The Professional and Technical Workforce: By the Numbers
2024 FACT SHEET
Highlights
Professionals were 57.8 percent of the total workforce in 2023, with 93 million people working across a wide variety of occupations.
6.44 million union members worked in professional occupations in 2023, an all-time high.
Professionals who identify as women as well as those who identify as Black or African American continued to be underrepresented in some of the highest paying professional occupational groups, including management occupations and architecture and engineering occupations.
Quantifying the Professional and Technical Workforce
While the professional and technical workforce can be hard to define, available data demonstrates that professionals play a greater part in our economy than ever before. Over the past few decades, the increase in the number of professionals has created interest in analysis of professionals and the unique issues they face in the workplace. While professional jobs are diverse, professionals often have a strong occupational identity, advanced education and training, and above average compensation.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) defines the professional workforce as including all workers in the “management, professional, and related occupations” group. The BLS goes on to divide this broad category into 10 distinct occupation groups. These groups, and the number of people who worked in them in 2023, include:
Management occupations (20,906,000);
Business and financial operations occupations (9,638,000);
Computer and mathematical occupations (6,502,000);
Architecture and engineering occupations (3,602,000);
Life, physical, and social science occupations (1,870,000);
Community and social service occupations (2,879,000);
Legal occupations (1,897,000);
Education, training, and library occupations (9,403,000);
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations (3,478,000); and
Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations (10,099,000).[1]
In total, there were 70,274,000 professionals working in these occupations in 2023, representing about 44 percent of the total U.S. workforce.
However, a number of professionals are employed in occupations that are not included in the BLS classification of “management, professional, and related occupations,” due to the way the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system was constructed. For example, the “sales and office occupations” group includes many professionals who are well-educated and may be well-compensated, including securities, commodities and financial services sales agents, and accounting clerks. The same is true in nearly every other occupational group, including firefighters and fire inspectors in the protective service occupations group and aircraft pilots and flight engineers in the transportation occupations group.
Therefore, the second way to identify who is a professional is through educational attainment. This method for identifying professionals also has flaws, since it would also count those who are underemployed in occupations that would not be considered to be part of the professional or technical workforce. However, given the fluidity of professional identity, and absent other methods to count all professionals, this fact sheet counts employees in all occupation groups as professionals if they have at least an associate’s degree in an academic program. Thus, professional employment outside of the professional occupation groups in 2023 totaled 22,816,000, including:
Healthcare support occupations (1,468,000);
Protective service occupations (1,340,000);
Food preparation and serving related occupations (1,264,000);
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations (758,000);
Personal care and service occupations (1,281,000);
Sales and related occupations (5,890,000);
Office and administrative support occupations (6,163,000);
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations (151,000);
Construction and extraction occupations (1,139,000);
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations (895,000);
Production occupations (1,510,000); and
Transportation and material moving occupations (2,096,000).[2]
Using these two methods, we can count over 93 million professionals working in the U.S. in 2023, making up 57.8 percent of the total workforce.
The third and final definition of a professional includes all working people who self-identify as professionals. However, as this definition is not quantifiable, it will not be included in this factsheet.
Demographic Characteristics of Professionals
Professionals who identify as women
In 2023, 51.8 percent of professional occupations were held by women.[3] However, the representation of women across all occupations was not distributed equally. When compared to the percentage of women in the total workforce in 2023 (46.9 percent), women were overrepresented by more than three percentage points in nine out of 22 occupational groups (five of which are professional occupation groups according to the BLS), and underrepresented by more than three percentage points in ten out of 22 occupational groups (three of which are professional occupation groups). Between 2013 and 2023, the representation of women in most professional occupation groups increased, though they are still underrepresented in some of the highest paying professional occupation groups, including management, computer and mathematical science, and architecture and engineering occupations.
Professionals who identify as Black or African American
In 2023, 10.6 percent of professional occupations were held by people who identify as Black or African American. When compared to the representation of this demographic in the total workforce in 2023 (12.8 percent), Black professionals were overrepresented by more than three percentage points in four out of 22 occupational groups (including one professional occupation group), and underrepresented by more than three percentage points in eight groups (five of which are professional occupation groups).[4] The table below reveals that between 2013 and 2023, the representation of this demographic population increased in all ten professional occupation groups. However, professionals who identified as Black or African American were still underrepresented in half of the professional occupation groups in 2023 – an indication of occupational segregation, which contributes to racial income inequality.[5]
Professionals who identify as Hispanic or Latino
Between 2013 and 2023, there was a 73 percent increase in the number of professional occupations held by people who identify as Hispanic or Latino. In 2023, 11.2 percent of professional occupations were held by people who identify as Hispanic or Latino, up from 8.3 percent density in 2013. However, because people identifying as Hispanic or Latino comprised 18.8 percent of the total workforce in 2023, they were underrepresented by more than three percentage points in all ten professional occupation groups, and overrepresented by more than three percentage points in six non-professional occupation groups.[6]
Professionals who identify as Asian American or Pacific Islander
In 2023, 9.3 percent of professional occupations were held by people who identified as Asian American or Pacific Islander (AAPI). While Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders made up only 6.9 percent of the total U.S. workforce that year, there have been large and growing concentrations of AAPI professionals in several professional occupation groups, including computer and mathematical sciences, architecture and engineering, and life, physical, and social sciences.[7] However, AAPI professionals are significantly underrepresented in many non-professional occupation groups, including protective service occupations, building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations, farming, fishing and forestry occupations, installation, maintenance and repair occupations, and construction and extraction occupations.
Educational Attainment
In 2023, out of the 93 million working professionals, 68 million (73 percent) had a bachelor’s degree or higher. Life, physical, and social science occupations had the highest concentration of workers with a bachelor’s degree or higher (85.6 percent), followed by legal occupations (84.1 percent) and education, training, and library occupations (77.6 percent). Among BLS-designated professional occupations, management occupations had the lowest concentration of professionals with at least a bachelor’s degree at 58.7 percent.[8]
Certain occupational groups also have high concentrations of professionals with master’s, professional, and doctorate degrees, due to the education requirements of jobs within those categories or the advancement opportunities available to professionals with advanced degrees. For example, in 43 states, lawyers must earn a law degree from an accredited law school in order to practice, and earning a Juris Doctor is the most straightforward path to becoming an attorney, even in states where it is not required in order to pass the bar.[9]
Age
Older Professionals
In 2023, there were approximately 99.7 million Americans aged 55 or older, and there were 37.4 million people in this age group who were part of the workforce.[10] This age group includes members of the so-called “Silent Generation” (born before 1945), “Baby Boomers” (born between 1946-1964) and the oldest members of “Generation X” (born between 1965-1979).
Among people aged 55 or older, there were approximately 16.7 million people employed in professional occupations in 2023, comprising 23.8 percent of all professional occupations (compared to 23.2 percent of the total workforce).[11] This age group had particularly high rates of representation in management occupations, legal occupations (both professional occupation groups), and building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations in 2023. They were underrepresented in computer and math occupations (professional occupation group), food preparation and serving occupations, and protective service occupations, the latter of which is likely a result of relatively low retirement ages for law enforcement officers and firefighters in many states (due to mandatory retirement laws) and the robust pension plans that are often negotiated by their unions.[12]
Baby Boomers have been waiting longer than previous generations to leave the labor force. A 2018 Gallup survey showed that working Americans expect, on average, to retire at 66, two years later than they reported 15 years ago. And Baby Boomers, who may have a more realistic picture of their retirement savings needs, reported that they expect to work until age 67, even longer than the rest of the population.[13] However, the COVID-19 pandemic compelled some to retire earlier than previously planned. The number of Baby Boomers who retired in 2020 was more than double the number who retired in 2019.[14]
Baby Boomers are working longer than previous generations due to a multitude of factors, including longer life expectancies, changing eligibility requirements for Social Security benefits, and rising healthcare and long-term care costs, which increases the need for substantial retirement savings. And with the shift from employer-sponsored defined-benefit pension plans to defined-contribution 401(k)-type plans, Baby Boomers are the first generation who have had to save substantially for their own retirements. However, most Boomers have inadequate retirement savings; as of 2022, they had a median household retirement account balance of $289,000.[15]
Young Professionals
In 2023, there were almost 20.7 million people between the ages of 16 and 34 in professional occupations, representing 29.4 percent of the professional workforce. That same year, people in this age group represented 34.9 percent of the workforce as a whole.[16] Young professionals were overrepresented by more than three percentage points in life, physical and social science occupations (a BLS-designated professional occupation group), as well as non-professional occupation groups, including healthcare support occupations; food preparation and serving occupations; personal care and service occupations; sales occupations; and transportation and material moving occupations. They were underrepresented by more than three percentage points in management occupations; business and financial operations occupations; community and social service occupations; legal occupations; and educational, training, and library occupations, all of which are BLS-designated professional occupation groups. Considering that many professional occupations require advanced degrees that take time to complete, it is not surprising that young workers have been underrepresented in several professional occupation groups. The one non-professional occupation group where young people were underrepresented in 2023 was in building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations.[17]
For many young professionals, entry into the professional workforce requires a post-secondary degree, leading a growing number of young people to seek out higher education. In the 2022-2023 academic year, institutions of higher education conferred over 1.0 million associate’s degrees, over 2.1 million bachelor’s degrees, 881,000 master’s degrees, and 202,000 doctorate degrees.[18] By comparison, in 2013, 33.6 percent of 25-29 year-olds had a bachelor’s degree or higher, and by 2023, this number had risen to 40.5 percent.[19] While more education can translate into higher lifetime earnings, it also results in higher levels of student loan debt, especially when considering the rapidly rising cost of education. In the second quarter of 2024, total outstanding student loan balances rose to $1.744 trillion,[20] 93 percent of which was federal student debt.[21] While it is often associated with young graduates, student loan debt is not limited to young people. In the second quarter of 2024, 9.1 million Americans 50 and older owed a combined $400.3 billion in federal student loans, representing 23 percent of all outstanding federal student debt.[22]
The high concentration of 18-34 year olds with associate’s and bachelor’s degrees outside of the BLS-designated professional occupation groups is a sign of a labor market problem that has persisted for at least the last 30 years. This problem of underemployment can be hard to measure, though one calculation found that 32.9 percent of college graduates were underemployed as of June 2024, and that recent graduates were even more likely to experience underemployment (40.5 percent).[23]
Union Density
Union density varies widely depending on the particular occupation group. In 2023, there were 14.42 million union members in the United States, representing 10 percent of the workforce.[24] There were 6.44 million union members working in BLS-designated professional occupations (10.3 percent density),[25] and 17.1 million union professionals across all occupations (11.1 percent density).[26] While union density in professional occupations has gradually decreased over time, the overall number of union members in professional occupations has increased by more than 1 million over the last 20 years, and professionals now make up 44.6 percent of all union members, a 27.4 percent increase in share over 20 years.[27]
Wages and Benefits
Over 82 percent of people working in professional occupations were employed full-time in 2023.[29] As of the second quarter of 2024, the median weekly salary for full-time workers in management, professional, and related occupations was $1,579,[30] while the median for the entire full-time workforce was $1,143.[31] Professionals working in non-professional occupation groups earned less than those in professional occupations, averaging $1,196 per week.[32]
Professionals’ weekly earnings vary greatly among education levels and occupational classifications. For example, in 2023, professionals employed as surgeons, physicians, lawyers, and engineers had some of the highest median weekly earnings among those working in professional occupations, while professionals working as technicians, and in healthcare support and community and social services had some of the lowest median weekly earnings.[33] Professionals working in farming, fishing and forestry occupations have had the lowest median weekly earnings of any occupational group. As of the second quarter of 2024, their weekly salary averaged about $788, about 34 percent less than the average weekly salary of professionals working in non-professional occupation groups.[34]
Educational attainment pays off for professionals in all occupations. Workers with an associate’s degree or higher earn more than those with less educational attainment. In 2023, associates’ degree-holders earned a median weekly income of $1,058; bachelor’s degree-holders earned $1,493; master’s degree-holders earned $1,737; professional degree-holders earned $2,206; and doctorate degree-holders earned $2,109.[35] Workers with a high school diploma or some college (but no degree) earned a median weekly income of about $946.[36]
Pay Disparities
While progress has been made on some fronts, pay disparities continue to persist for women and people of color, especially in professional occupations. In 2023, women earned about $0.84 for every dollar earned by men; however, women in professional occupations only made about $0.76 for every dollar made by their male counterparts.[37] The professional occupational group with the largest wage gap was the legal occupations group, where women only earned $0.67 for every dollar earned by men. The occupation group with the smallest pay gap – only a $0.01 difference in gendered pay – was the community and social services group.[38]
Significant pay disparities have long existed for professionals who identify as Black or African American (82 percent of the earnings of white professionals in 2022), as well as Hispanic or Latino professionals (87 percent of the earnings of white professionals in 2022, though this ethnicity includes people who may identify as white). The occupation groups with the greatest disparities in pay experienced by Black or African American professionals were legal occupations and sales occupations (76 percent each of the earnings of white professionals in 2022). Professionals identifying as Hispanic or Latino faced the greatest pay disparity in legal occupations, making $0.66 for every dollar earned by white professionals in that occupation group.[39]
Health Insurance and Retirement Benefits
In March 2023, 81.6 percent of professionals were offered health insurance through their employer, with union members having a higher rate of coverage than nonmembers (94 percent versus 81 percent).[40]
Additionally, professional union members are much more likely to be covered by an employer or union sponsored retirement plan. In March 2023, 70 percent of union professionals were eligible for an employer or union sponsored retirement plan, while only 44 percent of non-union professionals were eligible for any kind of workplace retirement plan.[41]
[1] “Table 11. Employed persons by detailed occupation, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity.” (January 26, 2024). U.S. Bureau of Labor Force Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat11.htm.
[2] U.S. Census Bureau. Current Population Survey Microdata. 2023. Retrieved from https://data.census.gov/mdat.
[3] “Table 11. Employed persons by detailed occupation, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity.” (January 26, 2024). U.S. Bureau of Labor Force Statistics.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Role, Kemi and Shayla Thompson. (April 2024). “Purpose and Resistance: Black Women Workers Confronting Occupational Segregation.” National Employment Law Project. Retrieved from https://www.nelp.org/insights-research/occupational-segregation-of-black-women-workers-in-the-u-s/.
[6] “Table 11. Employed persons by detailed occupation, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity.” (January 26, 2024). U.S. Bureau of Labor Force Statistics.
[7] Ibid.
[8] U.S. Census Bureau. Current Population Survey Microdata. 2023.
[9] Adwar, Corey. “How to become a lawyer without a law degree.” (August 2 2014). Slate. Retrieved from https://slate.com/business/2014/08/states-that-allow-bar-exams-without-law-degrees-require-apprenticeships-instead-of-law-school.html.
[10] “Table 3. Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population by age, sex, and race.” (January 26, 2024). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat03.htm.
[11] “Table 11b. Employed persons by detailed occupation and age.” (January 26, 2024). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat11b.htm.
[12] Doonan, Dan. “Pensions are a Vital Workforce Tool for Retaining Public Safety Professionals.” (June 27, 2024). Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/dandoonan/2024/06/27/pensions-are-a-vital-workforce-tool-for-retaining-public-safety-professionals/.
[13] Newport, Frank. “Snapshot: Average American Predicts Retirement Age of 66.” (May 10, 2018.) Gallup. https://news.gallup.com/poll/234302/snapshot-americans-project-average-retirement-age.aspx.
[14] Fry, Richard. “The pace of Boomer retirements has accelerated in the past year.” (November 9, 2020.) Pew Research Center. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/11/09/the-pace-of-boomer-retirements-has-accelerated-in-the-past-year/.
[15] Collinson, Catherine and Heidi Cho. “Post-Pandemic Realities: The Retirement Outlook of the Multigenerational Workforce.” (July 2023). 23rd Annual Transamerica Retirement Survey of Workers. Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies. Retrieved from https://www.transamericainstitute.org/docs/default-source/research/post-pandemic-retirement-realities-multigenerational-workforce-report-july-2023.pdf.
[16] “Table 11b. Employed persons by detailed occupation and age.” (January 26, 2024). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
[17] Ibid.
[18] “Table 318.10. Degrees conferred by postsecondary institutions, by level of degree and sex of student: Selected years, 1869-70 through 2031-32.” National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d23/tables/dt23_318.10.asp.
[19] “Table 104.20. Percentage of persons 25 to 29 years old with selected levels of educational attainment, by race/ethnicity and sex: Selected years, 1920 through 2023.” National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d23/tables/dt23_104.20.asp.
[20] Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. “Consumer Credit Outstanding (Levels)- G.19.” (August 7, 2024). Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Retrieved from September 8, 2021. https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/g19/current/default.htm.
[21] Federal Student Loan Portfolio. U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from https://studentaid.gov/data-center/student/portfolio.
[22] Ibid.
[23] “Underemployment Rates for Recent College Graduates.” (July 18, 2024). Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Retrieved from https://www.newyorkfed.org/research/college-labor-market#--:explore:unemployment.
[24] “Table 42. Union affiliation of employed wage and salary workers by occupation and industry.” (2023). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat42.htm.
[25] Ibid.
[26] U.S. Census Bureau. Current Population Survey Microdata. 2023.
[27] Ibid.
[28] Ibid.
[29] “Table 23. Persons at work by occupation, sex, and usual full- or part-time status.” (January 24, 2024). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat23.htm.
[30] “Table 4. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by occupation and sex, quarterly averages, not seasonally adjusted.” (July 17, 2024). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/news.release/wkyeng.t04.htm.
[31] “Table 3. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by age, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and sex, 2nd quarter 2024 averages, not seasonally adjusted.” (July 17, 2024). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/news.release/wkyeng.t03.htm.
[32] U.S. Census Bureau. Current Population Survey Microdata. 2023.
[33] “Table 39. Median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by detailed occupation and sex.” (January 26, 2024). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat39.htm.
[34] U.S. Census Bureau. Current Population Survey Microdata. 2023.
[35] “Education Pays, 2023.” (April 2024). Career Outlook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2024/data-on-display/education-pays.htm.
[36] Ibid.
[37] “Table 39: Median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by detailed occupation and sex.” (January 26, 2024). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat39.htm.
[38] Ibid.
[39] “Table 18. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by occupation, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2022 annual averages.” (November 2023). Labor Force Characteristics by Race and Ethnicity, 2022. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/opub/reports/race-and-ethnicity/2022/home.htm.
[40] Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplement. U.S. Census Bureau. March 2023. Retrieved from https://data.census.gov/mdat.
[41] Ibid.