America Counts: Stories Behind the Numbers

The share of U.S. jobs worked on-site dropped roughly 10 percentage points from 84% in 2019 to 74% in 2021, the first full year of the pandemic, according to the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP).

The share of jobs done exclusively from home (fully home-based jobs) roughly doubled from 11% of all jobs in 2019 to 23% in 2020, before declining to about 21% in 2021.

Jobs worked some days on-site and other days from home — referred to as mixed or hybrid work — represented the smallest share of all jobs worked each year, but increased from around 4% in 2020 to 6% in 2021.

The category of essential worker was created by the Department of Homeland Security to characterize workers employed in occupations considered vital to the continued operation of the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to DHS methodology, around 7 in 10 jobs overall were deemed essential in each survey year.

Continue reading to learn more about:

• Essential work more commonly performed on-site
• Work schedules
• Industry and occupation
• Related information

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About America Counts

America Counts features stories on various topics including: 

• Families, Housing, Employment, Business, Education, Economy 
• Emergency Management, Health, Population, Income and Poverty

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