Jobs where you’re most likely to be single at 40

Ever felt like your job was holding you back from meeting that special someone? You may be right.

To determine jobs where you’re most likely to be single at 40, Stacker analyzed data from the 2021 American Community Survey, powered by the Census Bureau. The percentage of never-married respondents was calculated by dividing the number of respondents who had never been married by the total respondents for a given occupation; this metric ranks the list.

Similarly, the percentage of single respondents was calculated by dividing the sum of the respondents who reported they were never married, widowed, divorced, or separated into the total respondents for a given occupation. Inevitably, there is overlap between those who said they were never married and those who are considered “single.”

Perhaps not surprisingly, many of these occupations are in the service industry, likely because employees in the service industry work long hours, evenings, and weekends and may not have time outside of work to find a partner. However, some blue-collar jobs also made the list.

The reality is that more people than ever are choosing to remain single longer, regardless of occupation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the marriage rate fell from 8.2 marriages per 1,000 people in 2000 to 5.1 marriages per 1,000 people in 2020. People delay marriage for numerous, wide-ranging reasons, from feeling unprepared financially to not wanting to settle down.

Meanwhile, the number of unpartnered people continues to grow. The Pew Research Center found in 2019 that nearly 1 in 3 adults between 40-54 were unpartnered, compared to 1990 (almost 1 in 4).

Keep reading to discover the jobs where you’re most likely to be single at 40.

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#30. Cooks

– Percent never married: 56.96%
– Percent single: 70.45%

#29. Food servers, nonrestaurant

– Percent never married: 57.27%
– Percent single: 70.38%

#28. Bartenders

– Percent never married: 57.5%
– Percent single: 73.1%

#27. Tour And travel guides

– Percent never married: 58.19%
– Percent single: 66.59%

#26. Transportation service attendants

– Percent never married: 58.91%
– Percent single: 69.92%

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#25. Cleaners of vehicles and equipment

– Percent never married: 59.14%
– Percent single: 71.05%

#24. Parking attendants

– Percent never married: 59.37%
– Percent single: 70.06%

#23. Stockers and order fillers

– Percent never married: 60.3%
– Percent single: 71.93%

#22. Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers

– Percent never married: 60.84%
– Percent single: 67.19%

#21. Ushers, lobby attendants, and ticket takers

– Percent never married: 61.38%
– Percent single: 73.53%

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#20. Telemarketers

– Percent never married: 61.45%
– Percent single: 74.78%

#19. Helpers, construction trades

– Percent never married: 62.48%
– Percent single: 70.51%

#18. Food preparation workers

– Percent never married: 62.52%
– Percent single: 75.17%

#17. Military-enlisted tactical operations and air/weapons specialists and crew Members

– Percent never married: 62.8%
– Percent single: 67.08%

#16. Food preparation and serving-related workers, all other

– Percent never married: 63.76%
– Percent single: 70.03%

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#15. Cashiers

– Percent never married: 65.88%
– Percent single: 78.08%

#14. Recreation workers

– Percent never married: 66.2%
– Percent single: 75.92%

#13. Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers

– Percent never married: 66.83%
– Percent single: 77.07%

#12. Solar photovoltaic installers

– Percent never married: 67.%
– Percent single: 76.26%

#11. Tutors

– Percent never married: 67.04%
– Percent single: 72.93%

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#10. Unemployed, with no work experience in at the last 5 years or more

– Percent never married: 68.88%
– Percent single: 79.78%

Note: This refers to those unemployed with no work experience in the last five years or earlier or those who never worked

#9. Waiters And waitresses

– Percent never married: 69.95%
– Percent single: 79.64%

#8. Dancers And choreographers

– Percent never married: 70.63%
– Percent single: 78.34%

#7. Dishwashers

– Percent never married: 70.95%
– Percent single: 81.66%

#6. Other entertainment attendants and related workers

– Percent never married: 71.16%
– Percent single: 79.38%

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#5. Umpires, referees, and other sports officials

– Percent never married: 71.62%
– Percent single: 77.28%

#4. Residential advisors

– Percent never married: 80.53%
– Percent single: 87.76%

#3. Fast food and counter workers

– Percent never married: 82.68%
– Percent single: 87.63%

#2. Hosts And hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop

– Percent never married: 83.88%
– Percent single: 89.06%

Protective service workers

– Percent never married: 90.1%
– Percent single: 92.13%