operations Specialists, All Other 1,087,090
32 Project Management Specialists 1,066,670
33 Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education 1,065,210
34 Light Truck Drivers 983,300
35 Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants 961,610
36 Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers 952,640
37 Human Resources Specialists 912,430
38 Receptionists and Information Clerks 910,180
39 Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists 899,580
40 Management Analysts 898,280
41 Food Preparation Workers 893,600
42 Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 860,670
43 Financial Managers 841,710
44 Medical Assistants 817,870
45 Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks 816,870
46 First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers 812,210
47 Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators 774,420
48 Electricians 757,220
49 Bartenders 756,390
50 Lawyers 754,500

Last updated: May 2025. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS).

Percentile bands and state/local-area breakouts use BLS OEWS State and Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, May 2025.

How this list is computed: every detailed SOC occupation with a published "Estimated Jobs" value in the May 2025 OEWS release is ranked directly on that value, with no editorial weighting or WageDex-imputed fill-ins for suppressed cells. The source values themselves are BLS estimates; occupations without a published value are absent.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this ranking explain why an occupation is large?

No. It orders the published national employment estimates. Explaining an occupation’s size requires separate evidence about industries, staffing patterns, demand, technology, and geography.

Does large employment mean an occupation is stable?

No. Employment level, projected change, and projected annual openings are separate measures. Use the linked occupation profile to compare them without treating current size as a forecast.

Related Rankings & Nearby Pages

Jump to another ranking lens, explore the top-ranked occupation, or compare roles side-by-side.

Highest Paying Lowest Paying Fastest Growing Most Openings Highest Hourly Home Health and Personal Care Aides →
Compare Home Health and Personal Care Aides side-by-side with another occupation →
All Occupations
Browse by occupation
By State
Wages by state
Guides
Understanding wage data

How to read this ranking

Use the ranking to scope a field, then drill into a specific job

  • These are occupation medians from the BLS OEWS survey: in each role, half of workers earn more and half earn less. The ranking is a starting point, not your expected pay. Browse occupations
  • Pay rank shifts by location. A role near the top nationally can pay very differently in your state or metro, before you even adjust for cost of living. Compare states
  • Open any occupation to see its full pay band, percentiles, and outlook, so you read the number in context. All rankings

Estimates reflect the BLS May 2025 reference period and exclude self-employed workers; some small occupation-area cells are suppressed.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Each ranking labels its BLS source in context: OEWS May 2025 for wage rankings and Employment Projections 2024–2034 for growth and openings rankings. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

This ranking is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or career advice. National rankings reflect aggregate BLS figures and may not represent a specific employer's actual pay, consult a qualified career counselor or financial advisor before making decisions based on this data.