Data Underload  / 

Occupation Growth and Decline

By Nathan Yau

We looked at shifts in job distribution over the past several decades, but it was difficult to see by how much each occupation group changed individually. The chart below makes the changes more obvious. For example, computer and math jobs went from relative nothing to a +544% explosion since 1970.

Changes Since 1970

As you might expect, jobs in computers and math grew a lot over the past several decades, which changed everything.

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.

I analyzed and prepared the data in R. I made the chart with D3.js.


Chart Type Used

Baseline Chart

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

See What You Get

Favorites

Life expectancy changes

The data goes back to 1960 and up to the most current estimates for 2009. Each line represents a country.

Real Chart Rules to Follow

There are rules—usually for specific chart types meant to be read in a specific way—that you shouldn’t break. When they are, everyone loses. This is that small handful.

When You Will Die

With absolute certainty, you will die. When will it happen? That is a trickier question. But we can run simulations to explore the possibilities.

Top Brewery Road Trip, Routed Algorithmically

There are a lot of great craft breweries in the United States, but there is only so much time. This is the computed best way to get to the top rated breweries and how to maximize the beer tasting experience. Every journey begins with a single sip.