NGPF Activity Bank

Careers

INTERACTIVE: What is the Most Common Job in Each

State?

Interactive: BLS’ Charts of the Largest Occupations in Each

Area

Which job is the most popular in the United States? What about your state? Your specific area? In
this activity, you’ll use an interactive chart from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to answer these
questions.

1. BEFORE accessing the interactive, write a prediction. What do you think is the most
common job in the United States? Why?

2. BEFORE accessing the interactive, what two jobs do you think are the most common in
your state? Why?

Part I: United States Data

First, we’ll explore what occupations were the most common in the United States.

3. Access the interactive. When was the data in these charts last reported? (e.g. May 2019)

4. At the top of the chart, you will see two drop-down options, one for State and one for Area.
Make sure both are set to “United States.”

5. What were the top three jobs in the country at the time this data was reported? Does this
surprise you? Why or why not?

Part II: State Data

Let’s now look at occupational statistics for your state.

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6. For the State drop down, select your state. For the Area drop down, select the first option
for “[Your State] (statewide).”

7. What were the top three jobs in your state at the time this data was reported? How do
they compare to the most common jobs in the country?

8. Let’s now see what the data is for your specific area within your state. Select the area that is
closest to you in the Area drop down at the top of the chart, keeping the state the same.

9. What were the top three jobs in your area at the time this data was reported? How do they
compare to the most common jobs in the state?

10. Why do you think these are the most common jobs in your area and state? Do they
correlate with goods/services your state is known for?

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Part III: Analyze

11. Based on your own knowledge and opinion, what do you believe will be the most common
job in your state in 2030? In one paragraph, explain your rationale.

12. What do you believe will be the most common job in the U.S. in 2030? In one paragraph,
explain your rationale.

13. Now that you have seen what the most common jobs have been in your state and the
country, is there a specific industry that you might explore as a career choice? Why or why
not?

14. How do you think the data you’ve found for your state and the country will change over
time due to the impact of COVID-19? Explain.

❖ Teacher Tip: Here’s an extension idea: Divide students into groups and assign each group
to explore the data in a specific region of the United State (e.g. West, Northeast, South, etc.)
After researching, the groups come together as a whole class and report back their
findings. How does the data across these regions compare to each other? The country?

www.ngpf.org Last updated: 3/8/21

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