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Counties with the highest share of white-collar workers

Arlington County has the highest share of white-collar workers in the United States: 74% of its workers are in management, business, financial or professional occupations, against 38% in the typical large county.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from public Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census data.

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Key facts

  • #1 Arlington County, VA: 74%
  • #2 District of Columbia, DC: 71%
  • #3 Howard County, MD: 66%
  • 100 counties ranked in the United States
  • Data as of November 2026

For comparison: 38% across the typical large county.

  1. 1Arlington County VA74%
  2. 2District of Columbia DC71%
  3. 3Howard County MD66%
  4. 4New York County NY65%
  5. 5San Francisco County CA63%
  6. 6Loudoun County VA63%
  7. 7Alexandria city VA62%
  8. 8Fairfax County VA62%
  9. 9Charlottesville city VA62%
  10. 10Broomfield County CO61%

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: Arlington County leads on 74%, and #10 Broomfield County is at 61%.
  • Charlottesville city reaches #9 on a sample of 24,867 people in the labor force, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
  • New York County is the largest market in the top ten, with 963,288 people in the labor force behind its figure.
  • Counties with fewer than 20,000 people in the labor force are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.

Why this ranking matters

What it shows

The share of working people in management, business, financial and professional occupations shows where the economy is built around professional work.

How to use it

If your work is professional, counties near the top have more peers, more employers who hire for it, and more local networks.

The top 25

  1. 1

    Arlington County VA

    74%

    Median household income
    $140,160
    People in the labor force
    149,311
    Unemployment
    2.9%

    Based on 149,311 people in the labor force.

    Arlington County job market

  2. 2

    District of Columbia DC

    71%

    Median household income
    $106,287
    People in the labor force
    401,751
    Unemployment
    5.3%

    Based on 401,751 people in the labor force.

    District of Columbia job market

  3. 3

    Howard County MD

    66%

    Median household income
    $146,982
    People in the labor force
    185,084
    Unemployment
    3.0%

    Based on 185,084 people in the labor force.

    Howard County job market

  4. 4

    New York County NY

    65%

    Median household income
    $104,553
    People in the labor force
    963,288
    Unemployment
    4.7%

    Based on 963,288 people in the labor force.

    New York County job market

  5. 5

    San Francisco County CA

    63%

    Median household income
    $141,446
    People in the labor force
    501,440
    Unemployment
    4.0%

    Based on 501,440 people in the labor force.

    San Francisco County job market

  6. 6

    Loudoun County VA

    63%

    Median household income
    $178,707
    People in the labor force
    244,202
    Unemployment
    3.4%

    Based on 244,202 people in the labor force.

    Loudoun County job market

  7. 7

    Alexandria city VA

    62%

    Median household income
    $113,638
    People in the labor force
    97,772
    Unemployment
    3.2%

    Based on 97,772 people in the labor force.

    Alexandria city job market

  8. 8

    Fairfax County VA

    62%

    Median household income
    $150,113
    People in the labor force
    624,457
    Unemployment
    3.4%

    Based on 624,457 people in the labor force.

    Fairfax County job market

  9. 9

    Charlottesville city VA

    62%

    Median household income
    $69,829
    People in the labor force
    24,867
    Unemployment
    3.0%

    Based on 24,867 people in the labor force.

    Charlottesville city job market

  10. 10

    Broomfield County CO

    61%

    Median household income
    $121,025
    People in the labor force
    45,295
    Unemployment
    4.2%

    Based on 45,295 people in the labor force.

    Broomfield County job market

  11. 11

    Middlesex County MA

    61%

    Median household income
    $126,779
    People in the labor force
    932,913
    Unemployment
    3.8%

    Based on 932,913 people in the labor force.

    Middlesex County job market

  12. 12

    Orange County NC

    61%

    Median household income
    $88,553
    People in the labor force
    78,148
    Unemployment
    2.8%

    Based on 78,148 people in the labor force.

    Orange County job market

  13. 13

    Montgomery County MD

    60%

    Median household income
    $128,733
    People in the labor force
    560,766
    Unemployment
    3.2%

    Based on 560,766 people in the labor force.

    Montgomery County job market

  14. 14

    Tompkins County NY

    59%

    Median household income
    $73,012
    People in the labor force
    49,562
    Unemployment
    4.4%

    Based on 49,562 people in the labor force.

    Tompkins County job market

  15. 15

    Norfolk County MA

    59%

    Median household income
    $126,497
    People in the labor force
    415,556
    Unemployment
    3.9%

    Based on 415,556 people in the labor force.

    Norfolk County job market

  16. 16

    Santa Clara County CA

    59%

    Median household income
    $159,674
    People in the labor force
    1,040,676
    Unemployment
    4.2%

    Based on 1,040,676 people in the labor force.

    Santa Clara County job market

  17. 17

    Albemarle County VA

    58%

    Median household income
    $102,617
    People in the labor force
    61,963
    Unemployment
    3.3%

    Based on 61,963 people in the labor force.

    Albemarle County job market

  18. 18

    Delaware County OH

    58%

    Median household income
    $130,088
    People in the labor force
    127,769
    Unemployment
    3.1%

    Based on 127,769 people in the labor force.

    Delaware County job market

  19. 19

    Hunterdon County NJ

    58%

    Median household income
    $139,453
    People in the labor force
    68,579
    Unemployment
    3.3%

    Based on 68,579 people in the labor force.

    Hunterdon County job market

  20. 20

    Douglas County CO

    58%

    Median household income
    $145,737
    People in the labor force
    222,728
    Unemployment
    4.0%

    Based on 222,728 people in the labor force.

    Douglas County job market

  21. 21

    Williamson County TN

    58%

    Median household income
    $131,202
    People in the labor force
    144,926
    Unemployment
    2.7%

    Based on 144,926 people in the labor force.

    Williamson County job market

  22. 22

    King County WA

    58%

    Median household income
    $122,148
    People in the labor force
    1,373,697
    Unemployment
    4.8%

    Based on 1,373,697 people in the labor force.

    King County job market

  23. 23

    Hamilton County IN

    58%

    Median household income
    $117,957
    People in the labor force
    213,172
    Unemployment
    3.1%

    Based on 213,172 people in the labor force.

    Hamilton County job market

  24. 24

    Boulder County CO

    57%

    Median household income
    $102,772
    People in the labor force
    186,817
    Unemployment
    4.4%

    Based on 186,817 people in the labor force.

    Boulder County job market

  25. 25

    Washtenaw County MI

    57%

    Median household income
    $87,156
    People in the labor force
    189,854
    Unemployment
    3.7%

    Based on 189,854 people in the labor force.

    Washtenaw County job market

Full ranking

All 100 counties that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCountyScoreSample
1Arlington County VA74%149,311
2District of Columbia DC71%401,751
3Howard County MD66%185,084
4New York County NY65%963,288
5San Francisco County CA63%501,440
6Loudoun County VA63%244,202
7Alexandria city VA62%97,772
8Fairfax County VA62%624,457
9Charlottesville city VA62%24,867
10Broomfield County CO61%45,295
11Middlesex County MA61%932,913
12Orange County NC61%78,148
13Montgomery County MD60%560,766
14Tompkins County NY59%49,562
15Norfolk County MA59%415,556
16Santa Clara County CA59%1,040,676
17Albemarle County VA58%61,963
18Delaware County OH58%127,769
19Hunterdon County NJ58%68,579
20Douglas County CO58%222,728
21Williamson County TN58%144,926
22King County WA58%1,373,697
23Hamilton County IN58%213,172
24Boulder County CO57%186,817
25Washtenaw County MI57%189,854
26Somerset County NJ57%195,616
27Fulton County GA57%610,302
28Marin County CA57%123,425
29Wake County NC57%698,382
30Durham County NC57%186,784
31Forsyth County GA57%151,568
32Collin County TX56%711,634
33Chester County PA56%307,859
34Travis County TX56%879,546
35York County VA56%33,289
36Johnson County KS56%359,827
37Morris County NJ56%276,643
38Dane County WI55%347,110
39Hennepin County MN55%721,820
40Denver County CO55%444,028
41Dallas County IA55%65,418
42San Mateo County CA55%410,701
43Alameda County CA55%860,492
44Olmsted County MN55%91,173
45Bristol County RI54%26,320
46Oakland County MI54%686,120
47Chittenden County VT54%96,362
48Montgomery County PA54%482,355
49Bergen County NJ53%540,988
50Westchester County NY53%541,409
51Suffolk County MA53%465,838
52Oconee County GA53%23,137
53Boone County IN53%43,372
54Jefferson County CO53%330,197
55Fort Bend County TX52%486,124
56Albany County WY52%22,949
57Williamson County TX52%436,738
58Washington County MN52%152,258
59Monongalia County WV52%57,558
60Anne Arundel County MD52%321,951
61Cumberland County ME52%178,277
62Whitman County WA52%21,492
63Monmouth County NJ52%336,779
64Carver County MN52%63,843
65Montgomery County VA51%48,358
66Frederick County MD51%154,555
67Centre County PA51%78,787
68Denton County TX51%614,643
69Summit County UT51%25,454
70Multnomah County OR51%469,250
71Warren County OH51%132,655
72Madison County AL51%227,978
73Allegheny County PA51%651,551
74St. Johns County FL51%157,720
75Benton County OR51%49,221
76Lewis and Clark County MT51%37,289
77Saratoga County NY51%128,127
78Waukesha County WI50%224,760
79Johnson County IA50%89,903
80Carroll County MD50%96,682
81St. Mary's County MD50%57,828
82Fayette County GA50%60,507
83Nassau County NY50%718,633
84Stafford County VA50%82,889
85Chatham County NC50%40,021
86Washington County OR50%345,574
87Champaign County IL50%110,798
88Albany County NY50%166,802
89Hampshire County MA50%84,724
90St. Louis County MO50%529,673
91Ozaukee County WI50%50,406
92Platte County MO50%63,389
93DuPage County IL50%508,755
94Placer County CA50%208,548
95Rockwall County TX50%75,844
96Oldham County KY50%34,619
97Alachua County FL50%143,983
98Harford County MD50%143,898
99Bucks County PA49%354,013
100Washington County RI49%68,079

How this ranking works

A county's score is the share of its employed residents in management, business, financial and professional occupations, from the Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Only counties with at least 20,000 people in the labor force are ranked. The figure describes where residents work by occupation, not where their employers are.

Sample bar: counties with fewer than 20,000 people in the labor force are not ranked.

Sources: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (occupation by county). Data as of November 2026.

Our job data covers professional roles on the career sites of employers we track, so figures describe that market, not every job. Spot an error? Tell us.

Questions

Which county ranks first: counties with the highest share of white-collar workers?
Arlington County has the highest share of white-collar workers in the United States: 74% of its workers are in management, business, financial or professional occupations, against 38% in the typical large county.
How many counties are ranked?
100 counties have at least 20,000 people in the labor force, so the list has 100 entries.
How is the ranking calculated?
A county's score is the share of its employed residents in management, business, financial and professional occupations, from the Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Only counties with at least 20,000 people in the labor force are ranked. The figure describes where residents work by occupation, not where their employers are.
How often is it updated?
Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.

More rankings

Cite this ranking

NextChapter, “Counties with the highest share of white-collar workers,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/counties-with-the-most-white-collar-workers

Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/counties-with-the-most-white-collar-workers">Counties with the highest share of white-collar workers (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>

Download the data: CSV · JSON. Free to use with a link back.

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