The 20 Most Male-Dominated Jobs in America

Walk into an auto shop, watch a roofing crew, or pass a utility truck with its bucket raised, and you’ll recognize a pattern. Some jobs still have overwhelmingly male workforces.

In every occupation on this list, men account for at least 95.5% of workers in the federal government’s published 2025 estimates.

Here are the 20 highest shares among detailed occupations with available percentages, from familiar trades to specialized jobs most people rarely see up close.

1. Brickmasons, Blockmasons, and Stonemasons

Men: 100.0% in the published estimate, tied for first. BLS reports women’s share as 0.0% for this combined occupation, which had an estimated 121,000 workers. That is a rounded survey result, not a literal head count of every mason.

These are the people behind brick walls, block foundations, stone facings, and fireplace masonry. The materials change, but careful layout and alignment remain central to the work.

A straight-looking wall takes more than stacking one piece on another. Masons read plans, cut materials, mix mortar, and check their work with levels and plumbs. Much of that skill is learned through apprenticeships or work alongside experienced tradespeople.

2. Cement Masons, Concrete Finishers, and Terrazzo Workers

Men: 100.0% in the published estimate, tied for first. This category’s estimated workforce was 51,000, just above the BLS threshold for publishing percentages. The same rounding and survey cautions apply here.

Concrete finishers turn freshly placed concrete into a usable floor, sidewalk, or other surface. Timing and judgment matter because conditions affect how the material behaves as it sets.

Terrazzo work adds another dimension: decorative surfaces incorporating chips of marble or other material. BLS groups these related finishing skills within its masonry profile, although this ranking keeps their separate survey category intact.

3. Machinery Maintenance Workers

Men: 99.4%. With an estimated 67,000 workers, this is a relatively small occupation with an exceptionally high published male share.

The assignment is to keep machinery running through routine inspections, lubrication, adjustments, and minor repairs. Think of the maintenance that prevents a worn component from becoming a much bigger problem.

BLS distinguishes these workers from industrial machinery mechanics, who appear farther down this list. Maintenance workers generally handle basic service and smaller repairs, leaving major work to mechanics. Those separate categories explain why two similar-sounding jobs have different percentages.

4. Roofers

Men: 99.1%. Roofing had an estimated 259,000 workers in the survey, making it one of the larger trades near the very top of this ranking.

The job extends well beyond nailing down shingles. Roofers assess damage, remove old material, prepare the underlying surface, and fit roofing around vents and other interruptions.

Commercial low-slope roofs and steep residential roofs can require different systems, from membranes to shingles or metal. Whatever the material, the finished assembly has to keep weather outside. Work at height and exposure to the elements are everyday features of the occupation.

5. Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers

Men: 98.8%. The survey estimated 58,000 people in this occupation, which combines security-alarm and fire-alarm installation work.

An alarm system needs much more than a box on the wall. Installers connect control panels, sensors, contacts, and wiring, then program and test the components so they function together.

The Labor Department’s O*NET profile also lists troubleshooting broken connections, checking backup batteries, and explaining system operation to customers. The work combines installation skills with electronics and careful testing. A system that looks finished still has to prove it operates correctly.

6. Firefighting and Prevention Supervisors

Men: 98.7%. This figure applies to first-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers, an estimated 55,000 people. It is not the percentage for all firefighters.

Job titles can include fire captain, fire lieutenant, and battalion chief. These supervisors direct crews, assess conditions, and decide where people and equipment are needed.

Their responsibilities continue between calls: training personnel, checking readiness, organizing assignments, and keeping records. The distinction matters for this list: BLS reports firefighters separately, with a 94.9% male share, below the cutoff for these top 20 occupations.

7. Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics

Men: 98.2%, tied. An estimated 901,000 people worked in this occupation. For Drivetrain readers, this is probably the most familiar workplace on the list.

The work covers cars and light trucks, from routine maintenance to diagnosing failures in engines, transmissions, brakes, and electronic systems. A ratchet and a diagnostic tool can both belong on the same job.

BLS specifically notes the importance of sensors and computerized diagnostics. Finding the faulty component, verifying the repair, and explaining it to the customer are all part of being a technician. The occupational label covers considerably more than oil changes.

8. Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists

Men: 98.2%, tied. This occupation matched automotive service technicians on percentage, with a smaller estimated workforce of 369,000.

These mechanics keep buses, trucks, and diesel engines operating. Their work can involve brakes, steering, transmissions, electrical faults, and exhaust systems as well as the engine itself.

The BLS diesel-mechanic profile describes computerized diagnosis alongside familiar shop tools. The challenge is understanding the complete vehicle and tracing a symptom to its cause. BLS keeps this group separate from both light-vehicle mechanics and the heavy-equipment technicians who service construction and agricultural machinery.

9. Drywall Installers, Ceiling Tile Installers, and Tapers

Men: 98.1%. BLS estimated 122,000 workers in this combined interior-finishing occupation.

Drywall installers hang and fasten panels; tapers make the joints ready for finishing. Ceiling-tile installers handle another part of the room that most people stop noticing once construction is complete.

Good work is easy to overlook precisely because the finished surface looks continuous. Measuring, cutting, applying joint compound, and sanding all contribute to that result. BLS notes that many workers both install and tape wallboard, so these are related tasks rather than three completely separate workforces in the survey.

10. Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers

Men: 97.3%. The survey’s estimate for this occupation was 561,000 workers, spanning installation, maintenance, and repair.

The familiar service call for a failed air conditioner is only one slice of the work. This category also covers heating systems and commercial refrigeration equipment.

BLS describes specialties such as radiant heating, system balancing, and grocery-store refrigeration. Troubleshooting may involve electrical controls, mechanical components, or the refrigeration system. Some technicians focus on new installations; others spend their days finding why an existing system is no longer doing its job.

11. Carpenters

Men: 96.9%, tied. At an estimated 1,178,000 workers, carpentry is the largest occupation in this top 20.

The name covers a broad range of construction work. Carpenters frame buildings, install doors and trim, repair structures, and build forms used when pouring concrete.

Blueprint reading, measurement, layout, and checking completed work are as much a part of the occupation as cutting lumber. A framing crew and a carpenter fitting interior woodwork can have very different days, while still appearing together under the same occupational heading in the federal survey.

12. Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters

Men: 96.9%, tied. This group matched carpenters on male share, with an estimated workforce of 624,000.

Plumbing includes the water and drainage systems people see at home. Pipefitting and steamfitting can take workers into factories, power plants, and other industrial settings.

Pipefitters handle systems carrying chemicals, gases, and other substances; steamfitters specialize in high-pressure systems. Material selection, joining methods, and testing depend on the assignment. The household faucet is the familiar face of a much wider group of trades, all combined in this BLS percentage.

13. Industrial and Refractory Machinery Mechanics

Men: 96.7%. BLS estimated 329,000 workers in this category, separate from machinery maintenance workers and millwrights.

These mechanics diagnose and repair the machinery behind production. An unusual vibration can be a clue to a worn belt, a bearing problem, or another fault that requires investigation.

The BLS occupational profile gives examples including conveyor belts, hydraulic lifts, and robotic welding equipment. Mechanics may dismantle a machine, replace damaged parts, and test it after reassembly. For anyone who enjoys mechanical troubleshooting, the approach will sound familiar even when the machine is far larger than a car.

14. Electricians

Men: 96.5%. The survey estimated 1,063,000 electricians, the other occupation on this list with more than a million workers.

Electricians install and maintain the wiring, lighting, controls, and electrical equipment that make buildings usable. New construction and repairs in an existing building present different challenges.

Troubleshooting can involve meters, cable testers, and technical diagrams, followed by finding and repairing a problem in equipment that may be difficult to reach. This category is distinct from electrical power-line workers. One covers building systems; the other maintains the network delivering electricity to them.

15. Construction Trades and Extraction Supervisors

Men: 96.3%. The full BLS category is first-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers, with an estimated 788,000 employed.

These are the people coordinating crews and making sure work meets plans and specifications. A foreman’s job includes matching workers, equipment, and materials to the tasks that need doing.

O*NET lists inspecting work, reviewing blueprints, ordering materials, and training workers among their activities. The occupation spans construction and extraction, so this percentage should not be presented as a figure solely for building-site foremen or for all construction managers.

16. Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers

Men: 96.2%. BLS estimated 144,000 workers in this occupation, which deals with the electrical grid.

Bucket trucks and climbing equipment are the visible part of the job. Crews also inspect lines, identify failed equipment, and install or repair components such as transformers and switches.

Storm restoration can mean working outdoors in difficult conditions, and some crews travel long distances. The table separates electrical power-line workers from telecommunications line installers and repairers. Combining those two jobs would change the percentage and blur an important difference in what the workers actually do.

17. Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators

Men: 95.9%. This occupation accounted for an estimated 108,000 workers in the survey.

“Stationary” is the useful clue. These workers operate equipment that supplies buildings and industrial processes with heat, steam, cooling, or other utilities, rather than driving an engine down the road.

Boilers, pumps, compressors, turbines, and generators can all be part of the assignment. Operators monitor controls, make adjustments, inspect equipment, and record its performance. In facilities such as hospitals, that responsibility continues around the clock, which can mean rotating shifts, weekends, and holidays.

18. Automotive Body and Related Repairers

Men: 95.8%. The survey estimated 130,000 workers in this occupation, separate from automotive service mechanics.

Body repair combines structural work with the patience needed to get panels fitting correctly. Depending on the damage, a repair may involve removing parts, correcting alignment, or attaching replacement metal.

BLS describes restoring vehicle structure to manufacturer specifications as part of the work after a major collision. It also separates glass installers and repairers in the survey table. This percentage therefore belongs to body and related repairers, not every person working in a collision-repair business.

19. Heavy Vehicle and Mobile Equipment Mechanics

Men: 95.7%. The full category, heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians and mechanics, had an estimated 168,000 workers.

Their machines include tractors, bulldozers, cranes, and other equipment used in agriculture, construction, and related industries. Some repair work happens at the jobsite because the machine cannot conveniently come into a shop.

Hydraulics, transmissions, engines, and electrical systems all fall within the work. Computer diagnostics sit alongside the lifting equipment and hand tools. BLS also includes rail-car repair specialties within its broader occupational profile, illustrating how much ground this mechanical field covers.

20. Crane and Tower Operators

Men: 95.5%. With an estimated 59,000 workers, this occupation completes the top 20 among detailed categories with published percentages.

Operating a crane means placing heavy loads accurately while keeping the lift within the equipment’s limits. The controls are only one part of the responsibility.

O*NET lists checking ground stability, inspecting lifting equipment, and comparing load weight with lifting capacity among the tasks. The category covers crane and tower operators across work settings; it should not be confused with the broader construction-equipment operator group, which falls just outside this list at 95.4% male.

What this ranking tells us: These percentages describe who held the jobs in the survey period. They do not explain why the workforces differ, measure anyone’s ability, or establish that a job is becoming more or less male-dominated. That would require additional evidence and comparable data across years.

About the Numbers:

About the numbers: We ranked the detailed occupations in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2025 Current Population Survey Table 11, subtracting each published women’s percentage from 100. Broad occupational totals are excluded. BLS withholds percentages where employment is below 50,000, so those smaller occupations cannot be ranked here.

These are survey estimates for employed civilians age 16 and older, not a census of every workplace. The 2025 figures average 11 months because October data were not collected during the federal shutdown. Equal percentages are ties, listed alphabetically; small differences should not be treated as statistically proven gaps. A rounded 100.0% estimate does not mean a trade has no women.

Photo Credits

1. Brickmasons, Blockmasons, and Stonemasons: Bricklayer J1 by Jamain; CC BY-SA 3.0. Belgium, 2013.

2. Cement Masons, Concrete Finishers, and Terrazzo Workers: Concrete finisher NC13 by Gillfoto; CC BY-SA 4.0. Juneau, Alaska, 2005.

3. Machinery Maintenance Workers: Worker adjusts machinery in a workshop by Shixart1985; CC BY 2.0. Workshop adjustment, 2026.

4. Roofers: Source photograph by U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jonathan Whitely; Public domain. Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado, 2019.

5. Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers: Source photograph by U.S. Marine Corps (individual photographer not identified); Public domain. Cherry Point housing, January 2010; U.S. Marine Corps photo, individual photographer not identified.

6. Firefighting and Prevention Supervisors: Source photograph by U.S. Navy photo by Steelworker 3rd Class Jessica Pearson; Public domain. Fire chief Brad Truber instructing a trainee, Kuwait, 2007.

7. Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics: Source photograph by User Interiot on en.wikipedia; Public domain. Ojibwe Rally, Minnesota, 2003; also used as featured image.

8. Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists: Source photograph by Toshio Suzuki / Bureau of Land Management; Public domain. BLM fire-vehicle inspection, Oregon, 2015; photo by Toshio Suzuki.

9. Drywall Installers, Ceiling Tile Installers, and Tapers: Blue Grass Utility Building (5280165925) by PEO ACWA; CC BY 2.0. Blue Grass plant utility building, 2010.

10. Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers: Source photograph by U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Skylar Ellis; Public domain. Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, 2025; military training/work example.

11. Carpenters: Source photograph by Al Stephenson; Public domain. Helen, Georgia, June 1975; archival photo.

12. Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters: Plumber at work (retouched) by photo taken by flickr user rick; CC BY 2.0. Kitchen plumbing, 2006; Commons retouched version.

13. Industrial and Refractory Machinery Mechanics: Source photograph by Lewis Hine; Public domain. Power house mechanic working on steam pump, 1920; posed historical work portrait.

14. Electricians: Electrician Working by photo taken by flickr user editor B; CC BY 2.0. Home generator installation, 2005.

15. Construction Trades and Extraction Supervisors: Source photograph by Photograph by Haas and Wright; Public domain. Minnesota Capitol, April 4, 1904; source identifies the worker holding the trowel as likely supervisor Nils Nelson.

16. Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers: Country Energy line worker 02 by Bidgee; CC BY-SA 3.0. Country Energy, Australia, 2009.

17. Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators: The Boiler Room – geograph.org.uk – 2149223 by Ashley Dace ; CC BY-SA 2.0. Claymills Pumping Station, England, 2010; historical equipment.

18. Automotive Body and Related Repairers: A man who sanding with a grinder and prepares the paint for the car in a home service. – Flickr – shixart1985 by Nenad Stojkovic; CC BY 2.0. Vehicle body sanding, 2021.

19. Heavy Vehicle and Mobile Equipment Mechanics: Source photograph by Forest Service – Northern Region; Public domain. Anaconda Job Corps, 2022; training example.

20. Crane and Tower Operators: Cab on the crane – geograph.org.uk – 1722787 by Bill Nicholls; CC BY-SA 2.0. Newbury, England, 2010.