Map: The most unique job in every state

The United States of Odd Jobs

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Washington, D.C. is truly a mecca for political scientists. The district has 120 times the number of political scientists than would be expected based on the national average, according to a recent analysis by Pew Charitable Trusts.

Using job data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Pew analyzed the overall prevalence of certain professionals nationwide. They then compared the expected concentration relative to a state's population to the actual concentration, to calculate the most unique job in each state, which are given on the map below.

The answers provide a telling picture of local economies. Alaska, Montana, North Dakota, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana are all involved with mining and petroleum, and Oregon and Maine with logging. California, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas all boast unique jobs related to agriculture. The Rust Belt is home to foundry mold makers, toolmakers, and boilermakers, while the South has its share of manufacturing, including metal and plastics, textiles and tires.

Then there are the really unique ones. Sunny Florida is home to an unusual percentage of athletes, while Hawaii has dancers and New York has fashion designers.

Washington state, home to Boeing, has an unusually high percentage of aircraft assemblers, while Arizona has plasterers and stucco masons to build its unique style of homes. Nevada has 32 times more gaming supervisors than the national average. And New Jersey is, for whatever reason, home to lots of marriage and family therapists.

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