Bureau of Labor Statistics > Occupational Requirements Survey > Publications > Factsheets

Strength levels

The Occupational Requirements Survey (ORS) publishes job-related information on physical demands; environmental conditions; education, training, and experience; as well as cognitive and mental requirements. The job requirements reflect those necessary for workers to perform critical tasks in support of the critical job functions, and not the capabilities of individual workers.

The ORS publishes five strength levels (sedentary, light, medium, heavy, and very heavy), which are part of the published physical demands, and are calculated from the weight and duration associated with lifting, carrying, and in some cases, standing.[1]

Chart A. Percentage of civilian workers by strength level, 2022

Duration levels are used to calculate the amount of time spent lifting or carrying. There are four duration levels in relation to a job’s workday schedule: seldom (up to 2 percent), occasional (2 percent to 1/3), frequent (1/3 to 2/3), and constant (2/3 or more).

For example, if workers deliver items weighing between 26-50 pounds occasionally, then the job would be classified as a medium strength level. However, if they delivered slightly heavier items (51-100 pounds) or the duration of carrying or lifting 26-50 pounds increased to being performed frequently, then the job would be classified as a heavy strength level. “Negligible weight” includes anything lifted or carried weighing less than one pound. (See Table 1.)

Table 1. Determining strength level based on lifting or carrying duration or percentage of the workday spent standing
Strength level	Duration of lifting or carrying				Percent of workday standing^[1]
Strength level	Seldom	Occasionally	Frequently	Constantly	Percent of workday standing^[1]
Sedentary work	Up to 10 pounds	Up to 10 pounds	Negligible weight^[2]	No weight	Less than or equal to 1/3^[3]
Light work	11–25 pounds	11–25 pounds	1–10 pounds	Negligible weight^[2]
Medium work	26–50 pounds	26–50 pounds	11–25 pounds	1–10 pounds
Heavy work	51–100 pounds	51–100 pounds	26–50 pounds	11–25 pounds
Very heavy work	>100 pounds	>100 pounds	>50 pounds	>25 pounds
^[1] Standing estimates includes time spent standing, walking, and in low postures. ^[2] Negligible weight includes anything lifted or carried weighing less than 1 pound. ^[3] When the sedentary lifting or carrying requirements are met, and more than 1/3 of the workday is spent standing, light work is required. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey.

Sedentary strength level

Strength is considered sedentary when none of the light strength requirements are met and standing is required less than or equal to 1/3 of the work schedule or workday.

For civilian workers, 29.1 percent of workers were required to work at a sedentary strength level. Occupations with critical tasks where workers typically spend the day sitting and occasionally lift items of little weight, like a pen or a few pieces of paper, require sedentary strength. (See Table 2.)

Table 2. Percentage of civilian workers with a sedentary strength level by occupation, 2022
Occupation	Estimate	Standard error
Statistical assistants	100.0	^[1]
Personal financial advisors	100.0	^[1]
Architectural and civil drafters	99.6	^[2]
Software developers	98.9	0.5
Financial and investment analysts	98.1	0.6
Management analysts	97.8	0.9
Bill and account collectors	97.4	1.4
Editors	97.1	1.5
Computer programmers	96.8	1.2
Public safety telecommunicators	96.8	0.9
Insurance sales agents	96.7	1.8
Proofreaders and copy markers	96.5	3.4
Clinical and counseling psychologists	96.4	3.0
Budget analysts	95.5	3.5
Billing and posting clerks	95.3	1.7
^[1] The standard error is not available for this estimate. ^[2] Standard error is less than 0.5. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey

Light strength level

If the work level of an occupation does not meet the conditions for the other strength levels, including sedentary, a light strength level is required. For civilian workers, 32.8 percent of workers were required to work at a light strength level. Examples of occupations with light strength level requirements include:

Hosts and hostesses may do activities such as carrying menus and raising and lowering pagers for customers in a queue for 2/3 or more of the workday.
Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks might spend more than 1/3 of their workday standing.

Table 3. Percentage of civilian workers with a light strength level by occupation, 2022
Occupation	Estimate	Standard error
Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists	98.1	1.9
Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop	90.1	3.7
Gambling managers	89.9	8.2
Physics teachers, postsecondary	84.6	4.8
First-line supervisors of gambling services workers	81.0	17.3
Teachers and instructors, all other	80.8	8.2
Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks	80.5	6.8
Environmental science teachers, postsecondary	77.3	15.1
Waiters and waitresses	76.6	2.4
Gambling cage workers	75.1	10.0
Recreation workers	75.1	13.4
Dental assistants	74.9	5.8
Phlebotomists	74.1	11.9
Health education specialists	73.9	14.0
Protective service workers, all other	73.1	5.4
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey

Medium strength level

For civilian workers, 28.4 percent of workers were required to work at a medium strength level. Examples of occupations with medium strength level requirements include:

Animal caretakers may lift 30 pound bags of grain to feed horses at the racetrack for up to 2 percent of the workday.
Chefs and head cooks may carry a 2 pound tray of cooking supplies to prepare dinner meals for 2/3 or more of the workday.

Table 4. Percentage of civilian workers with a medium strength level by occupation, 2022
Occupation	Estimate	Standard error
Animal caretakers	87.5	5.6
Forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	86.8	9.3
Tool and die makers	85.8	3.9
Production workers, all other	84.9	9.0
Textile cutting machine setters, operators, and tenders	81.8	7.9
Mixing and blending machine setters, operators, and tenders	78.9	8.6
Helpers–production workers	77.5	5.5
Multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	77.4	7.2
Tapers	73.8	13.4
Crane and tower operators	72.5	9.9
Chefs and head cooks	68.9	6.0
Veterinary technologists and technicians	68.4	9.8
Cooks, fast food	67.8	6.3
Machine feeders and offbearers	66.6	13.3
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers	66.0	6.0
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey

Heavy strength level

For civilian workers, 8.7 percent of workers were required to work at a heavy strength level. Examples of occupations with heavy strength level requirements include:

Construction laborers at a building site may wear a 30 pound tool belt from 1/3 to 2/3 of the workday.
Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists might occasionally lift truck parts weighing over 50 pounds.

Table 5. Percentage of civilian workers with a heavy strength level by occupation, 2022
Occupation	Estimate	Standard error
Light truck drivers	68.0	4.9
Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers	53.1	8.3
Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists	45.3	5.1
Electrical power-line installers and repairers	44.6	10.1
Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door	44.5	13.2
Highway maintenance workers	37.3	6.4
Construction laborers	36.6	5.8
Installation, maintenance, and repair workers, all other	35.2	10.9
Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines	34.1	8.8
First-line supervisors of material-moving machine and vehicle operators	31.1	9.2
Coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders	29.2	10.4
Carpenters	28.6	4.9
Veterinary technologists and technicians	27.0	11.4
Metal-refining furnace operators and tenders	26.3	8.1
Lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers	26.1	9.0
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey

Very heavy strength level

For civilian workers, 1.0 percent required a very heavy strength level, which indicates requirements beyond the conditions set for heavy work. Examples of occupational groups with heavy strength level requirements include:

Laborers in construction and extraction occupations may lift items that weigh 50 pounds or more, like bags of cement or sheets of plywood, for more than 1/3 of the workday.
Workers in healthcare support occupations may lift patients to and from their beds for 10 minutes during an 8-hour shift.

Table 6. Percentage of civilian workers with a very heavy strength level by occupational group, 2022
Occupation	Estimate	Standard error
Transportation and material moving occupations	1.8	^[1]
Construction and extraction occupations	1.7	^[1]
Healthcare support occupations	1.6	0.5
Personal care and service occupations	1.1	0.5
Community and social service occupations	0.6	^[1]
Management occupations	^[1]	^[1]
Production occupations	^[1]	^[1]
^[1] Estimate is less than 0.5 percent. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey

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For additional information on occupational requirements see the ORS homepage or download the ORS complete dataset to explore the latest estimates.

[1] See the sitting and standing factsheet for more information on these requirements.