Areas with high total employment also tend to be among the largest employers of any individual occupation. Employment concentrations reflect factors other than overall employment levels, such as the area’s industry mix. This is according to data released by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics.
For example, in May 2008 Texas employed more welders, cutters, solderers and brazers than any other state. Wyoming, although it employed fewer total welders than Texas, had one of the highest employment concentrations in this occupation: over nine jobs out of every 1,000 in the state.
Louisiana was the only state with both high employment levels and a high employment concentration of this occupation.
This data is from the Occupational Employment Statistics program. To learn more, see "Occupational Employment and Wages, 2008," (HTML) (PDF), news release USDL 09-0457.
