Occupational profile · 2025
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania employs 6,064,600 people. The work it does most unusually is shampooers, at 3.2× the national concentration — 1,000 jobs paying a median of $26,130.
What Pennsylvania 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.
- 1Shampooers1,000 jobs · median $26,1303.2×
- 2Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic3,070 jobs · median $66,9703.1×
- 3Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians1,400 jobs · median $32,7302.8×
- 4Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic1,520 jobs · median $48,8002.8×
- 5Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers1,480 jobs · median $56,2102.6×
- 6Crossing Guards and Flaggers9,410 jobs · median $35,8102.6×
- 7Foundry Mold and Coremakers1,230 jobs · median $44,7502.5×
- 8Social Work Teachers, Postsecondary1,050 jobs · median $75,9202.1×
- 9Chemists6,800 jobs · median $77,0902.1×
- 10Biochemists and Biophysicists2,750 jobs · median $134,0902.1×
- 11Postsecondary Teachers, All Other12,100 jobs · median $65,4002.1×
- 12First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers8,980 jobs · median $47,9902.0×
What Pennsylvania 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 | 659,390 | 0.95× | $46,720 | |
| Transportation and Material Moving Occupations | 573,840 | 1.08× | $44,390 | |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations | 489,850 | 0.92× | $30,770 | |
| Sales and Related Occupations | 474,770 | 0.91× | $36,650 | |
| Management Occupations | 460,720 | 1.06× | $116,330 | |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations | 437,740 | 1.14× | $81,590 | |
| Healthcare Support Occupations | 395,970 | 1.28× | $34,270 | |
| Business and Financial Operations Occupations | 383,000 | 0.93× | $79,020 | |
| Educational Instruction and Library Occupations | 368,330 | 1.04× | $61,820 | |
| Production Occupations | 366,080 | 1.10× | $47,710 | |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations | 224,700 | 0.95× | $59,510 | |
| Construction and Extraction Occupations | 219,050 | 0.87× | $60,520 | |
| Computer and Mathematical Occupations | 181,360 | 0.88× | $99,930 | |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations | 166,320 | 0.94× | $37,190 | |
| Protective Service Occupations | 135,600 | 0.92× | $47,690 | |
| Personal Care and Service Occupations | 132,420 | 1.04× | $34,880 | |
| Community and Social Service Occupations | 122,720 | 1.18× | $52,350 | |
| Architecture and Engineering Occupations | 91,260 | 0.89× | $92,330 | |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations | 66,910 | 0.84× | $57,550 | |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations | 59,660 | 1.04× | $80,980 | |
| Legal Occupations | 47,170 | 0.93× | $96,230 | |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations | 7,750 | 0.46× | $38,930 |
Elsewhere on Pennsylvania
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 ↗