BLS and My Neighbor’s Laws

Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan told of overhearing his housekeeper on the phone, “Sure, he’s a doctor, but not the kind that does a body any good.”  There are more doctors that can do “a body any good” than Ph.D. sociologists like Moynihan. There is a practicing physician (whether DO or MD) for somewhere on the close order of every 530 US residents.  On the other hand, when I worked it out, there was somewhere on the order of one practicing Ph.D. sociologist for every 30,000 people.  Run my specialty – demography – out, and it is indeed humbling how irrelevant my work has been to most of society. 

Occupational Outlook shows a total of 45,500 logging jobs in the US – basically one logger for every 7,250 US residents.  Still, BLS showed only 40 employed loggers in May of 2020 in west Montana.  Somehow, I get the feeling that gypo loggers aren’t reported all that accurately.

As I recall, there’s one plumber for every 1,200 US residents, roughly.  Anyone who has needed a plumber knows that there is a profession that does a body some good.   About one percent of the population is teaching at either elementary, middle or high schools. A bit over 13% of Americans 25 and over hold graduate degrees.  Less than 10% didn’t complete a high school diploma.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics provides this information on “The largest occupations in West Montana non-metropolitan area, May 2020” – basically how our neighbors are employed.