Each State Has Its Own 'Iconic' Job

Each state that makes up the Fifty Nifty has a unique economy, culture, laws, and even industries and workers that help "shape the [identity]" of that state. To more closely examine the latter, 24/7 Wall St. looked at Bureau of Labor Statistics data on job concentration in all of the states to determine the most "iconic" job in each. Every state's chosen occupation was at least two times as concentrated in that state as it was in any other. "Iconic," however, doesn't necessarily translate to an ample paycheck: Many of the jobs that made the No. 1 spot in various states pay less than the country's median annual salary of $38,640 (as of 2018). Here are some of the more notable finds and their median yearly wages:

• California: farmworkers ($24,240)
• Colorado: atmospheric and space scientists ($92,400)
• Florida: construction workers ($37,140)
• Indiana: boilermakers ($73,120)
• Maine: shoe machine operators ($32,320)
• Minnesota: slaughterers and meat packers ($31,920)
• New York: fashion designers ($79,110)
• Rhode Island: jewelers ($38,280)
• Texas: petroleum engineers ($151,360)
• Vermont: solar photovoltaic installers ($38,000)

See what kind of workers are prominent in other states here. (Or the fastest-growing jobs in America.)