Data story
Which jobs barely existed in 1950?
Jobs with no count from 1950 or earlier, beside how many people do them today.
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Cite this page
Future History. (2026, November 1). Which jobs barely existed in 1950? https://futurehistory.earth/trends/jobs-that-barely-existed-in-1950
Future History. "Which jobs barely existed in 1950?" Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025, and the year of the earliest cited count for each job. Last modified November 1, 2026. https://futurehistory.earth/trends/jobs-that-barely-existed-in-1950.
@misc{futurehistory_jobs_that_barely_existed_in_1950, author = {{Future History}}, title = {Which jobs barely existed in 1950?}, year = {2026}, month = nov, howpublished = {\url{https://futurehistory.earth/trends/jobs-that-barely-existed-in-1950}}, note = {Last updated 2026-11-01. Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025, and the year of the earliest cited count for each job}, }
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Of the jobs we track, 47 have no count from 1950 or earlier and no record as a distinct job before 1941. The largest today is medical assistants: BLS counted 817,870 in May 2025 (BLS OEWS).
Data as of: BLS OEWS May 2025, and the year of the earliest cited count for each job.
Jobs with no count from 1950 or earlier, largest today first
Medical Assistants, Computer User Support Specialists, Computer and Information Systems Managers and 44 more below.
Solid where an official survey counted, hazy where a figure is researched, dotted where nobody counted. Past the last count, a river fans into its cited forecasts.
Jobs with no count from 1950 or earlier, largest today first
| Job | First count on the timeline | Jobs today (BLS OEWS) | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical Assistants | 1960an estimate | 817,870May 2025 | |
| Computer User Support Specialists | 1990an estimate | 717,190May 2025 | |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | 1980an estimate | 670,570May 2025 | |
| Computer Systems Analysts | 1970a cited count | 519,530May 2025 | |
| Pharmacy Technicians | 1990an estimate | 471,680May 2025 | |
| Paralegals and Legal Assistants | 1975an estimate | 392,880May 2025 | |
| Nurse Practitioners | 1975an estimate | 323,040May 2025 | |
| Network and Computer Systems Administrators | 1986an estimate | 314,340May 2025 | |
| Personal Financial Advisors | 2002a cited count | 266,800May 2025 | |
| Data Scientists | 2014an estimate | 262,440May 2025 | |
| Instructional Coordinators | 2000an estimate | 227,760May 2025 | |
| Information Security Analysts | 2000an estimate | 190,650May 2025 | |
| Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers | 1960an estimate | 186,740May 2025 | |
| Emergency Medical Technicians | 1975an estimate | 180,510May 2025 | |
| Computer Network Architects | 1995an estimate | 179,740May 2025 | |
| Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators | 1958an estimate | 169,450May 2025 | |
| Physician Assistants | 1974an estimate | 162,150May 2025 | |
| Computer Network Support Specialists | 1990an estimate | 146,190May 2025 | |
| Respiratory Therapists | 1960an estimate | 139,790May 2025 | |
| Surgical Technologists | 1970an estimate | 117,460May 2025 | |
| Web and Digital Interface Designers | 1996an estimate | 113,330May 2025 | |
| Paramedics | 2021a cited count | 100,610May 2025 | |
| Computer Programmers | 1957an estimate | 92,230May 2025 | |
| Diagnostic Medical Sonographers | 1975an estimate | 90,160May 2025 | |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | 1999a cited count | 76,660May 2025 | |
| Web Developers | 1995an estimate | 70,190May 2025 | |
| Database Administrators | 1980an estimate | 69,990May 2025 | |
| Database Architects | 1980an estimate | 67,140May 2025 | |
| Medical Equipment Repairers | 1972an estimate | 65,990May 2025 | |
| Financial Risk Specialists | 1997an estimate | 63,850May 2025 | |
| Telemarketers | 1970an estimate | 58,430May 2025 | |
| Hazardous Materials Removal Workers | 1983an estimate | 51,710May 2025 | |
| Occupational Therapy Assistants | 1965an estimate | 51,290May 2025 | |
| Transportation Security Screeners | 2001an estimate | 50,290May 2025 | |
| Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists | 1985an estimate | 43,390May 2025 | |
| Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians | 1960a cited count | 36,190May 2025 | |
| Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary | 1975an estimate | 35,480May 2025 | |
| Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health | 1980an estimate | 34,670May 2025 | |
| Emergency Medicine Physicians | 1999an estimate | 32,880May 2025 | |
| Credit Counselors | 1960an estimate | 27,770May 2025 | |
| Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers | 1970an estimate | 23,480May 2025 | |
| Nuclear Medicine Technologists | 2003a cited count | 17,080May 2025 | |
| Nuclear Engineers | 1954an estimate | 15,280May 2025 | |
| Emergency Management Directors | 1952an estimate | 13,500May 2025 | |
| Environmental Science Teachers, Postsecondary | 1975an estimate | 6,690May 2025 | |
| Genetic Counselors | 1975an estimate | 3,740May 2025 | |
| Medical Dosimetrists | 1975an estimate | 3,410May 2025 |
How this list was made
- A job is listed when its timeline has no employment count from 1950 or earlier and records no distinct occupation before 1941. Rows are ordered by the latest count, largest first; the order is by size only.
- The first column gives the year of the first count on the timeline and whether it is an estimate. Many are estimates from a trade body, a professional association or a historian.
What these numbers cannot tell you
- Only the year of the first count is shown here, not the count. Early counts measure many different things (training programs, ambulance units, the charter members of a society, a category that combined several jobs), so they are not set beside today's BLS count. Each timeline shows its first count with a note on what it covers.
- No count from 1950 or earlier does not mean nobody did the work: some of these jobs grew out of older ones under other names.
Sources
- BLS OEWS national estimates, May 2025
- Each row also names the exact sources for its own figures.