Census data and pure unadulterated baloney.

A really popular story on NPR reports that, for the years 1978, 1996 and 2014 the following have been the most common jobs in my state, Wyoming.

1978:  Farm workers

1996:  Farmers

2014:  Truck, delivery and tractor drivers.

Baloney.

Farm workers and farmers have not constituted the most common job here at any time in our state's history.  Granted, agriculture dominated the state's economy early on, but ever since the petroleum industry came in, that industry has, and there's absolutely no way whatsoever that farm workers or farmers constituted the most common job in the state in 1978 and 1996.  I well recall 1978 and 1996 and getting to be a livestock farmer (ie. a rancher) was very difficult to get into in either of those years if you were not born into it, and livestock farmers constitute the majority of our agricultural sector.

This shows, I suspect, the baloney nature of some statistics.  Its simply incorrect.  And I imagine its also incorrect for the several other states that are listed in this fashion.

At best, it might mean that more individuals identified with those jobs than any other one identified, signally, even if few occupied it compared to all other jobs combined, but I still doubt that.

I might believe driving some sort of truck, however, was the single most common job here in 2014, given the dependance on the oilfield on trucks.