How America Works

A team of lumberjacks take to the forests of coastal Alaska to harvest the cornerstone commodity that frames our lives. But with a last-minute order to fill, they're working overtime to cut, haul and ship out a record amount of lumber.

A team of roughnecks shows what it takes to bring the lifeblood of modern society out of the ground and into everyday existence.

Waste management workers bring cameras along for a day of taking out America's trash, but with a staff shortage and the same tight deadlines, keeping the streets clean will be a tall order.

The employees of the Hoover Dam work to bring electricity to the masses; when a heat wave hits in the middle of maintenance season, the race is on to get all 17 generators online before the demand for power skyrockets.

The men and women aboard a massive fishing boat toil 24/7 to harvest America's sustenance from the sea, but after coming up short on their last trip, the pressure is on to fill their quota.

The hard-working men and women of America's entertainment industry in Las Vegas are ramping up for post-COVID masses; and at Circus Circus Casino, that means bringing all operations back to 100 % capacity for the first time in over a year.

The Sunday after Thanksgiving, the busiest day for airports.

A team of sewer technicians work out of sight.

Salt workers brave a barren landscape in Carlsbad, N.M.

Steel workers labor to make the nation's infrastructure.