1998 was a long time ago.
The first Matrix movie hadn’t yet released, the internet was still the purview of the Western world, and e-commerce giant Amazon was only five years old.
This article was written by Pallavi Rao and originally published by Visual Capitalist.
For obvious reasons, the U.S. labor market back then was different—but exactly how different?
This graphic compares the most common jobs in each U.S. state between 1998 to 2024, measured by the number of people employed in each category. Data for this visualization comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
America’s Most Common Jobs in 1998, Listed
In 1998, retail salespersons were the most common job in 39 states.
Cashiers took the top spot in seven others, showing the strength of consumer-facing roles during a booming retail era.
| State | Most Common Job (1998) |
# of Jobs (1998) |
Most Common Job (2024) |
# of Jobs (2024) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montana | 🛍️ Retail Salespersons | 13,960 | 🍔 Fast Food Workers | 15,940 |
| Nebraska | 👔 General Managers | 27,760 | 🍔 Fast Food Workers | 28,360 |
| Nevada | 💰 Cashiers | 37,890 | 📦 Freight Movers | 53,660 |
| New Hampshire | 🛍️ Retail Salespersons | 25,940 | 🧑💼 Ops Managers | 21,180 |
| New Jersey | 🛍️ Retail Salespersons | 113,890 | 🏥 Home Health Aides | 105,460 |
| New Mexico | 🛍️ Retail Salespersons | 24,370 | 🏥 Home Health Aides | 37,360 |
| New York | 🛍️ Retail Salespersons | 229,620 | 🏥 Home Health Aides | 623,000 |
| North Carolina | 🛍️ Retail Salespersons | 116,680 | 🛍️ Retail Salespersons | 126,060 |
| North Dakota | 🛍️ Retail Salespersons | 12,140 | 🧑💼 Ops Managers | 11,660 |
| State | Most Common Job (1998) |
# of Jobs (1998) |
Most Common Job (2024) |
# of Jobs (2024) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio | 🛍️ Retail Salespersons | 165,290 | 🍔 Fast Food Workers | 167,650 |
| Oklahoma | 🛍️ Retail Salespersons | 45,860 | 🍔 Fast Food Workers | 53,380 |
| Oregon | 🛍️ Retail Salespersons | 53,300 | 🍔 Fast Food Workers | 58,150 |
| Pennsylvania | 🛍️ Retail Salespersons | 176,330 | 🏥 Home Health Aides | 242,570 |
| Puerto Rico | 📦 Freight Movers | 34,560 | 🛍️ Retail Salespersons | 42,070 |
| Rhode Island | 🛍️ Retail Salespersons | 13,340 | 🍔 Fast Food Workers | 12,650 |
| South Carolina | 🛍️ Retail Salespersons | 59,230 | 🛍️ Retail Salespersons | 69,010 |
| South Dakota | 🛍️ Retail Salespersons | 12,480 | 🩺 Registered Nurses | 14,500 |
| Tennessee | 🛍️ Retail Salespersons | 77,760 | 📦 Freight Movers | 111,240 |
| State | Most Common Job (1998) |
# of Jobs (1998) |
Most Common Job (2024) |
# of Jobs (2024) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 👔 General Managers | 288,290 | 🧑💼 Ops Managers | 454,720 |
| Utah | 🛍️ Retail Salespersons | 35,310 | 🍔 Fast Food Workers | 50,980 |
| Vermont | 🛍️ Retail Salespersons | 8,630 | 🛍️ Retail Salespersons | 7,930 |
| Virgin Islands | 🛍️ Retail Salespersons | 1,860 | 🛍️ Retail Salespersons | 1,310 |
| Virginia | 🛍️ Retail Salespersons | 114,740 | 🍔 Fast Food Workers | 103,390 |
| Washington | 🛍️ Retail Salespersons | 90,760 | 🏥 Home Health Aides | 100,360 |
| West Virginia | 🛍️ Retail Salespersons | 23,450 | 🩺 Registered Nurses | 21,740 |
| Wisconsin | 🛍️ Retail Salespersons | 77,080 | 🏥 Home Health Aides | 80,050 |
| Wyoming | 🛍️ Retail Salespersons | 7,170 | 🛍️ Retail Salespersons | 9,190 |
Note: D.C., Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands have been included in this graphic and article. They have been referred to as states for general trend analysis.
The data reflects a time when brick-and-mortar stores and administrative support jobs were critical to state economies.
America’s Most Common Jobs in 2024, Listed
By 2024, fast food workers became the most common job in 15 states, overtaking retail in sheer prevalence.
This rise aligns with the growth of quick-service restaurants and a broader shift toward lower-wage, flexible service jobs.
Retail salespersons remain the top job in 11 states, while operations managers, home health aides, and freight movers have gained ground in several others.
Healthcare and Logistics Jobs in the 2020s
Notably, home health aides became the most common job in five states, including California and New York.
This highlights the aging U.S. population and rising demand for elder care services.
Meanwhile, freight movers and operations managers now top the charts in states like Illinois, Tennessee, and Texas. This signals that retail is still a strong sector, but the jobs have moved towards logistics and supply chain roles as in-person buying drops.
