The Most Iconic Job in Every State

Oklahoma produces more crude oil than all but five other states and more natural gas than all but three states. Like other resource-rich states, extraction workers are relatively concentrated in Oklahoma. Oil and gas rotary drill operators in particular are about 11 times more concentrated in Oklahoma’s labor force than they are in the U.S. labor force.

Due to rich soil and an ideal climate for forests, Oregon is a national leader in tree growing and lumber production. Nearly half of the state’s 62 million acres are covered in forest, and according to the Oregon Department of Forestry, logging harvests totalled 3.9 billion board feet in 2016. Over 42% of all miscellaneous logging workers in the United States are employed in Oregon.

Word processors and typists can work in a number of professions, including clerks, stenographers, and project assistants. People working in the trade are about three times more concentrated in Pennsylvania’s labor force than the total U.S. labor force.

Textile machine operators are about seven times more concentrated in Rhode Island’s labor force than the total U.S. labor force. The textile industry has a long history in the state as much of the cotton picked in the South in the 19th and early 20th centuries was shipped to Rhode Island to be processed in textile mills. Last year, state lawmakers formed the Rhode Island Textile Innovation Network to foster collaboration between industry and government leaders. There are currently about 70 textile companies in the state.

South Carolina is the nation’s leading tire manufacturer. As of 2017, there were five foreign companies with tire manufacturing operations in the state, employing thousands of South Carolinians. Those companies include Michelin, Bridgestone, and Continetal. Nearly one in every five tire builders in the United States work in South Carolina.