Occupational profile · 2025
Rhode Island
Rhode Island employs 501,340 people. The work it does most unusually is fundraisers, at 2.8× the national concentration — 1,000 jobs paying a median of $75,410.
What Rhode Island 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.
- 1Fundraisers1,000 jobs · median $75,4102.8×
- 2Nursing Assistants10,220 jobs · median $46,4402.2×
- 3Social and Community Service Managers1,370 jobs · median $77,5702.0×
- 4Education Administrators, Postsecondary1,140 jobs · median $106,5202.0×
- 5Child, Family, and School Social Workers2,450 jobs · median $69,8701.9×
- 6Dishwashers2,790 jobs · median $33,9601.8×
- 7Medical and Health Services Managers3,370 jobs · median $119,2601.8×
- 8Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers2,300 jobs · median $50,5801.7×
- 9Instructional Coordinators1,240 jobs · median $63,1101.7×
- 10Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers2,880 jobs · median $31,2001.6×
- 11Mechanical Engineers1,560 jobs · median $116,2301.6×
- 12Paralegals and Legal Assistants2,070 jobs · median $56,2501.6×
What Rhode Island 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 | 54,700 | 0.96× | $49,790 | |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations | 52,230 | 1.18× | $34,960 | |
| Sales and Related Occupations | 42,190 | 0.97× | $42,290 | |
| Business and Financial Operations Occupations | 39,120 | 1.15× | $86,240 | |
| Educational Instruction and Library Occupations | 35,180 | 1.20× | $65,500 | |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations | 33,680 | 1.06× | $96,900 | |
| Management Occupations | 31,890 | 0.89× | $127,940 | |
| Transportation and Material Moving Occupations | 31,470 | 0.71× | $44,930 | |
| Production Occupations | 27,620 | 1.00× | $49,360 | |
| Healthcare Support Occupations | 25,570 | 1.00× | $46,180 | |
| Construction and Extraction Occupations | 17,900 | 0.86× | $63,050 | |
| Computer and Mathematical Occupations | 16,390 | 0.97× | $105,700 | |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations | 16,130 | 1.10× | $43,410 | |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations | 16,090 | 0.82× | $60,920 | |
| Protective Service Occupations | 13,000 | 1.07× | $59,520 | |
| Community and Social Service Occupations | 11,660 | 1.35× | $60,960 | |
| Personal Care and Service Occupations | 10,560 | 1.01× | $36,200 | |
| Architecture and Engineering Occupations | 9,230 | 1.09× | $105,160 | |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations | 7,650 | 1.16× | $65,090 | |
| Legal Occupations | 4,450 | 1.06× | $78,520 | |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations | 4,290 | 0.90× | $89,210 | |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations | 330 | 0.24× | $39,350 |
Elsewhere on Rhode Island
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 ↗