The economic data website, 24/7 Wall St., has identified the most iconic jobs in all 50 states using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In Texas, the most iconic job is a petroleum engineer.
The BLS identified jobs by concentration in each state based on BLS’ May 2019 Occupational Employment Statistics program. Detailed occupations were ranked based on the concentration of an occupation within a state’s labor force relative to the concentration in the national labor force in 2019. The analysis also incorporated median annual wage at the state and national levels.
“In many cases, the most iconic job in a given state is deeply rooted in the state’s history,” the report states. “And though the occupation might not be these days the economic force it has been in decades past, it remains closely linked to the state’s identity. This is particularly true in states where the most iconic job is in manufacturing, an industry that has been in a long decline in the United States.”
There are over 32,600 petroleum engineers nationwide whose job is to develop oil and gas extraction methods — 57.4 percent of them work in Texas. Demand for petroleum engineers is driven by Texas’ resource wealth. Over 40 percent of all proved crude oil reserves in the U.S. are located in Texas; the state accounts for over 40 percent of crude oil production in the U.S.
State: | Most iconic job: | State workers in job: | Concentration relative to US: |
---|---|---|---|
Alabama | Metal-refining furnace operators | 1,390 | 6 times greater |
Alaska | Misc. mining machine operators | 460 | 15 times greater |
Arizona | Plasterers and stucco masons | 2,340 | 4 times greater |
Arkansas | Misc. food processing workers | 4,080 | 11 times greater |
California | Farmworkers and laborers | 201,440 | 6 times greater |
Colorado | Atmospheric and space scientists | 970 | 6 times greater |
Connecticut | Actuaries | 1,350 | 5 times greater |
Delaware | Chemists | 1,350 | 5 times greater |
Florida | Ship engineers | 1,520 | 3 times greater |
Georgia | Textile winding machine operators | 12,070 | 13 times greater |
Hawaii | Water vessel captains | 1,270 | 9 times greater |
Idaho | Nuclear technicians | 330 | 10 times greater |
Illinois | Rail car repairers | 3,120 | 3 times greater |
Indiana | Engine assemblers | 7,990 | 8 times greater |
Iowa | Wind turbine technicians | 480 | 8 times greater |
Kansas | Aircraft assemblers | 8,860 | 22 times greater |
Kentucky | Farm and home management educators | 1,070 | 10 times greater |
Louisiana | Sailors and marine oilers | 7,340 | 18 times greater |
Maine | Shoe machine operators | 390 | 19 times greater |
Maryland | Physicists | 1,880 | 6 times greater |
Massachusetts | Medical scientists | 16,860 | 5 times greater |
Michigan | Engine assemblers | 9,580 | 7 times greater |
Minnesota | Wind turbine technicians | 500 | 4 times greater |
Mississippi | Fallers | 400 | 14 times greater |
Missouri | Locomotive engineers | 1,350 | 2 times greater |
Montana | Forest and conservation technicians | 860 | 14 times greater |
Nebraska | Meat cutters and trimmers | 9,200 | 9 times greater |
Nevada | Gambling dealers | 22,580 | 24 times greater |
New Hampshire | Log graders and scalers | 70 | 5 times greater |
New Jersey | Biochemists and biophysicists | 7,280 | 8 times greater |
New Mexico | Physicists | 1,740 | 19 times greater |
New York | Fashion designers | 8,460 | 6 times greater |
North Carolina | Textile machine operators | 2,020 | 8 times greater |
North Dakota | Wellhead pumpers | 1,110 | 30 times greater |
Ohio | Foundry mold and coremakers | 3,000 | 5 times greater |
Oklahoma | Oil and gas drill operators | 3,480 | 15 times greater |
Oregon | Misc. logging workers | 1,210 | 25 times greater |
Pennsylvania | Metal pourers and casters | 1,080 | 3 times greater |
Rhode Island | Jewelers | 780 | 10 times greater |
South Carolina | Tire builders | 3,970 | 13 times greater |
South Dakota | Soil and plant scientists | 580 | 14 times greater |
Tennessee | Musicians and singers | 2,170 | 3 times greater |
Texas | Petroleum engineers | 18,720 | 7 times greater |
Utah | Mining machine operators | 1,400 | 9 times greater |
Vermont | Fallers | 50 | 5 times greater |
Virginia | Marine engineers and naval architects | 2,520 | 8 times greater |
Washington | Avionics technicians | 3,180 | 6 times greater |
West Virginia | Mining machine operators | 1,370 | 68 times greater |
Wisconsin | Animal breeders | 260 | 8 times greater |
Wyoming | Oil and gas service unit operators | 1,950 | 20 times greater |
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