Mapped: The Most Common Job in Each U.S. State in 2024

Pallavi Rao
2025-06-22 08:10:00
www.visualcapitalist.com

See this visualization first on the Voronoi app.

Mapped: The Most Common Job in Each U.S. State in 2024

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Key Takeaways

The most common job in each state, by number of employees, is Fast Food Worker (15 states).
Other leading occupations are Retail Sales & Cashiers (10 states), Home Health Aides (10), and Operations Managers & Specialists (10).

Two years ago, we visualized the American workforce as 100 people in an effort to break down the most common job across the country.

But what does similar data look like at a state level?

We used figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 release and pulled the occupation with the most number of employees in each state.

Importantly the OEWS survey doesn’t cover the agriculture sector, so those estimates are missing from this map.

The Big List of Every U.S. State’s Most Common Job

Fast Food Worker hold the crown for most common job in 15 states stretching from Arkansas to Utah.

State	State Code	Most Common Job	# Employees
Alabama	AL	Retail Sales & Cashiers	60,330
Alaska	AK	Retail Sales & Cashiers	7,790
Arizona	AZ	Ops Managers & Specialists	100,340
Arkansas	AR	Fast Food Workers	36,150
California	CA	Home Health Aides	875,110
Colorado*	CO*	Fast Food Workers*	77,500*
Connecticut	CT	Ops Managers & Specialists	46,780
District of Columbia	DC	Ops Managers & Specialists	38,240
Delaware	DE	Fast Food Workers	13,800
Florida	FL	Retail Sales & Cashiers	325,960
Georgia	GA	Fast Food Workers	151,240
Hawaii	HI	Fast Food Workers	25,850
Idaho	ID	Ops Managers & Specialists	30,600
Illinois	IL	Freight Movers	183,590
Indiana	IN	Fast Food Workers	101,500
Iowa	IA	Retail Sales & Cashiers	43,160
Kansas	KS	Fast Food Workers	45,420
Kentucky	KY	Ops Managers & Specialists	58,570
Louisiana	LA	Retail Sales & Cashiers	51,540
Maine	ME	Home Health Aides	18,080
Maryland	MD	Ops Managers & Specialists	91,810
Massachusetts	MA	Home Health Aides	108,090
Michigan	MI	Assemblers	124,340
Minnesota	MN	Home Health Aides	120,390
Mississippi	MS	Retail Sales & Cashiers	36,330
Missouri	MO	Ops Managers & Specialists	105,210
Montana	MT	Fast Food Workers	15,940
Nebraska	NE	Fast Food Workers	28,360
Nevada	NV	Freight Movers	53,660
New Hampshire	NH	Ops Managers & Specialists	21,180
New Jersey	NJ	Home Health Aides	105,460
New Mexico	NM	Home Health Aides	37,360
New York	NY	Home Health Aides	623,000
North Carolina	NC	Retail Sales & Cashiers	126,060
North Dakota	ND	Ops Managers & Specialists	11,660
Ohio	OH	Fast Food Workers	167,650
Oklahoma	OK	Fast Food Workers	53,380
Oregon	OR	Fast Food Workers	58,150
Pennsylvania	PA	Home Health Aides	242,570
Rhode Island	RI	Fast Food Workers	12,650
South Carolina	SC	Retail Sales & Cashiers	69,010
South Dakota	SD	Nurses	14,500
Tennessee	TN	Freight Movers	111,240
Texas	TX	Ops Managers & Specialists	454,720
Utah	UT	Fast Food Workers	50,980
Vermont	VT	Retail Sales & Cashiers	7,930
Virginia	VA	Fast Food Workers	103,390
Washington	WA	Home Health Aides	100,360
West Virginia	WV	Nurses	21,740
Wisconsin	WI	Home Health Aides	80,050
Wyoming	WY	Retail Sales & Cashiers	9,190

Note: Colorado’s figures are from 2023 due to data unavailability.

The trend underscores the South’s large service sector and the Mountain West’s booming tourism and quick-service chains.

Although wages in this occupation are lower than the national average, the sheer volume of positions makes it the backbone of many state labor markets.

At second place is a three-way tie between:

Retail Salespersons and Cashiers
Home Health Aides
Logistics Managers & Specialists

These three are the most common jobs in 10 states each.

Despite rapid e-commerce growth, brick-and-mortar outlets remain major employers, particularly in suburban and rural areas where shopping malls and big-box stores serve as community hubs.

Automation and self-checkout are nibbling at headcounts, yet the customer-facing nature of retail continues to require large numbers of workers on the floor.

Healthcare’s Rise: Home Health Aides Lead in 10 States

An aging population and preference for in-home care propel Home Health Aides to the No. 1 spot in 10 states, from California’s 875,110 aides to Maine’s 18,080.

These roles typically offer lower wages than hospital-based nursing but have minimal barriers to entry, making them important stepping stones in healthcare careers.

Their prevalence signals both the challenges and opportunities created by demographic shifts.

Management & Logistics Highlight Diversified States

Operations Managers & Specialists rank first in 10 states, reflecting the rise and demand for cross-country supply chains.

Meanwhile, Freight Movers and Assemblers lead in logistics-heavy Nevada and industrial Michigan, respectively.

In higher-skill states, management roles replace service jobs at the top, pointing to more complex, higher-paying economic structures.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

Meanwhile, equip yourself for the great AI disruption, with the Jobs That Use AI the Most on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

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