Standard Occupational Classification

• The 2010 Standard Occupational Classification System - Contains links to major groups, the complete hierarchical structure, broad occupational definitions, and detailed occupational definitions
• Search 2010 SOC Definitions:
• Alphabetical Index to the 2010 Standard Occupational Classification System:

0–9   A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O   P   Q   R   S   T   U   V   W   X   Y   Z  

• The 2010 SOC User Guide (entire guide, PDF):
• What’s New in the 2010 SOC (PDF)
• Classification Principles and Coding Guidelines, 2010 SOC (PDF)
• Standard Occupational Classification and Coding Structure, 2010 SOC (PDF)
• FAQs and Acknowledgements, 2010 SOC (PDF)
• 2010 SOC Structure (PDF) (XLS)
• 2010 SOC Definitions (PDF) (XLS)
• Type of change by detailed occupation, 2010 SOC (XLS)
• Alphabetical Index to the 2010 SOC (HTML) (XLS)
• UPDATED Direct Match Title File, 2010 SOC (XLS, PDF, 254 pages)
• UPDATED Sorted by Direct Match title (PDF, 254 pages)
• NEW Chronological list of changes to the Direct Match Title File (PDF)
• Updating the Direct Match Title File
• Spanish Translation of the 2010 SOC, “Manual de Clasificación Ocupacional Uniforme” (PDF, 443 pages)

• NEW Crosswalks between the 2010 SOC and systems used by other Federal and international statistical agencies
• NEW Options for defining STEM occupations under the 2010 SOC
  • Attachment A: SOC Policy Committee recommendation to OMB (PDF)
  • Attachment B: STEM definition options (PDF)
  • Attachment C: Detailed 2010 SOC occupations included in STEM (PDF) (XLS)

• “Revising the Standard Occupational Classification system for 2010” by Theresa Cosca and Alissa Emmel, Monthly Labor Review, August 2010, pp. 32-41
• “The 2010 SOC: A classification system gets an update” by Alissa Emmel and Theresa Cosca, Occupational Outlook Quarterly, Summer 2010, Vol. 54, Number 2, pp. 13-19
• Order your copy of the 2010 manual
• Errata sheet for the first printing of the 2010 SOC Manual
• 2010 SOC Implementation Schedule

On January 21, 2009, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published a Federal Register notice detailing the final decisions for the 2010 SOC. Please refer to the PDF version available below for more detailed information.

• Federal Register Notice, January 21, 2009 (PDF)
• Federal Register Notice, May 22, 2008 (PDF)
• Federal Register Notice, May 16, 2006 (PDF)

As noted in the Federal Register notice of January 21, 2009, the SOCPC responses to the comments received are provided below.

• SOCPC Responses to Comments Received

Plans for the next SOC Revision

The next major review and revision of the SOC is expected to begin in 2013 in preparation for the 2018 SOC. The intent of this revision schedule is to minimize disruption to data providers, producers, and users by promoting simultaneous adoption of revised occupational and industry classification systems for those data series that use both. Given the multiple interdependent programs that rely on the SOC, this is best accomplished by timing revisions of the SOC for the years following North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) revisions, which occur for years ending in 2 and 7. The next such year is 2018, which has the additional benefit of coinciding with the beginning year of the American Community Survey 5-year set of surveys that bracket the 2020 Decennial Census. Thus, OMB intends to consider revisions of the SOC for 2018 and every 10 years thereafter.

Tentative schedule for revising the 2010 SOC for 2018

Federal Register Notice soliciting proposals SOCPC review of proposals Federal Register Notice with SOCPC recommendations to OMB

Late 2013 Ongoing through 2014 Late 2014 or Early 2015

 

Updating the Direct Match Title File

Overview. The Direct Match Title File (DMTF) lists associated job titles for detailed SOC occupations. Each of these titles is a direct match to a single SOC occupation. All workers with a job title listed in the DMTF are classified in only one detailed SOC occupation code. For example, because a "criminal law professor" would only be classified under 25-1112 Law Teachers, Postsecondary, the SOCPC would consider it a direct match. However, because a title such as "painter" could be classified in more than one occupation, including 27-1013 Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators 47-2141 Painters, Construction and Maintenance, or 51-9122 Painters, Transportation Equipment, the title "painter" is not a direct match.

Requests for additions to the DMTF. Although the SOC revision for 2010 is complete, the SOCPC will continue to serve as a standing committee and periodically consult with OMB, particularly to consider new and emerging occupations and additional titles for the DMTF. Interested parties should submit their request and materials in support of their recommendation to the SOCPC. Supporting materials should include the specific job title in question and the specific SOC code and title believed to be a direct match. The SOC is a task-based classification that does not differentiate occupations based on education or certification, but rather on the work performed. Therefore, the SOCPC will require information regarding the work of individuals with that particular job title. Once all of the materials have been received, the SOCPC will consider the activities involved in the specific job, and whether these activities are unique to that job.

All submissions must coincide with the SOC Classification Principles.  The SOCPC encourages individuals and organizations to recommend additions to the DMTF by sending an email with the supporting material described above to soc@bls.gov. Requests will be accumulated throughout the year and presented to the entire SOCPC for approval on a quarterly basis.

Note: The documents below refer to the 2000 SOC

• The 2000 Standard Occupational Classification System - Contains archived links to major groups, the complete hierarchical structure, broad occupational definitions, and detailed occupational definitions for the 2000 SOC
• 2000 SOC User Guide
• 2000 SOC Structure (PDF)
• Revising the Standard Occupational Classification System (PDF) - Report 929, June 1999
• Federal Register Notice, September 30, 1999 (HTML)
• Federal Register Notice, August 5, 1998 (HTML)
• Federal Register Notice, July 7, 1997 (HTML)
• Federal Register Notice, October 5, 1995 (HTML)
• Federal Register Notice, February 28, 1995 (PDF)

• Selected crosswalks are available from the National Crosswalk Service Center (NCSC), a federally-funded national clearinghouse for classification information about occupations, training programs and industries.  The NCSC has been operated by the State of Iowa since 1983 under a series of grants from federal agencies.  Funding for the Center has been provided by the Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor since 1996. The NCSC provides specialized tools (files, reports, software) and technical assistance to users and producers of occupational information.

Contacts

For additional information concerning the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system , contact us at:

• Email: Contact us
• Telephone number: 202-691-6500
• Fax number: 202-691-6444
• Mail address: Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics, Suite 2135, 2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE, Washington DC 20212-0001