The Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) System is a United States government system for classifying occupations. It is used by U.S. federal government agencies collecting occupational data, enabling comparison of occupations across data sets. For example, data from the Occupational Requirements Survey, Occupational Information Network, and the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program can be linked using the classification system. The SOC is designed to cover all occupations in which work is performed for pay or profit, reflecting the current occupational structure in the United States. The 2018 SOC includes 867 detailed occupations.Standard Occupational Classification System (SOC), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Users of occupational data include human resources professionals, government program managers, industrial and labor relations practitioners, students considering career training, job seekers, vocational training schools, and employers wishing to set salary scales or locate a new plant.
An occupation is defined as a group of "jobs that are similar with respect to the work performed and the skills possessed by workers." Glossary, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Therefore, different jobs with similar duties and job requirements would be in the same occupation. For example, a bank branch manager and a city treasurer would both be part of the Financial Manager occupation in the SOC.
The detailed occupations in the SOC can be combined into 459 broad occupations, 98 minor groups, and 23 major groups. The SOC codes have a hierarchical format, so for example the code "15-0000" refers to occupations in the "Computer and Mathematical Occupations" major group, and "15-1252" is a subset for the "Software Developers" detailed occupation.2018 SOC Major Groups at bls.gov
The SOC does not categorize industries or employers. There are parallel category systems for industries used with SOC data, most commonly NAICS.
Other countries have national occupational classification systems and the International Labour Organization, an agency of the United Nations, has developed the International Standard Classification of Occupations.International Standard Classification of Occupations, ILOSTAT
Job Titles and SOC Codes The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) maintains the Direct Match Title File (DMTF) that contains job titles that match detailed occupations in the SOC.Direct Match Title File, BLS For example, the following job titles all match to the occupation Bill and Account Collectors (SOC code of 43-3011): Collection Agent, Collections Clerk, Collections Representative, Debt Collector, Installment Agent, Installment Loan Collector, Insurance Collector, Payment Collector, Repossessor, and Billing Clerk.
In some cases a job title does not match one-for-one with an occupation. For example, the job title "painter" is not in the DMTF because it could be associated with a fine arts occupation or a maintenance occupation. In these and other cases, persons wishing to match a job with an occupation can examine the definitions of the detailed occupations. For example, the definition of the occupation of Painters, Construction and Maintenance (SOC code of 47-2141) is: "Paint walls, equipment, buildings, bridges, and other structural surfaces, using brushes, rollers, and spray guns. May remove old paint to prepare surface prior to painting. May mix colors or oils to obtain desired color or consistency." On the other hand, the definition of the occupation of Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators (SOC code of 27-1013) is: "Create original artwork using any of a wide variety of media and techniques."
Interested parties can submit suggested additions to the job titles included in the DMTF.Direct Match Title File, BLS
Major Group Occupations List The detailed occupations in the SOC can be combined into 23 major groups. Architecture and engineering occupations Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations Business and financial operations occupations Community and social services occupations Computer and mathematical occupations Construction and extraction occupations Education, training, and library occupations Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations Food preparation and serving related occupations Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations Healthcare support occupations Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations Legal occupations Life, physical, and social science occupations Management occupations Military specific occupations Office and administrative support occupations Personal care and service occupations Production occupations Protective service occupations Sales and related occupations Transportation and material moving occupations
Employment and Earnings Across all occupations, BLS reports total employment to be 151,853,870 and the annual mean wage to be $65,470. Total employment and annual mean wage for each major group is in the following table.May 2023 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, BLS SOC Major Group Employment Annual Mean Wage11-0000 Management Occupations 10,495,770 $137,75013-0000 Business and Financial Operations Occupations 10,087,830 $90,58015-0000 Computer and Mathematical Occupations 5,177,400 $113,14017-0000 Architecture and Engineering Occupations 2,539,660 $99,09019-0000 Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations 1,389,430 $87,87021-0000 Community and Social Service Occupations 2,418,130 $58,98023-0000 Legal Occupations 1,240,630 $133,82025-0000 Educational Instruction and Library Occupations 8,744,560 $66,40027-0000 Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations 2,106,490 $75,52029-0000 Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations 9,284,210 $102,06031-0000 Healthcare Support Occupations 7,063,530 $38,22033-0000 Protective Service Occupations 3,504,330 $57,71035-0000 Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations 13,247,870 $34,49037-0000 Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations 4,429,070 $38,32039-0000 Personal Care and Service Occupations 3,040,630 $38,43041-0000 Sales and Related Occupations 13,380,660 $53,28043-0000 Office and Administrative Support Occupations 18,533,450 $47,94045-0000 Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations 432,200 $39,97047-0000 Construction and Extraction Occupations 6,225,630 $61,50049-0000 Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations 5,989,460 $58,50051-0000 Production Occupations 8,770,170 $47,62053-0000 Transportation and Material Moving Occupations 13,752,760 $46,690
Environmental Conditions Across all occupations, 6.9 percent of all workers are exposed to hazardous contaminants.
Across all occupations, about 67 percent of all workers are not exposed to the outdoors. However, among all workers, 4.1 percent are constantly exposed to the outdoors, 3.7 percent are frequently exposed to the outdoors, 15.1 percent are occasionally exposed to the outdoors, and 10.2 percent are seldomly exposed to the outdoors. Exposure to hazardous contaminants and exposure to the outdoors (seldom, occasional, frequent, or constant) for each major group are in the following table.Occupational Requirements Survey, BLS SOC Major Group Exposure to Hazardous Contaminants (%) Exposure to Outdoors (%)11-0000 Management Occupations 1.9 23.813-0000 Business and Financial Operations Occupations 0.7 9.115-0000 Computer and Mathematical Occupations <0.5 1.617-0000 Architecture and Engineering Occupations 6.3 31.819-0000 Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations 26.6 36.321-0000 Community and Social Service Occupations 0.8 24.223-0000 Legal Occupations <0.5 1.625-0000 Educational Instruction and Library Occupations 1.8 42.927-0000 Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations 0.8 27.729-0000 Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations 6.8 7.331-0000 Healthcare Support Occupations 2.8 33.133-0000 Protective Service Occupations 22.8 89.435-0000 Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations 1.3 33.537-0000 Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations 18.4 73.839-0000 Personal Care and Service Occupations 9.2 51.541-0000 Sales and Related Occupations 1.2 28.143-0000 Office and Administrative Support Occupations <0.5 4.745-0000 Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations 8.9 82.547-0000 Construction and Extraction Occupations 28.9 92.449-0000 Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations 31.7 79.451-0000 Production Occupations 18.9 11.453-0000 Transportation and Material Moving Occupations 5.6 57.6
Minimum Education Requirements Minimum education is the minimum education required by a job, not the educational attainment of the worker. A worker may have attained more education than the minimum required by a job.
Among all workers, 30.0 percent are in jobs with no minimum education requirement, 40.1 percent are in jobs where a high school degree is the minimum requirement, 19.3 percent are in jobs where a bachelor's degree is the minimum requirement, and 10.6 percent are in jobs with some other minimum requirement (for example, a graduate degree).
The percentages in the various minimum requirement categories for each major group in the SOC are shown in the following table.Occupational Requirements Survey, BLS SOC Major Group No Minimum Requirement (%) High School (%) Bachelor's (%) Other (%)11-0000 Management Occupations 4.7 24.7 56.6 14.013-0000 Business and Financial Operations Occupations 1.7 21.7 69.9 6.715-0000 Computer and Mathematical Occupations 2.8 17.7 65.5 14.017-0000 Architecture and Engineering Occupations 1.9 12.5 69.5 16.119-0000 Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations 2.1 18.7 52.0 27.221-0000 Community and Social Service Occupations 1.6 16.5 40.9 41.023-0000 Legal Occupations 0.6 19.4 10.9 69.125-0000 Educational Instruction and Library Occupations 1.5 17.2 59.4 21.927-0000 Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations 19.8 27.7 42.9 9.629-0000 Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations 0.9 21.1 22.7 55.331-0000 Healthcare Support Occupations 26.8 63.4 0.7 9.133-0000 Protective Service Occupations 9.4 82.3 3.1 5.235-0000 Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations 78.3 21.2 <0.5 <0.537-0000 Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations 68.7 30.0 <0.5 <0.539-0000 Personal Care and Service Occupations 32.0 60.7 3.2 4.141-0000 Sales and Related Occupations 50.7 39.6 7.9 1.843-0000 Office and Administrative Support Occupations 13.1 75.6 5.7 5.645-0000 Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations 49.4 42.6 6.2 1.847-0000 Construction and Extraction Occupations 49.6 47.1 0.8 2.549-0000 Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations 27.5 61.2 1.2 10.151-0000 Production Occupations 39.2 55.5 1.5 3.853-0000 Transportation and Material Moving Occupations 60.2 39.2 <0.5 <0.5
Physical Requirements The maximum weight lifted or carried averaged 25.58 pounds for all workers. For all workers, the percentage of the workday a person is required to stand averaged 56.3 percent of the workday. The figures for each major group in the SOC are in the following table.Occupational Requirements Survey, BLS