The Bureau of Labor Statistics' annual occupation report is chock full of interesting insights about America's workers: who works where, what they do and how much they make doing it. But one of the more fascinating insights is a metric called "location quotient," which compares the popularity of certain jobs in each state to the rest of the country. When you browse occupations by location quotient, you find jobs—ranging from typical to oddball—that distinctly define the economy of every state.
What's your state's signature occupation? Check out the infographic below to find out!
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There are plenty of no-brainers: California agriculture, for instance, is a $46.4 billion industry that produces the majority of the country's fruits, vegetables and nuts—so it makes sense that there are more farmworkers in the Golden State than any other. And the runway capital of the world, New York, unsurprisingly attracts professional fashion designers. But others are head-scratchers—until you do a little digging. Can you guess which states have disproportionately high numbers of the occupations below?
Interested in upping your stargazer game? Head to Maryland, which has a plethora of astronomy clubs, observatories and planetariums, especially ones tied to local universities. The state is also home to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
For professional atmospheric scientists, Colorado, which lies entirely above 1,000 meters elevation, is the ideal place to be. The state is also home to the National Center for Atmospheric Research, and both University of Colorado and Colorado State University have prestigious atmospheric science programs.
If you're a marriage and family therapist, head to New Jersey — Newark and Camden are two of the highest paying cities to be a licensed MFT. Incidentally, New Jersey also boasts the country's lowest divorce rate.
When it comes to building tires, South Carolina's the place to be — as the country's largest tire producer, the state attracts billions in investment from major tire firms like Michelin, Bridgestone and Continental.
Looking for the best dance moves in the country? Time to book a flight to Hawaii. The Aloha State is home to more professional dancers than anywhere else in the U.S. The state's entertainment and recreation industry grew 27.5 percent between 2003 and 2013, despite the Great Recession.
