The Most And Least Common Jobs In The U.S.

Have you held one of the most or least common jobs in the U.S.? If you're a waiter, a clerk, or a radio operator, the answer is yes.

Under the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the Occupational Employment Statistics program gathers employment and wage estimates by geography and across all industrial sectors for more than 800 occupations.

The data here reflects employment level and salary information for full and part-time workers in non-farm occupations, as of May 2013. It excludes self-employed and household workers, as well as unpaid family workers.

The 10 largest occupations in the U.S. account for more than 20% of overall employment, and the vast majority of these jobs are low-paying.

As evidence of this trend, the most common occupation in the U.S. is retail salesperson. As of May 2013, 4,485,180 people held this job, earning mean hourly wages of $12.20. In the same vein, the second most common job was cashier. According to the BLS, 3,343,470 held this job in May 2013, bringing in mean annual wages of $9.82--even lower than those earned by retail salespeople.

The third most common job is combined food preparation and serving worker, including those who work in the fast food industry. In 2013, 3,022,880 held this job, earning mean hourly wages of $9.08. Those jobs associated with food preparation and serving are among the lowest paid in the country.

In pictures: The 10 Most Common Jobs In The U.S.

One anomaly? Registered nurse is the fifth most common job in the U.S.; as of May 2013, 2,661,890 people held this job, earning robust mean hourly wages of $33.13, or a mean annual salary of $68,910. It's is the only occupation on the list of the 10 most common for which compensation surpasses the U.S. all-occupation mean of $22.33 per hour, or $46,440 annually. 

Secretaries and administrative assistants, with the exception of legal, medical, and executive assistants, hold the ninth most common job in the U.S. In fact, jobs associated with office and administrative support account for 16% of all employment in the country.

Janitors and cleaners (excluding maids and housekeepers) round out the top 10 most common jobs. The 2,101,810 who held this job in 2013 earned mean hourly wages of $12.09, ringing in at just over $25,000 annually.

At the other end of the spectrum, prosthodontist is the least common job in the U.S. As of 2013 there were just 290 of these professionals, who, according to the BLS, "construct oral prostheses to replace missing teeth and other oral structures to correct natural and acquired deformation of mouth and jaws, to restore and maintain oral function, such as chewing and speaking, and to improve appearance."

What does a job held by less than 300 people pay? An annual mean salary of $128,310, or an hourly wage of $61.69.

In pictures: The 10 Least Common Jobs In The U.S.

Not all of the rarest occupations bring in such healthy wages. The second least common job, fisher (including related fishing workers), is held by 480 people and pays just $17.71 an hour, or an annual wage of $36,840. Fishing-related occupations are among the lowest paid in the country.

While most people have heard of personal chefs, few employ one, or dine on their work products. As of 2013, less than 600 people in the U.S. were employed in this line of work. Alternatively, few are familiar with the occupation of fabric mender, but 800 of these workers brought in mean hourly wages of $13.42 in 2013.

A three-way tie among a disparate group of occupations rounds out the 10 least common jobs in the U.S.: animal breeders, those in mathematical science occupations, and makers of wooden models all claimed 1,240 workers in 2013, with mathematicians tallying the highest wages of $33.18 hourly or $69,000 annually.

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