There are many reasons people might wish to analyze occupational employment data, either for the national population as a whole or for any demographic group.
As BLS celebrates our 140th anniversary this year, we are looking back at our history. After much debate, BLS decided to include the graphic from 1900 in this blog despite the use of outdated language. The graphic not only highlights early labor market statistics but also acknowledges the seminal work of W. E. B. Du Bois, whom we proudly recognize as a contributor to the early work of BLS.
African American sociologist, historian, and author W. E. B. Du Bois understood how data visualizations could tell a story and produced a chart showing occupational employment of Blacks and Whites in Georgia in 1900. This chart, along with others, appeared in print and at an international exhibition in Paris. It is reproduced here courtesy of the Library of Congress. This may be the earliest graphical display of such data.
Using the Du Bois chart as a starting point, let's look at how the occupational distribution changed over the years.
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W. E. B. Du Bois chart showing occupational employment of Blacks and Whites in Georgia in 1900
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Early 20th Century: Occupational Distribution in 1900
Even though it focuses on just one state, it’s worth noting it shows that 90 percent of Blacks or African Americans were employed in just two occupational groups: agriculture, fisheries, and mining; and domestic and personal service. Although the proportion of Blacks in agriculture, fisheries, and mining is nearly the same as the proportion of Whites employed in those occupations, the proportion of Blacks in domestic and personal service occupations is five times higher than the proportion of Whites. Less than 1 percent of Blacks or African Americans were employed in the occupational category of professions.
Mid-20th Century: The Shift by 1950
In 1950, five decades after the publication of the Du Bois chart shown above, and still within Du Bois’s lifetime, more than 5 percent of Black workers were employed as either professional, technical, and kindred workers or managers, officials, and proprietors (not including those on farms). The occupational group with the highest employment among Blacks was operatives and kindred workers. This includes operators of motor vehicles and fixed machinery; assemblers, inspectors, packers, and related workers; and apprentices to craft workers as well as operators of horse-drawn vehicles. The second- and third-most common occupational groups for Blacks were laborers, except farm and mine, and private household workers. While these data pertain to all people classified as nonwhite, publications at the time mention that 95 percent of nonwhites were Black or African American.
Late 20th Century: Progress by 2000
Another 50 years later, in 2000, more than one-fifth of Black workers were employed in professional specialty or executive, administrative, and managerial occupations. A larger share of Black workers were employed in service occupations (which include healthcare support, protective service, food preparation, building and grounds maintenance, and personal care) than in any other occupational group. Notably, private household service was no longer a separate category. Operators, fabricators, and laborers and administrative support occupations were the second- and third-largest occupational groups.
21st Century: Current Trends in 2023
Looking at the BLS data for 2023, we see the highest employment of African Americans is in the professional and related, service, and management, business, and financial operations occupational categories. By 2023, more than one-third of Black workers had professional, management, business, financial operations or related jobs. Additionally, while the proportion of Blacks working in professional and management categories increased over recent decades, the proportion in service occupations decreased. Management, business, and financial operations and office and administrative support ranked third and fourth, in terms of the number of Blacks employed. Reflecting changes that have affected the entire country and much of the world, the percentage of Blacks employed in farming, forestry, and fishing occupations has continued its century-long decline.
Occupational Distribution of Black Workers Over Time
The occupational mix reflects both changes in opportunities available to African Americans and general economic and technological changes. The years since W. E. B. Du Bois created his pioneering charts have brought significant changes for Blacks. To learn how occupational classification systems have evolved over time, see Historical comparability of occupation and industry data from the Current Population Survey.
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Below is a summary of the occupational distribution changes over the years:
| Occupational Category | 1900 (Du Bois Chart) | 1950 | 2000 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, Fisheries, and Mining | 90% (with domestic and personal service) | Data not specified | Data not specified | Declined |
| Domestic and Personal Service | 90% (with agriculture, fisheries, and mining) | Private Household Workers | Service Occupations (including healthcare support, protective service, etc.) | Service Occupations |
| Professional, Technical, and Kindred Workers | Less than 1% (Professions) | More than 5% (with managers, officials, and proprietors) | More than one-fifth (Professional specialty or executive, administrative, and managerial occupations) | Professional and Related |
| Management, Business, and Financial Operations | N/A | Managers, Officials, and Proprietors (with professional, technical, and kindred workers) | Executive, Administrative, and Managerial Occupations (with professional specialty) | Management, Business, and Financial Operations |
| Operatives and Kindred Workers | N/A | Highest employment among Blacks | Operators, Fabricators, and Laborers | N/A |
| Laborers, Except Farm and Mine | N/A | Second-most common | N/A | N/A |
| Administrative Support Occupations | N/A | N/A | Third-largest group | Office and Administrative Support |
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