May 2015 OES Charts
About Charts and Maps
Charts highlighting selected industry, occupation, and area data for
May 2015.
For any state or area, this chart will show which occupations are most
concentrated relative to the national average. To get started, click on
the chart to the right, choose a state, then an area within the state or
statewide. The chart will then show the occupations with the highest
location quotients (1) in that
area.
The largest occupations in the U.S. include retail salespersons,
cashiers, and general office clerks. To find the largest occupations in
any area, click the chart to the right; select a state, then an area
within the state or statewide.
Each industry has a unique combination of workers. To see the largest
occupations in each industry, click the chart on the right. You can select
a particular sector for a broader combination of industries, or select
detailed industries within each sector from the second drop down menu.
Some occupations, such as general office clerks, are found in a large
number of industries, while others, such as avionics technicians, are
concentrated in a smaller number of industries. To see the industries with
the largest employment for over 800 occupations, click the chart to the
right.
The larger states, including California, New York, and Texas have the
most employment for many occupations. However, some occupations, such as
logging equipment operators and tire builders, have more employment in
some smaller states.
Location quotients (1) are a convenient
and useful tool for analyzing differences in the mix of occupations in
states and metropolitan areas. While many occupations have most of their
employment in large states, this measure shows the areas in which an
occupation is most prevalent relative to the national average. LQs are the
ratio of the area's concentration of occupational employment to the
national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one
indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average,
and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less
prevalent in the area than average. To see the states with the highest
location quotient, click the chart to the right.
Like large states, large metropolitan areas account for most of the
employment for many occupations. Some occupations, such as ship engineers,
are also found in smaller areas.
Some occupations, like gaming dealers, are concentrated in a few
geographic areas, while others, like coaches and scouts, are concentrated
in a mix of metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. To see the areas with
the highest location quotient (1) of each
occupation, click the chart to the right.
(1) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration
of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A
location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher
share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one
indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.