Two North Carolina Cities Rank High For Outdoor Jobs
The average American spends about 90% of their time indoors and sits for a significant portion of the day. Researchers attribute a wide range of health problems to predominantly indoor (and often sedentary) lifestyles. For one, prolonged sitting is associated with obesity, increased blood pressure, and abnormal cholesterol levels. Furthermore, indoor air quality tends to be worse than outdoor air quality. According to the EPA, the concentration of some pollutants can be two to five times higher indoors than in outdoor settings. Luckily North Carolina is home to a decent percentage of outdoor jobs.
While working outdoors can help avoid these risks, the most common outdoor jobs are not without their own downsides, such as lower wages, physically demanding work, and higher risks of work-related injuries. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), just under 4% of Americans are employed in outdoor jobs—the most common of which include a variety of construction, maintenance, and delivery occupations.
Here are the large U.S. metros (including two North Carolina Cities) with the most outdoor jobs:
Read the full study here
