Occupational profile · 2025
Alabama
Alabama employs 2,113,660 people. The work it does most unusually is logging equipment operators, at 6.5× the national concentration — 1,860 jobs paying a median of $47,810.
What Alabama is distinctive for
Detailed occupations ranked by location quotient. A location quotient is an occupation’s share of a state’s jobs divided by its share of the nation’s. One means the state looks like the country; two means twice the concentration. It is a measure of distinctiveness, not of quality, size or pay. Bars use a logarithmic scale so the lower ranks stay legible beside the leader.
- 1Logging Equipment Operators1,860 jobs · median $47,8106.5×
- 2Aerospace Engineers5,820 jobs · median $127,5406.3×
- 3Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders1,090 jobs · median $50,6005.6×
- 4Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders1,250 jobs · median $54,2605.5×
- 5Engine and Other Machine Assemblers2,520 jobs · median —5.5×
- 6Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic1,710 jobs · median $53,3805.0×
- 7Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers9,140 jobs · median $31,0804.6×
- 8Machine Feeders and Offbearers2,160 jobs · median $38,8103.8×
- 9Textile Winding, Twisting, and Drawing Out Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders1,060 jobs · median $40,2103.5×
- 10Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood1,880 jobs · median $37,5203.4×
- 11Helpers--Production Workers7,230 jobs · median $35,9103.2×
- 12Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing2,580 jobs · median $36,7503.1×
What Alabama is made of
All twenty-two occupational groups by headcount, with the concentration figure beside each. Most states look broadly alike in this view — that is the finding, not a flaw in it.
| Occupation group | Share of state employment | Jobs | vs national | Median wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Office and Administrative Support Occupations | 226,670 | 0.94× | $40,460 | |
| Production Occupations | 215,430 | 1.85× | $44,250 | |
| Transportation and Material Moving Occupations | 208,000 | 1.12× | $38,220 | |
| Sales and Related Occupations | 202,240 | 1.11× | $35,000 | |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations | 184,640 | 0.99× | $27,780 | |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations | 145,300 | 1.09× | $67,360 | |
| Educational Instruction and Library Occupations | 113,630 | 0.92× | $56,690 | |
| Management Occupations | 112,960 | 0.75× | $103,980 | |
| Business and Financial Operations Occupations | 108,150 | 0.76× | $76,390 | |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations | 108,070 | 1.31× | $56,530 | |
| Construction and Extraction Occupations | 89,430 | 1.02× | $47,810 | |
| Healthcare Support Occupations | 75,330 | 0.70× | $33,790 | |
| Computer and Mathematical Occupations | 57,370 | 0.80× | $100,030 | |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations | 53,490 | 0.87× | $32,240 | |
| Architecture and Engineering Occupations | 49,580 | 1.39× | $99,990 | |
| Protective Service Occupations | 48,670 | 0.95× | $44,450 | |
| Personal Care and Service Occupations | 36,990 | 0.84× | $28,560 | |
| Community and Social Service Occupations | 24,610 | 0.68× | $49,020 | |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations | 18,140 | 0.65× | $49,140 | |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations | 14,570 | 0.73× | $74,070 | |
| Legal Occupations | 14,110 | 0.79× | $73,480 | |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations | 6,260 | 1.06× | $37,750 |
Elsewhere on Alabama
Blank cells are estimates BLS did not release, usually because too few employers reported. They are shown as gaps rather than filled. Detailed occupations are included only where at least 1,000 people are employed, below which a quotient is survey noise. A wage marked “$239,200 or more” is censored at source: BLS does not publish medians above that figure, so the number is a floor rather than the wage. A work of the U.S. government: no copyright subsists (17 U.S.C. §105). BLS OEWS ↗