What distinguishes OCONUS from CONUS?

In career-related contexts, CONUS is short for "continental United States," while OCONUS stands for "outside contiguous United States." OCONUS does not refer to foreign countries, but rather to states and U.S. territories that are not part of the continental U.S., such as Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, Puerto Rico, America Samoa, and U.S. Saipan. These terms are used by government agencies and the military to distinguish between jobs within the contiguous states and those outside of them but still within the United States.