By Mike LaFirenza
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The average American spends about 90% of their time indoors and sits for a significant portion of the day. Researchers attribute a wide range of health problems to predominantly indoor (and often sedentary) lifestyles. For one, prolonged sitting is associated with obesity, increased blood pressure, and abnormal cholesterol levels. Furthermore, indoor air quality tends to be worse than outdoor air quality. According to the EPA, the concentration of some pollutants can be two to five times higher indoors than in outdoor settings.
While working outdoors can help avoid these risks, the most common outdoor jobs are not without their own downsides, such as lower wages, physically demanding work, and higher risks of work-related injuries. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), just under 4% of Americans are employed in outdoor jobs—the most common of which include a variety of construction, maintenance, and delivery occupations.
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Outdoor work is more prevalent in some areas than others, depending on climate and local industry makeup. Outdoor jobs tend to be least common in the Northeast and parts of the Midwest, while they are more common in the Great Plains states. At the state level, Wyoming has the largest share of outdoor workers in the country, at 9.1%. With 7.5% of its workforce employed in outdoor jobs, North Dakota also has a much higher share of outdoor workers than average. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Delaware (2.7%), Massachusetts (2.8%), Connecticut (3.0%), and Illinois (3.0%) have the fewest workers in predominantly outdoor occupations.
To determine the U.S. states with the most outdoor jobs, researchers at Construction Coverage analyzed the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET. The researchers ranked states according to the percentage of workers in outdoor jobs, defined as the share of workers in jobs with O*NET outdoor exposure scores of 90 and above. In the event of a tie, the state with the higher total number of workers in outdoor jobs was ranked higher. Researchers also calculated the most common outdoor job, the average wage for outdoor jobs, and the average wage across all workers.
The analysis found that in California, 3.2% of all workers have outdoor jobs, earning an average of $52,883 per year, compared to $65,740 across all occupations. Out of all states, California has the 10th lowest percentage of workers in outdoor jobs. Here is a summary of the data for California:
- Percentage of workers in outdoor jobs: 3.2%
- Total workers in outdoors jobs: 524,410
- Most common outdoor job: Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers
- Average wage for outdoor jobs: $52,883
- Average wage across all workers: $65,740
For reference, here are the statistics for the entire United States:
- Percentage of workers in outdoor jobs: 3.7%
- Total workers in outdoors jobs: 5,200,080
- Most common outdoor job: Construction Laborers
- Average wage for outdoor jobs: $45,565
- Average wage across all workers: $56,310
For more information, a detailed methodology, and complete results, you can find the original report on Construction Coverage’s website: https://constructioncoverage.com/research/cities-with-the-most-outdoor-workers-2022
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