Climate Change Poses A Big Danger To Those That Do Outdoor Work

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Climate change is a threat multiplier that will impact and reshape all sectors of daily life. As temperatures rise, outdoor working conditions may become more dangerous, reducing the number of days suitable for outdoor work.

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Rising temperatures could have a significant impact on economies dependent on outdoor work like agriculture, tourism, and oil and gas drilling. The degree of economic dependence on the outdoors varies widely across the country, with more than four in ten workers in cities like Madera, California and Midland, Texas exposed to the outdoors. A closer look at the cities with the most workers exposed to the outdoors reveals the places that could suffer the worst economic consequences of climate change.

To determine the cities with the most workers exposed to the outdoors, Climate Crisis 247 reviewed data on physical demands and employment by occupation from the Occupational Requirements Survey and Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programs of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Cities were ranked based on the percentage of workers exposed to the outdoors. Occupation-level data was aggregated from the ORS to the metropolitan statistical area level using employment counts from the OEWS. Concentration by occupation is measured by location quotient.

15. The Villages, FL

Est. workers exposed to the outdoors: 38.3%
Avg. standing time required: 4.5 hours
Avg. annual wage: $53,920
Highly concentrated occupations: First-line supervisors of correctional officers; correctional officers and jailers; real estate sales agents

14. Lake Charles, LA

Est. workers exposed to the outdoors: 38.4%
Avg. standing time required: 4.6 hours
Avg. annual wage: $54,110
Highly concentrated occupations: Tank car, truck, and ship loaders; chemical equipment operators and tenders; gambling dealers

13. Houma-Thibodaux, LA

Est. workers exposed to the outdoors: 38.5%
Avg. standing time required: 4.6 hours
Avg. annual wage: $54,310
Highly concentrated occupations: Sailors and marine oilers; captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels; commercial divers

12. Merced, CA

Est. workers exposed to the outdoors: 38.6%

Avg. standing time required: 4.6 hours
Avg. annual wage: $57,100
Highly concentrated occupations: Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse; food science technicians; farming, fishing, and forestry occupations

11. Stockton-Lodi, CA

Est. workers exposed to the outdoors: 38.7%
Avg. standing time required: 4.5 hours
Avg. annual wage: $61,930
Highly concentrated occupations: Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse; helpers--brickmasons, blockmasons, stonemasons, and tile and marble setters; material moving workers

10. Yuma, AZ

Est. workers exposed to the outdoors: 39.5%
Avg. standing time required: 4.4 hours
Avg. annual wage: $52,490
Highly concentrated occupations: Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse; first-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers; textile winding, twisting, and drawing out machine setters, operators, and tenders

9. Hanford-Corcoran, CA

Est. workers exposed to the outdoors: 40.2%
Avg. standing time required: 4.6 hours
Avg. annual wage: $61,250
Highly concentrated occupations: Graders and sorters, agricultural products; agricultural equipment operators; farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse

8. Farmington, NM

Est. workers exposed to the outdoors: 40.4%
Avg. standing time required: 4.6 hours
Avg. annual wage: $52,340
Highly concentrated occupations: Derrick operators, oil and gas; service unit operators, oil and gas; roustabouts, oil and gas

7. El Centro, CA

Est. workers exposed to the outdoors: 40.5%
Avg. standing time required: 4.5 hours
Avg. annual wage: $59,580
Highly concentrated occupations: Agricultural workers; farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse; farming, fishing, and forestry occupations

6. Odessa, TX

Est. workers exposed to the outdoors: 41.3%
Avg. standing time required: 4.6 hours
Avg. annual wage: $57,240
Highly concentrated occupations: Service unit operators, oil and gas; derrick operators, oil and gas; roustabouts, oil and gas

5. Visalia-Porterville, CA

Est. workers exposed to the outdoors: 41.9%
Avg. standing time required: 4.7 hours
Avg. annual wage: $57,030
Highly concentrated occupations: Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse; farming, fishing, and forestry occupations; first-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers

4. Bakersfield, CA

Est. workers exposed to the outdoors: 42.9%
Avg. standing time required: 4.5 hours
Avg. annual wage: $60,160
Highly concentrated occupations: Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse; farming, fishing, and forestry occupations; agricultural workers

3. Midland, TX

Est. workers exposed to the outdoors: 43.5%
Avg. standing time required: 4.5 hours
Avg. annual wage: $67,370
Highly concentrated occupations: Service unit operators, oil and gas; derrick operators, oil and gas; wellhead pumpers

2. Salinas, CA

Est. workers exposed to the outdoors: 43.5%
Avg. standing time required: 4.6 hours
Avg. annual wage: $61,240
Highly concentrated occupations: Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse; farming, fishing, and forestry occupations; first-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers

1. Madera, CA

Est. workers exposed to the outdoors: 43.5%
Avg. standing time required: 4.7 hours
Avg. annual wage: $58,260
Highly concentrated occupations: Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse; farming, fishing, and forestry occupations; first-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers