Shifts in Job Distribution

In the 1950s, almost half of all employed people were either in farming or manufacturing. As you can imagine, work changed a bit over the years. Here’s how the distribution of jobs across occupation groups shifted.

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

1950

’60

’70

’80

’90

2000

’10

’17

Source: Census Bureau

Notes

The data comes from a combination of the American Community Survey and the Decennial Census. I downloaded the data via IPUMS. They provide unified occupation classifications, which allows for comparison of jobs over time.

Become a member. Support an independent site. Make great charts.

See What You Get

Learn to Visualize Data See All →

How to Make a Semicircle Plot in R

It’s the half cousin of the bubble plot with less overlap and more straight edges.

How to Make an Animated, Self-Sorting List

You have a list of things that can be ordered by different values. Let them sort themselves out.

How to Make a Multi-Series Dot Plot in Excel

Easily compare multiple categories and spot differences between two or more series.

How to Make Dot Plots in R

It’s easy to draw dots. The challenge is to make them meaningful and readable.

Favorites

The Best Data Visualization Projects of 2011

I almost didn’t make a best-of list this year, but …

How Much Minimum Wage Changed in Each State

Minimum wage has increased over the years, but by how much depends on where you live.

What Qualifies as Middle-Income in Each State

The meaning of “middle-income” changes a lot depending on where you live and your household size.

Shifts in How Couples Meet, Online Takes the Top

How do couples meet now and how has it changed over the years? Watch the rankings play out over six decades.