For reasons relating to weather, the presence of natural resources, access to transportation or just twists of history, certain industries have clustered in various locations around the U.S. Those industry clusters lead to a higher than typical concentration of unique types of jobs in certain states.

Often the job clusters can seem quite logical, but other times can be head-scratching curious. Analyzing data released last year by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Pew Charitable Trusts developed the map below that, when you hover your cursor over it, will show you the occupation in a state that’s most unique when compared to occupation concentrations nationwide.

(Note: The numbers don’t show that one state necessarily has more people working in a profession. The analysis takes the overall prevalence of certain professions nationwide and compares the expected concentration — relative to a state’s population — with how many people are actually working in those jobs in a given state.)

Oil and gas power up certain types of jobs in several states

  • Texas has 7 times more petroleum engineers than the national average
  • North Dakota has 36 times the extraction workers
  • Louisiana had 20 time more drill riggers
  • West Virginia has 77 times more mine shuttle car operators

Some of the least surprising occupational concentrations

  • Nevada has 32 times more gaming supervisors than the national average
  • Washington D.C. has 121 times the average political scientists
  • New York has six times the average fashion designers
  • Florida has five times the average professional athletes (favorable tax laws, lots of pro teams and year ’round tennis, golf weather)
  • Indiana, home of the Perdue University Boilermakers, has six times the national average of boilermakers
  • Oregon has more than 40 times the average number of loggers

Some of the most curious job clusters

  • Mississippi has almost 17 times more upholsterers compared to other states.
  • Missouri has almost four times as many psychiatric technicians In South Carolina has 12 times more tire manufacturing workers

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