The 2026 Job Mix: Blue-, White- and Pink-Collar Employment by State

America’s occupational complexion varies widely by geography. Some states run on factory floors, others in office towers and still others in hotels and hospitals. But automation, artificial intelligence and changing demand are reshaping occupations unevenly, making each state’s particular mix of jobs increasingly consequential to its economic outlook.

SmartAsset analyzed May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the most recent available, and calculated the share of each state’s wage-and-salary employment in blue-collar, white-collar and pink-collar occupations. The analysis also examined gold-collar jobs — highly skilled, highly paid positions that can overlap with the other categories. The results show which types of work underpin each state’s economy amid rapid labor-market change.

Key Findings

Indiana is America’s heart of blue-collar work. About 33% of the Hoosier workforce is employed in blue-collar occupations, the most in the United States. It’s followed by Alabama at No. 2 and Wyoming at No. 3.
White-collar occupations are a majority of jobs in only two states. Maryland ranks No. 1, with about 52% of its wage-and-salary employment in white-collar occupations. Massachusetts is the only other state where the share exceeds 50%.
Nevada has the largest concentration of pink-collar jobs. These occupations account for more than one in three wage-and-salary jobs in the Silver State. Hawaii has the second-largest share.
Washington and Massachusetts lead in gold-collar employment. Gold-collar occupations account for about 7.4% of wage-and-salary employment in each state. The study defines these as occupations that typically require a bachelor’s degree or higher and have a national median annual wage above the 90th percentile for all occupations. Gold-collar jobs may overlap with the blue-, white- and pink-collar categories and are not a separate, mutually exclusive group.

Defining the Gold-Collar Workforce

Robert E. Kelley described gold-collar work in his 1985 book “The Gold-Collar Worker.” Later usage broadened the term to encompass well-paid, knowledge-intensive occupations characterized by specialized expertise and complex problem-solving.

Gold-collar jobs represent a small but highly skilled segment of the U.S. labor market. The 62 occupations in this category account for about 8.5 million jobs, or approximately 5.5% of jobs in the United States.* Designation of an occupation as gold-collar is not exclusive; each such position also falls within either the blue-, white- or pink-collar categories. The 62 occupations classified as gold collar are:

Actuaries
Advertising and Promotions Managers
Aerospace Engineers
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers
Anesthesiologists
Architectural and Engineering Managers
Astronomers
Cardiologists
Chief Executives
Compensation and Benefits Managers
Computer and Information Research Scientists
Computer and Information Systems Managers
Computer Hardware Engineers
Computer Network Architects
Database Architects
Dentists, All Other Specialists
Dentists, General
Dermatologists
Electronics Engineers, Except Computer
Emergency Medicine Physicians
Family Medicine Physicians
Financial Managers
General Internal Medicine Physicians
Human Resources Managers
Industrial-Organizational Psychologists
Information Security Analysts
Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates
Lawyers
Marketing Managers
Medical Dosimetrists
Natural Sciences Managers
Neurologists
Nuclear Engineers
Nurse Anesthetists
Nurse Midwives
Nurse Practitioners
Obstetricians and Gynecologists
Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric
Optometrists
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
Orthodontists
Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric
Pediatric Surgeons
Pediatricians, General
Petroleum Engineers
Pharmacists
Physician Assistants
Physicians, All Other
Physicians, Pathologists
Physicists
Podiatrists
Political Scientists
Prosthodontists
Psychiatrists
Public Relations Managers
Purchasing Managers
Radiologists
Sales Managers
Software Developers
Surgeons, All Other
Training and Development Managers
Veterinarians

* This list uses BLS occupational titles. It is not exhaustive and may omit specialized or niche occupations that could also be considered gold collar. See Methodology for classification criteria.

Questions and Answers

What are blue-, white-, and pink-collar jobs?

Blue-collar jobs generally involve manual labor, skilled trades, manufacturing, construction, transportation and similar hands-on work. White-collar jobs are generally characterized by office work and administrative tasks, including professional and managerial roles. Pink-collar jobs are service-oriented occupations, including personal care and food service.

Which state has the most white-collar jobs?

As of 2025, the most recent year for which data is available, Maryland ranks No. 1 for white-collar job concentration. Approximately 52% of its total workforce is employed in white-collar jobs. California has the most total white-collar jobs, about 8.3 million.

Which state has the most blue-collar jobs?

As of 2025, the most recent year for which data is available, approximately 33% of Indiana’s workforce is employed in blue-collar jobs, the largest concentration of blue-collar jobs in the United States. California has the most total blue-collar jobs, about 4.1 million.

Which state has the most pink-collar jobs?

As of 2025, the most recent year for which data is available, approximately 35% of Nevada’s workforce is employed in pink-collar jobs, the largest concentration of pink-collar jobs in the United States. California has the most total pink-collar jobs, about 5.8 million.

Which state has the most gold-collar jobs?

As of 2025, the most recent year for which data is available, approximately 7.4% of jobs in Massachusetts and Washington state are gold-collar, the two largest concentrations of such jobs in the United States. California has the most total gold-collar jobs, about 1.2 million.

Methodology

Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) data from May 2025, the most recent period available, were used to compare employment by occupational category across all 50 states. The 22 major BLS occupational groups were classified as blue collar, white collar or pink collar based on classifications published in the Journal of Money, Credit and Banking (see citation, below), and employment within those groups was summed for each state. Gold-collar occupations were defined as those that typically require at least a bachelor’s degree and have a national median annual wage above the 90th percentile for all occupations; occupation 11-9199 (“Managers, All Other”) was excluded. Sixty-two occupations met these criteria, and all jobs within them were counted as gold collar regardless of individual workers’ education or pay. Gold-collar jobs may overlap with the other categories. The inclusion criteria for gold collar jobs are for purposes of study operationalization, is not exhaustive and may omit specialized or niche occupations that could also be considered gold collar. “Workforce” refers to wage-and-salary jobs covered by OEWS, which excludes self-employed workers and most farm workers and counts jobs rather than individual people. OEWS figures are estimates based on a model-based survey methodology, and small differences between states should not necessarily be interpreted as statistically meaningful. Source data providers are not affiliated with, and do not endorse or sponsor, this study or its findings.

Bredemeier, C., Juessen, F., & Winkler, R. (2023). Bringing back the jobs lost to COVID-19: The role of fiscal policy. Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, 55(7), 1703–1747. https://doi.org/10.1111/jmcb.13005