With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to impact the global economy, the current job market is a hot topic in the news cycle. But while the pandemic itself is, historically, something of an economic aberration, the U.S. economy that we know today has a long and storied history of expansions, recessions, and evolution.At the time of the American Revolution, most of the job market in the U.S. revolved around agriculture or food acquisition in some way. Many individuals and communities farmed for subsistence, not even growing enough to have an excess to sell for profits.
As the fledgling country grew, so did its economy, springing forth during the Industrial Revolution of the late 1700s and early 1800s, and inexorably shifting the nation’s economic focus from agrarian efforts to those of manufacturing, trade, and other forms of business. Inventions like the steam engine and cotton gin accelerated production, feeding a booming job market that was met with immigrants eager to find work.
By the mid- to late-1800s, the U.S. economy and job market was characterized by successive periods of rapid growth followed by panics or depressions. This economic disquiet was caused by stock speculation and oscillating levels of trust in the federal government’s ability to regulate cash flow and support banks. In turn, the uncertain economy produced a volatile job market.
In an effort to capture a snapshot of the U.S. job market’s history, Stacker compiled a list of the most common jobs in Iowa from 150 years ago using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. By transcribing the previously untranscribed Table XXVII from the 1870 decennial census, a state-level glimpse into the historic job market can be seen. Nationally, farmers and planters were the most common occupation 150 years ago, just one of the many agricultural jobs that made up more than 47% of all employed persons over ten years old.
Continue reading to find out more about the historical job market in your home state or explore the data on your own on our site, GitHub, or data.world. Or see today’s jobs by category on Corridor Careers.
#1. Farmers and planters
– Iowa employment: 139,478
– National employment: 2,977,711
— #1 most common job in the U.S.
#2. Agricultural laborers
– Iowa employment: 69,821
– National employment: 2,885,996
— #2 most common job in the U.S.
#3. Laborers (not specified)
– Iowa employment: 24,823
– National employment: 1,031,666
— #3 most common job in the U.S.
#4. Domestic servants
– Iowa employment: 15,725
– National employment: 975,734
— #4 most common job in the U.S.
#5. Carpenters and joiners
– Iowa employment: 12,418
– National employment: 344,596
— #5 most common job in the U.S.
#6. Employees of railroad companies (not clerks)
– Iowa employment: 7,155
– National employment: 154,027
— #9 most common job in the U.S.
#7. Teachers (not specified)
– Iowa employment: 6,012
– National employment: 126,822
— #12 most common job in the U.S.
#8. Blacksmiths
– Iowa employment: 4,004
– National employment: 141,774
— #11 most common job in the U.S.
#9. Clerks in stores
– Iowa employment: 3,862
– National employment: 222,504
— #6 most common job in the U.S.
#10. Draymen, hackmen, teamsters, &c
– Iowa employment: 3,243
– National employment: 120,756
— #13 most common job in the U.S.
#11. Milliners, dress and mantua makers
– Iowa employment: 2,517
– National employment: 92,084
— #16 most common job in the U.S.
#12. Masons, brick and stone
– Iowa employment: 2,446
– National employment: 89,710
— #17 most common job in the U.S.
#13. Boot and shoe makers
– Iowa employment: 2,376
– National employment: 171,127
— #7 most common job in the U.S.
#14. Traders and dealers in groceries
– Iowa employment: 1,960
– National employment: 74,410
— #19 most common job in the U.S.
#15. Traders and dealers (not specified)
– Iowa employment: 1,940
– National employment: 100,406
— #15 most common job in the U.S.
#16. Physicians and surgeons
– Iowa employment: 1,865
– National employment: 62,383
— #20 most common job in the U.S.
#17. Painters and varnishers
– Iowa employment: 1,798
– National employment: 85,123
— #18 most common job in the U.S.
#18. Clergymen
– Iowa employment: 1,596
– National employment: 43,874
— #28 most common job in the U.S.
#19. Millers
– Iowa employment: 1,484
– National employment: 41,582
— #34 most common job in the U.S.
#20. Lawyers
– Iowa employment: 1,456
– National employment: 40,736
— #35 most common job in the U.S.
#21. Traders and dealers in dry-goods
– Iowa employment: 1,379
– National employment: 39,790
— #37 most common job in the U.S.
#22. Saw-mill operatives
– Iowa employment: 1,347
– National employment: 47,298
— #25 most common job in the U.S.
#23. Harness and saddle makers
– Iowa employment: 1,334
– National employment: 32,817
— #41 most common job in the U.S.
#24. Tailors, tailoresses, and seamstresses
– Iowa employment: 1,286
– National employment: 161,820
— #8 most common job in the U.S.
#25. Miners
– Iowa employment: 1,226
– National employment: 152,107
— #10 most common job in the U.S.
#26. Restaurant-keepers
– Iowa employment: 1,107
– National employment: 35,185
— #38 most common job in the U.S.
#27. Cabinetmakers
– Iowa employment: 1,023
– National employment: 42,835
— #30 most common job in the U.S.
#28. Butchers
– Iowa employment: 1,006
– National employment: 44,354
— #27 most common job in the U.S.
#29. Plasterers
– Iowa employment: 944
– National employment: 23,577
— #53 most common job in the U.S.
#30. Printers
– Iowa employment: 942
– National employment: 39,860
— #36 most common job in the U.S.
#31. Hotel-keepers
– Iowa employment: 872
– National employment: 26,394
— #49 most common job in the U.S.
#32. Coopers
– Iowa employment: 841
– National employment: 41,789
— #32 most common job in the U.S.
#33. Gardeners and nurserymen
– Iowa employment: 810
– National employment: 31,435
— #42 most common job in the U.S.
#34. Manufacturers
– Iowa employment: 790
– National employment: 42,877
— #29 most common job in the U.S.
#35. Traders and dealers in produce
– Iowa employment: 770
– National employment: 11,809
— #81 most common job in the U.S.
#36. Officials of Government
– Iowa employment: 759
– National employment: 44,743
— #26 most common job in the U.S.
#37. Traders and dealers in drugs and medicines
– Iowa employment: 749
– National employment: 17,369
— #63 most common job in the U.S.
#38. Tinners
– Iowa employment: 736
– National employment: 30,524
— #44 most common job in the U.S.
#39. Engineers and firemen
– Iowa employment: 707
– National employment: 34,233
— #40 most common job in the U.S.
#40. Mill and factory operatives (not specified)
– Iowa employment: 650
– National employment: 41,619
— #33 most common job in the U.S.
#41. Machinists
– Iowa employment: 597
– National employment: 54,755
— #24 most common job in the U.S.
#42. Traders and dealers in iron, tin, and copper wares
– Iowa employment: 554
– National employment: 9,003
— #93 most common job in the U.S.
#43. Book-keepers and accountants in stores
– Iowa employment: 460
– National employment: 31,177
— #43 most common job in the U.S.
#44. Barbers and hairdressers
– Iowa employment: 454
– National employment: 23,935
— #52 most common job in the U.S.
#45. Marble and stone cutters
– Iowa employment: 433
– National employment: 25,831
— #51 most common job in the U.S.
#46. Woolen-mill operatives
– Iowa employment: 431
– National employment: 58,836
— #22 most common job in the U.S.
#47. Employees of manufacturing establishments
– Iowa employment: 415
– National employment: 20,242
— #59 most common job in the U.S.
#48. Employees of insurance companies (not clerks)
– Iowa employment: 412
– National employment: 11,611
— #83 most common job in the U.S.
#49. Traders and dealers in lumber
– Iowa employment: 411
– National employment: 9,440
— #91 most common job in the U.S.
#50. Bankers and brokers of money and stocks
– Iowa employment: 409
– National employment: 10,631
— #87 most common job in the U.S.
