16 career clusters
The 16 Career Clusters
The 16 career clusters are broad groups of careers and industries created by the U.S. Department of Education to organize career and technical education programs. States have adopted all sixteen; some adapt them for their regional economy. For example, Texas and Michigan have an Energy cluster. California calls its clusters “Industry Sectors,” including one called Energy, Environment, and Utilities.
For individual career decision making, it’s best to use clusters and pathways after you know what careers or education programs fit your Holland personality and interests best. Learn tips for choosing a cluster or pathway.
U.S. National Career Clusters
Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources
Architecture & Construction
Arts, Audio/Video Technology & Communications
Business, Management & Administration
Education & Training
Finance
Government & Public Administration
Health Science
Hospitality & Tourism
Human Services
Information Technology
Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security
Manufacturing
Marketing, Sales & Service
Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
Transportation, Distribution & Logistics
If your school or community college requires you to choose one of these clusters, be sure to visit our "Career Clusters and Pathways" guide for choosing one. We'll show you how to do that.
If you're a school counselor, community college advisor or workforce development professional helping students make that choice, consider these additional resources:
Career Clusters Map, one of the complimentary downloads in our Shop
Decide on a Cluster, Field or Pathway using Holland’s Theory (PDF eBook in our Shop)
Career Key Discovery customers in K-12, Colleges and Business can add on and customize regional clusters and pathways as an option to our online assessment.