Pick a job. See what to study.
Every U.S. occupation, matched to the degree programs that actually feed it and the schools that graduate the most people into it. Wages and outlook from BLS, graduates from IPEDS, ready to cite in your reports.
57 occupations
Showing 25–48 · sorted by employment
Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers
Typically needs: High school diploma or equivalent
Engine and Other Machine Assemblers
Typically needs: High school diploma or equivalent
Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Typically needs: High school diploma or equivalent
Semiconductor Processing Technicians
Typically needs: High school diploma or equivalent
Power Plant Operators
Typically needs: High school diploma or equivalent
Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers
Typically needs: Postsecondary nondegree award
Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Typically needs: High school diploma or equivalent
Prepress Technicians and Workers
Typically needs: Postsecondary nondegree award
Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers
Typically needs: High school diploma or equivalent
Upholsterers
Typically needs: High school diploma or equivalent
Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians
Typically needs: High school diploma or equivalent
Gas Plant Operators
Typically needs: High school diploma or equivalent
Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Typically needs: High school diploma or equivalent
Chemical Plant and System Operators
Typically needs: High school diploma or equivalent
Metal Workers and Plastic Workers, All Other
Typically needs: High school diploma or equivalent
Furniture Finishers
Typically needs: High school diploma or equivalent
Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Typically needs: High school diploma or equivalent
Foundry Mold and Coremakers
Typically needs: High school diploma or equivalent
Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Typically needs: High school diploma or equivalent
Medical Appliance Technicians
Typically needs: High school diploma or equivalent
Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Typically needs: High school diploma or equivalent
Etchers and Engravers
Typically needs: High school diploma or equivalent
Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic
Typically needs: High school diploma or equivalent
Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners
Typically needs: High school diploma or equivalent
Jobs with the highest median pay
Jobs adding workers the fastest through 2034
Jobs hiring in the largest numbers each year
Jobs the most graduates are trained for
Graduates per year, divided across every occupation a major feeds, so the comparison across careers is fair.
Or jump straight to a group, an education level, or a state
By occupational group
Every occupation grouped by its SOC major group: healthcare, management, engineering, education, and more.
By education level
Which careers open up at each level of schooling, from no formal credential through a doctorate.
By state
See which occupations each U.S. state employs, what they pay there, and which in-state schools train for them.
Frequently asked questions
What does each occupation page show?+
Each occupation page lists the college programs that lead to that job, ranked by how many people graduate from them each year, the schools that graduate the most, what the job pays nationally and by state, and its ten-year job outlook. Figures come from IPEDS, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the College Scorecard, and O*NET.
How are programs ranked on an occupation page?+
By graduates per year, from IPEDS completions. No federal dataset publishes enrollment by program, so degrees awarded per year is the closest available measure of how many people a program actually puts into a career. It is not the same as students currently enrolled.
What is the difference between the wage figures and the graduate earnings figures?+
The wage figures are BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics: what people already working in the occupation earn. The graduate earnings column in the programs table is College Scorecard field-of-study data: what people who finished that specific program earn one year after graduating. They measure different populations and are labelled separately on every page.
How do you decide which majors lead to which jobs?+
From the official NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, the federal mapping between instructional programs and occupations. Every occupation page lists the full crosswalk, including the majors that reported no graduates, so you can see exactly what was counted.
Can I compare an occupation across states?+
Yes. Every one of the 648 occupations has a state-by-state view covering 51 states and the District of Columbia, with in-state pay, job counts, job concentration, and the schools in that state that train for it.
Is the occupation data free to access?+
Yes. Browsing occupations, wages, and the programs that lead to them on Clema is free and needs no account.
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · IPEDS Fall 2025–26 provisional · College Scorecard (June 2026 release) · Census PSEO 2019–21 cohorts. Rankings use IPEDS completions, i.e. degrees awarded per year. Wages are what people already working in the occupation earn. All sources & release dates →
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