What Does Most Common Job Mean?
PayScale’s data team didn’t simply list the job titles with the most workers in each state – if we did that, this map would simply list a handful of the most common jobs in the US over and over again. Instead, we wanted to find out which jobs you are more likely to find in one particular state compared to the country as a whole. To do that, we calculated the relative commonness compared to all jobs considered. For example, the relative commonness for the job “Helicopter Pilot” in Alaska is 20x, therefore, it is 20 times as likely for a worker in Alaska to work as a “Helicopter Pilot” than the average worker in the U.S.
What’s the Most Common Job in Your State?
So which job is most common in your state? We were pleasantly surprised to find some jobs that fit the characteristics we associate with many states. For example, Gaming Dealers are the most popular job in Nevada – workers in the Silver State are 36.2 times as likely to work as Gaming Dealers than anywhere else. That seems like a good fit for the gambling capitol of the world.
Which other states stand out? California workers are 6.5 times as likely to work as Amusement and Recreation Attendants. Considering that California is the birthplace of the Disney empire, we aren’t surprised. We associate Florida with retirement communities, so we chuckled a bit when we found out that Community Association Managers are 6.5 times as likely to work in Florida. In Oregon, home of the City of Roses (Portland), Gardeners are the most common job title.
Common Job Titles Reflect Local Economies
Local economies drive common job titles, so we weren’t surprised to find that Automotive Engineers dominate Michigan, or that Mining Engineers are most likely to be found in Colorado. Virginia is home to the most Senior Intelligence Analysts, so government agencies and think tanks show their presence that way. Finally, in our home state of Washington, the nerdy job title of Technical Program Manager reigns supreme – no surprise in a state dominated by the tech industry.
