Every state has a unique employment fingerprint. Some states concentrate heavily in healthcare, others in technology, and others in manufacturing or finance. This interactive tool reveals which occupations dominate your state’s workforce—and how wages compare to national benchmarks.
Key Takeaways
- State economies specialize. Some states show 25%+ of tracked employment in a single occupation category.
- Dominant occupations shape labor markets. When one occupation dominates, that sector’s hiring and wage trends affect the entire state economy.
- Wage premiums vary by state. The same occupation can pay 10–30% more or less than the national average depending on location.
- Diversification matters for resilience. States with more balanced occupation mixes may weather industry downturns better.
- Data updates annually when BLS releases new OEWS survey results.
Key Takeaways
- See which occupations hold the largest share of your state's workforce
- Compare pie chart and bar chart breakdowns of employment by occupation
- View wages alongside national benchmarks for each occupation
- Identify state economic specialization and potential concentration risks
- Use official BLS OEWS data for credible workforce analysis
Table of Contents
Overview
Understanding your state’s employment composition answers fundamental questions about local labor markets:
- What skills are most in demand?
- Which industries drive the local economy?
- Where does wage competition concentrate?
- How vulnerable is the state to sector-specific downturns?
This tool breaks down employment by occupation within each state, showing both the raw numbers and the percentage share each occupation represents. When software developers represent 15% of a state’s tracked workforce versus 8% nationally, that state is clearly a tech hub.
Interpreting the results
The pie chart view
The pie chart visualizes employment share at a glance. Dominant occupations appear as large slices, while smaller occupations combine into “Other.” This view immediately shows whether employment is concentrated or diversified.
Concentrated state example: If one or two occupations hold 40%+ of tracked employment, the state’s economy depends heavily on those sectors.
Diversified state example: If no single occupation exceeds 15%, employment is spread more evenly across industries.
The bar chart view
The bar chart ranks occupations by total employment count. Large states naturally have higher employment across all categories, so use this view to compare the relative size of different occupation pools within the state.
The wage comparison column
The “vs National” column shows how state wages compare to the national mean for each occupation. Positive percentages indicate higher-than-average pay; negative percentages suggest lower-than-average pay.
When a state shows consistently positive wage premiums across occupations, it typically reflects high cost of living, strong demand for workers, or concentration of premium employers.
Strategic applications
For employers
Identify competition. If your occupation represents a large share of state employment, you’re competing with many employers for the same talent pool. Budget for competitive wages and enhanced recruiting.
Find untapped markets. States where your occupation has lower share but growing employment may offer less competition for candidates.
Benchmark wages. Use the vs-national comparison to calibrate your offers against local market conditions.
For job seekers
Target opportunity. States with high employment share in your field have more job openings and employer options.
Compare compensation. Use wage data to evaluate offers against state and national benchmarks.
Assess specialization. High specialization in one area may mean limited opportunities if you want to switch fields locally.
For policymakers and investors
Understand economic concentration. States heavily dependent on one sector face elevated risk if that sector contracts.
Track diversification. Over time, shifts in occupation share reveal economic development trends.
How to use this data
Step 1 — Select your state from the dropdown and click to analyze.
Step 2 — Review the metrics. Note total tracked employment, the dominant occupation, and what share the top three occupations hold.
Step 3 — Examine the pie chart. Is employment concentrated in a few occupations or spread broadly?
Step 4 — Check the bar chart. See absolute employment numbers for top occupations.
Step 5 — Study the table. Sort by share, wage, or vs-national comparison to find specific insights.
Step 6 — Compare states. Run the analysis for multiple states to compare specialization patterns.
Methodology and limitations
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS).
Calculation: Occupation employment ÷ sum of tracked occupation employment × 100 = percentage share.
Geography: All 50 states + District of Columbia.
Scope: This tool shows selected occupations from the OEWS dataset. Total state employment is higher than the tracked occupations shown.
What is included: Wage and salary workers in the occupation. Self-employed workers are excluded from OEWS.
What is not included: Full state employment across all occupations, part-time breakdowns, or gig economy workers.
Timeliness: OEWS is released annually with a May reference period.
FAQs
What does employment share mean in this tool?
Employment share shows what percentage of the state's tracked workforce works in each occupation.
If an occupation has 20% share, one in five workers in the tracked occupations works in that field.
Learn More...
Share is calculated by dividing occupation employment by the sum of all tracked occupation employment in that state.
Note that total state employment includes many occupations not tracked in this tool, so the 'share' represents only the tracked subset.
Why is 'tracked employment' different from total state employment?
This tool includes selected high-demand occupations from the OEWS dataset, not every occupation.
Total state employment across all occupations is significantly higher.
Learn More...
The tool focuses on occupations commonly relevant for business planning: managers, analysts, developers, nurses, and similar roles.
For complete state employment data across all occupations, visit the BLS OEWS state tables directly.
What does the 'vs National' column show?
It shows how the state's mean wage for that occupation compares to the national mean.
Positive percentages mean higher-than-average pay; negative means lower-than-average.
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A +15% value means the state pays 15% above the national average for that occupation.
Wage differences reflect cost of living, labor market competition, industry mix, and employer concentration.
How should I interpret a concentrated employment profile?
When one or two occupations dominate (40%+ combined share), the state economy depends heavily on those sectors.
This creates opportunity in strong times but vulnerability during sector downturns.
Learn More...
States concentrated in tech may thrive during tech booms but suffer during tech layoffs.
Diversified states with no dominant sector may have more stable overall employment but less specialized talent pools.
Can I compare multiple states using this tool?
Yes, run the analysis for each state separately and compare the results.
Look at which occupations dominate and how wage premiums differ.
Learn More...
Comparing states helps identify regional specialization patterns and wage arbitrage opportunities.
For example, two states might both have strong tech employment, but one may pay 20% higher wages.
Why do some states pay more for the same occupation?
Cost of living, labor market competition, and employer concentration all affect wages.
High-demand markets with many employers competing for talent tend to pay more.
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California and New York often show positive wage premiums due to high costs and competition.
States with lower costs or smaller employer bases may show negative premiums while still offering good purchasing power.
How often is this employment share data updated?
OEWS data is released annually with a May reference period.
The tool displays the current survey year in the footnotes.
Learn More...
Employment shares and wage relationships tend to be fairly stable year-to-year.
Significant shifts may occur over multiple years as industries relocate or grow.
How can employers use this analysis?
Understand the local competitive landscape for talent in your occupation.
Benchmark wages against state norms and plan recruiting strategies accordingly.
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If your occupation represents a large share of state employment, expect competitive recruiting conditions.
If your occupation has a small share, you may have less competition but also a smaller talent pool.
In summary
Every state has a distinct employment profile shaped by industry presence, historical development, and regional advantages. This tool reveals those patterns by showing which occupations dominate and how wages compare to national benchmarks.
Use this analysis to understand local labor markets, benchmark compensation, and identify where your occupation fits within the broader state economy.
Ready to explore further?
- Employment concentration by state
- Wage benchmarking tool
- Schedule a consultation for workforce planning and location strategy
