The Most Common Job In Every State

The Most Common Job In Every State

VIA “npr.org” by Quoctrung Bui

*We used data from the Census Bureau, which has two catch-all categories: “managers not elsewhere classified” and “salespersons not elsewhere classified.” Because those categories are broad and vague to the point of meaninglessness, we excluded them from our map.

1978 1996 2014
Alabama Ala. Machine operators, n.e.c Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers
Alaska Alaska Secretaries Primary school teachers Primary school teachers
Arizona Ariz. Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers Customer service reps, investigators and adjusters, except insurance
Arkansas Ark. Farm workers Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers
California Calif. Secretaries Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers
Colorado Colo. Secretaries Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers Computer software developers
Connecticut Conn. Secretaries Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers Primary school teachers
Delaware Del. Secretaries Secretaries Secretaries
District of Columbia D.C. Secretaries Janitors Lawyers
Florida Fla. Secretaries Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers Primary school teachers
Georgia Ga. Secretaries Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers
Hawaii Hawaii Bookkeepers and accounting and auditing clerks Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers Cooks, variously defined
Idaho Idaho Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers
Illinois Ill. Secretaries Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers
Indiana Ind. Assemblers of electrical equipment Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers
Iowa Iowa Farmers (owners and tenants) Farmers (owners and tenants) Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers
Kansas Kan. Farmers (owners and tenants) Farmers (owners and tenants) Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers
Kentucky Ky. Machine operators, n.e.c Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers
Louisiana La. Secretaries Secretaries Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers
Maine Maine Secretaries Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers
Maryland Md. Secretaries Secretaries Secretaries
Massachusetts Mass. Machine operators, n.e.c Secretaries Primary school teachers
Michigan Mich. Machine operators, n.e.c Assemblers of electrical equipment Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers
Minnesota Minn. Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers Farmers (owners and tenants) Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers
Mississippi Miss. Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers
Missouri Mo. Secretaries Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers
Montana Mont. Farmers (owners and tenants) Farmers (owners and tenants) Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers
Nebraska Neb. Farmers (owners and tenants) Farmers (owners and tenants) Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers
Nevada Nev. Recreation facility attendants Recreation facility attendants Retail sales clerks
New Hampshire N.H. Machine operators, n.e.c Primary school teachers Secretaries
New Jersey N.J. Machine operators, n.e.c Secretaries Secretaries
New Mexico N.M. Secretaries Secretaries Secretaries
New York N.Y. Secretaries Secretaries Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants
North Carolina N.C. Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers
North Dakota N.D. Farmers (owners and tenants) Farmers (owners and tenants) Farm managers, except for horticultural farms
Ohio Ohio Machine operators, n.e.c Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers
Oklahoma Okla. Secretaries Secretaries Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers
Oregon Ore. Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers
Pennsylvania Pa. Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers
Rhode Island R.I. Machine operators, n.e.c Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers Primary school teachers
South Carolina S.C. Secretaries Machine operators, n.e.c Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers
South Dakota S.D. Farmers (owners and tenants) Farmers (owners and tenants) Farm managers, except for horticultural farms
Tennessee Tenn. Machine operators, n.e.c Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers
Texas Texas Secretaries Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers
Utah Utah Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers Computer software developers
Vermont Vt. Secretaries Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers
Virginia Va. Secretaries Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers Computer software developers
Washington Wash. Secretaries Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers Computer software developers
West Virginia W.Va. Machine operators, n.e.c Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers Primary school teachers
Wisconsin Wis. Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers
Wyoming Wyo. Farm workers Farmers (owners and tenants) Truck, delivery, and tractor drivers

What’s with all the truck drivers? Truck drivers dominate the map for a few reasons.

  • Driving a truck has been immune to two of the biggest trends affecting U.S. jobs: globalization and automation. A worker in China can’t drive a truck in Ohio, and machines can’t drive cars (yet).
  • Regional specialization has declined. So jobs that are needed everywhere — like truck drivers and schoolteachers — have moved up the list of most-common jobs.
  • The prominence of truck drivers is partly due to the way the government categorizes jobs. It lumps together all truck drivers and delivery people, creating a very large category. Other jobs are split more finely; for example, primary school teachers and secondary school teachers are in separate categories.

The rise and fall of secretaries: Through much of the ’80s, as the U.S. economy shifted away from factories that make goods and toward offices that provide services, secretary became the most common job in more and more states. But a second shift — the rise of the personal computer — reversed this trend, as machines did more and more secretarial work.

Manufacturing jobs disappeared: This story we knew already. Machine operators and factory workers had a dominant presence in the Midwest and parts of the South through the late ’70s. Then a combination of globalization and technological change made many of those jobs disappear.

Fewer and fewer farmers: Our map shows the tail end of a century-long trend. Farming technology (everything from tiny seeds to giant harvesters) keeps getting better, which means fewer and fewer people can grow more and more food.

Government: The most common job in D.C. is lawyer. Heh. On a related note, Northern Virginia is full of federal contractors — many of whom work as software developers.

Who knew Utah was a tech hub? Over the past few years, tech companies have rejuvenated Utah’s labor market. It’s home to an NSA supercomputing facility and a growing number of tech firms.

 

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