Standard Occupational Classification (SOC)
Includes Alaska specific codes
The drop-down menu of major occupation groupings below provides detailed descriptions of the Standard Occupation Classification (SOC) codes as well as examples of occupations usually given the code.
SOC is a national government system that allows agencies to collect and analyze occupational data. It allows agencies to produce various reports such as the Nonresidents report and help determine whether education programs may lead to certain occupations.
The SOC code is the six-digit code that best describes the activities of the employee. In some cases, the six-digit code has been expanded to identify occupations important to the state. For instance, seafood processing workers are coded as 51-3022.05.
The code is based on the work actually performed--not the code for jobs for which employees might be trained. For example, an employee trained as a Computer Scientist, but working primarily as a Manager, should be coded as a Manager.
An occupation that combines two different activities is reported with the code for the activity that requires the highest skill or educational level. If these levels are the same, then the code for the occupation in which the employee spends the most time is used. Employees who changed jobs during a quarter are reported in their last occupation.
Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers
SOC Description
Directly supervise and coordinate the activities of agricultural, forestry, aquacultural, and related workers. Excludes ??First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers? (37-1012).
SOC Example
Faller Supervisor, Choker Setter Supervisor
SOC Description
Directly supervise and coordinate the activities of logging workers, such as fallers, choker setters, chasers, rigging slingers and yarder engineers. May use hand or handheld power tools. Include Hook Tenders.
SOC Example
Faller Supervisor, Choker Setter Supervisor
Agricultural Workers
SOC Description
Inspect agricultural commodities, processing equipment, and facilities, and fish and logging operations, to ensure compliance with regulations and laws governing health, quality, and safety.
SOC Example
Cattle Examiner, Grain Sampler, Milk Tester
SOC Description
Select and breed animals according to their genealogy, characteristics, and offspring. May require knowledge of artificial insemination techniques and equipment use. May involve keeping records on heats, birth intervals, or pedigree. Excludes ??Animal Scientists? (19-1011) whose primary function is research and ??Animal Caretakers? (39-2021) who may occasionally breed animals as part of their other caretaking duties.
SOC Example
Dairy Husbandry Worker, Horse Breeder
SOC Description
Grade, sort, or classify unprocessed food and other agricultural products by size, weight, color, or condition. Excludes ??Agricultural Inspectors? (45-2011).
SOC Example
Cotton Grader, Egg Grader, Fruit Sorter, Meat Grader
SOC Description
Drive and control equipment to support agricultural activities such as tilling soil; planting, cultivating, and harvesting crops; feeding and herding livestock; or removing animal waste. May perform tasks such as crop baling or hay bucking. May operate stationary equipment to perform post-harvest tasks such as husking, shelling, threshing, and ginning.
SOC Example
Combine Operator, Hay Baler, Tractor Operator
SOC Description
Manually plant, cultivate, and harvest vegetables, fruits, nuts, horticultural specialties, and field crops. Use hand tools, such as shovels, trowels, hoes, tampers, pruning hooks, shears, and knives. Duties may include tilling soil and applying fertilizers; transplanting, weeding, thinning, or pruning crops; applying pesticides; or cleaning, grading, sorting, packing, and loading harvested products. May construct trellises, repair fences and farm buildings, or participate in irrigation activities. Excludes ??Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation? (37-3012), ??Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products? (45-2041), and ??Forest, Conservation, and Logging Workers? (45-4011 through 45-4029).
SOC Example
Greenhouse Transplanter, Pecan Gatherer, Pepper Picker
SOC Description
Attend to live farm, ranch, open range or aquacultural animals that may include cattle, sheep, swine, goats, horses and other equines, poultry, rabbits, finfish, shellfish, and bees. Attend to animals produced for animal products, such as meat, fur, skins, feathers, eggs, milk, and honey. Duties may include feeding, watering, herding, grazing, milking, castrating, branding, de-beaking, weighing, catching, and loading animals. May maintain records on animals; examine animals to detect diseases and injuries; assist in birth deliveries; and administer medications, vaccinations, or insecticides as appropriate. May clean and maintain animal housing areas. Includes workers who shear wool from sheep and collect eggs in hatcheries.
SOC Example
Cattle Brander, Sheep Shearer, Shrimp Pond Laborer
SOC Description
All agricultural workers not listed separately.
SOC Example
Crop Scout, Irrigation Worker
Fishing and Hunting Workers
SOC Description
Hunt, trap, catch, or gather wild animals or aquatic animals and plants. May use nets, traps, or other equipment. May haul catch onto ship or other vessel. Aquacultural laborers who work on fish farms are included in ??Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals? (45-2093).
SOC Example
Seaweed Harvester, Wild Oyster Harvester
Forest, Conservation, and Logging Workers
SOC Description
Under supervision, perform manual labor necessary to develop, maintain, or protect areas such as forests, forested areas, woodlands, wetlands, and rangelands through such activities as raising and transporting seedlings; combating insects, pests, and diseases harmful to plant life; and building structures to control water, erosion, and leaching of soil. Includes forester aides, seedling pullers, tree planters, and gatherers of nontimber forestry products such as pine straw.
SOC Example
Forestry Laborer, Rangelands Conservation Laborer, Reforestation Worker, Wetlands Conservation Laborer
SOC Description
Use axes or chainsaws to fell trees using knowledge of tree characteristics and cutting techniques to control direction of fall and minimize tree damage.
SOC Example
Timber faller
SOC Description
Fasten or release choker cable around logs. Trim limbs from fallen trees using axes and chainsaws. Include ??Rigging Slingers?.
SOC Example
Timber faller
SOC Description
Drive logging tractor or wheeled vehicle equipped with one or more accessories, such as bulldozer blade, frontal shear, grapple, logging arch, cable winches, hoisting rack, or crane boom, to fell tree; to skid, load, unload, or stack logs; or to pull stumps or clear brush. Includes operating stand-alone logging machines, such as log chippers. Logging truck drivers are included in ??Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers? (53-3032).
SOC Example
Grapple Skidder Operator, Log Hauler, Logging Tractor Operator, Lumber Stacker Operator
SOC Description
Grade logs or estimate the marketable content or value of logs or pulpwood in sorting yards, millpond, log deck, or similar locations. Inspect logs for defects or measure logs to determine volume. Excludes ??Buyers and Purchasing Agents, Farm Products? (13-1021).
SOC Example
Log Check Scalers, Timber Estimator, Veneer Grader
SOC Description
All logging workers not listed separately.
SOC Example
Log Roper, Rigging Slinger, Timber Hand