Service Occupations

Major Occupation Group

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2020 Workforce

25.2M

Average Age

38.2

Average Salary

$27,803

Average Male Salary

$34,227

Average Female Salary

$22,641

About

Service Occupations are most often employed by the Restaurants & Food Services industry. The average yearly wage for Service Occupations was $27,803 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Service Occupations by wage are Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations, Sales & Office Occupations, and Natural resources, construction, & maintenance occupations.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Service Occupations are Spring Valley & Summerlin South PUMA, NV, Maui, Kalawao & Kauai Counties PUMA, HI, and Jamaica, Hollis & St. Albans PUMA, NY. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Service Occupations are Concourse, Highbridge & Mount Eden PUMA, NY, Bedford Park, Fordham North & Norwood PUMA, NY, and Morris Heights, Fordham South & Mount Hope PUMA, NY.

About the photo: Ristorante Italiano in New York City

Photo by Michele Ursino

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Service Occupations and on wages and locations for those in the field. Restaurants & Food Services is the industry that employs the most Service Occupations, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Service Occupations, by average wage, is Software publishing. Service Occupations are paid most in Chelsea, Clinton & Midtown Business District PUMA, NY but are relatively concentrated in Concourse, Highbridge & Mount Eden PUMA, NY.

Yearly Wage

$27,803

AVERAGE SALARY

± $150

In 2020, Service Occupations earned an average of $27,803, $28,151 less than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Service Occupations are the lowest paid occupation in the US followed by Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Service Occupations as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.451

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Service Occupations had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.451, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Service Occupations (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Service Occupations.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Service Occupations

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Service Occupations.

Most Common

The most common industries employing Service Occupations, by number of employees, are Restaurants & Food Services, Justice, public order, & safety activities , General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, Amusement & Recreation, Services to buildings & dwellings (except cleaning during construction & immediately after construction), Elementary & secondary schools, Nursing Care Facilities, Home health care services, Landscaping services, Traveler accommodation, and Beauty salons.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Service Occupations, by average wage, are Software publishing, Pottery, ceramics, & plumbing fixture manufacturing , and Public finance activities.

Industries by Share

25.2M

2020 Workforce

± 112,238

−1.35%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 0.636%

The number of people employed as Service Occupations has been declining at a rate of −1.35%, from 25,518,986 people in 2019 to 25,174,767 people in 2020.

This graphic shows the share of Service Occupations employed by various industries. Restaurants & Food Services employs the largest share of Service Occupations at 26.3%, followed by Justice, public order, & safety activities with 7.03% and General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals with 4.64%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Service Occupations in the US. The average age of male Service Occupations in the workforce is 37.9 and of female Service Occupations is 38.5, and the most common race/ethnicity for Service Occupations is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

11.2M

MALE WORKFORCE

± 79,048

14M

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 87,304

55.5% of Service Occupations are Female, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Service Occupations.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Service Occupations

White (Non-Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)

50.8% of Service Occupations are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 16.3% of Service Occupations, Black (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Service Occupations.

Age by Sex

37.9

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 0.111

38.5

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 0.1

The median age of Service Occupations is 38.2, and Male employees are generally 0.577 years younger than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Service Occupations from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Service Occupations is Business but a relatively high number of Service Occupations hold a major in Personal & Culinary Services.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Service Occupations from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Service Occupations need many skills, but most especially Speaking. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Service Occupations need more than the average amount of Service Orientation, Social Perceptiveness, and Coordination.