Measuring Occupational Change Over Four Decennial Censuses, 1950-1980

This article compares the detailed occupational structure of the U.S. civilian employed labor force in 1950, 1960, 1970, and 1980. Direct comparisons are possible because all four labor forces are described using the detailed occupational classification developed by the U.S. Bureau of the Census for the 1980 census. All four occupational structures had a majority of the labor force employed in a small minority of occupations. The 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s each witnessed significant changes in the detailed occupational structure involving a shift of 10% to 15% of the labor force into different occupational categories. Over the 30-year period from 1950 to 1980, most detailed occupations experienced decades of growth as well as decline with their 1980 share of the labor force substantially different from their 1950 share.