The graph illustrates changes in employment in four sectors of the US economy from 1960 to 2020. Overall, manufacturing had the highest number of jobs for most of the period, but it declined after 1980. In contrast, retail and healthcare increased significantly, while agriculture remained the smallest sector and generally decreased.
In 1960, manufacturing provided about 15 millions jobs, making it the largest employer. This figure increased to 20 million and was the highest point in 1980. From 1980 to 2020, the number of manufacturing workers fell to around 13 million. Retail started at approximately 6 million jobs in 1960. Then, it rose steadily over the period and reached around 16,5 million jobs, becoming the largest sector in 2020.
Healthcare showed the fastest growth during the period. It began with only 2 million jobs in 1960, increased to about 5 million in 1980, and then climbed sharply to 12 million in 2000. By 2020, employment in healthcare had reached nearly 18 million. Agriculture followed the opposite trend. It fell from about 6 million jobs in 1960 to around 3.5 million in 1980. After a small rise to 4 million in 2000, it declined again to roughly 3 million by the end of the period.
