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Counties with the highest share of white-collar workers in the Great Lakes

Delaware County has the highest share of white-collar workers in the Great Lakes: 58% of its workers are in management, business, financial or professional occupations, against 37% 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 Delaware County, OH: 58%
  • #2 Hamilton County, IN: 58%
  • #3 Washtenaw County, MI: 57%
  • 100 counties ranked in the Great Lakes
  • Data as of November 2026

For comparison: 37% across the typical large county.

  1. 1Delaware County OH58%
  2. 2Hamilton County IN58%
  3. 3Washtenaw County MI57%
  4. 4Dane County WI55%
  5. 5Hennepin County MN55%
  6. 6Olmsted County MN55%
  7. 7Oakland County MI54%
  8. 8Boone County IN53%
  9. 9Washington County MN52%
  10. 10Carver County MN52%

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: Delaware County leads on 58%, and #10 Carver County is at 52%.
  • Boone County reaches #8 on a sample of 43,372 people in the labor force, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
  • Hennepin County is the largest market in the top ten, with 721,820 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

    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

  2. 2

    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

  3. 3

    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

  4. 4

    Dane County WI

    55%

    Median household income
    $88,108
    People in the labor force
    347,110
    Unemployment
    2.5%

    Based on 347,110 people in the labor force.

    Dane County job market

  5. 5

    Hennepin County MN

    55%

    Median household income
    $96,339
    People in the labor force
    721,820
    Unemployment
    4.7%

    Based on 721,820 people in the labor force.

    Hennepin County job market

  6. 6

    Olmsted County MN

    55%

    Median household income
    $93,494
    People in the labor force
    91,173
    Unemployment
    3.7%

    Based on 91,173 people in the labor force.

    Olmsted County job market

  7. 7

    Oakland County MI

    54%

    Median household income
    $95,296
    People in the labor force
    686,120
    Unemployment
    4.7%

    Based on 686,120 people in the labor force.

    Oakland County job market

  8. 8

    Boone County IN

    53%

    Median household income
    $104,865
    People in the labor force
    43,372
    Unemployment
    3.1%

    Based on 43,372 people in the labor force.

    Boone County job market

  9. 9

    Washington County MN

    52%

    Median household income
    $114,457
    People in the labor force
    152,258
    Unemployment
    4.3%

    Based on 152,258 people in the labor force.

    Washington County job market

  10. 10

    Carver County MN

    52%

    Median household income
    $123,144
    People in the labor force
    63,843
    Unemployment
    3.9%

    Based on 63,843 people in the labor force.

    Carver County job market

  11. 11

    Warren County OH

    51%

    Median household income
    $107,843
    People in the labor force
    132,655
    Unemployment
    3.2%

    Based on 132,655 people in the labor force.

    Warren County job market

  12. 12

    Waukesha County WI

    50%

    Median household income
    $104,100
    People in the labor force
    224,760
    Unemployment
    2.7%

    Based on 224,760 people in the labor force.

    Waukesha County job market

  13. 13

    Champaign County IL

    50%

    Median household income
    $63,091
    People in the labor force
    110,798
    Unemployment
    3.6%

    Based on 110,798 people in the labor force.

    Champaign County job market

  14. 14

    Ozaukee County WI

    50%

    Median household income
    $96,734
    People in the labor force
    50,406
    Unemployment
    2.7%

    Based on 50,406 people in the labor force.

    Ozaukee County job market

  15. 15

    DuPage County IL

    50%

    Median household income
    $110,502
    People in the labor force
    508,755
    Unemployment
    3.8%

    Based on 508,755 people in the labor force.

    DuPage County job market

  16. 16

    Monroe County IN

    49%

    Median household income
    $63,372
    People in the labor force
    72,239
    Unemployment
    3.7%

    Based on 72,239 people in the labor force.

    Monroe County job market

  17. 17

    Greene County OH

    49%

    Median household income
    $85,218
    People in the labor force
    83,492
    Unemployment
    3.4%

    Based on 83,492 people in the labor force.

    Greene County job market

  18. 18

    Union County OH

    48%

    Median household income
    $109,506
    People in the labor force
    38,434
    Unemployment
    2.9%

    Based on 38,434 people in the labor force.

    Union County job market

  19. 19

    Ramsey County MN

    47%

    Median household income
    $81,004
    People in the labor force
    290,396
    Unemployment
    4.8%

    Based on 290,396 people in the labor force.

    Ramsey County job market

  20. 20

    Lake County IL

    47%

    Median household income
    $108,917
    People in the labor force
    365,784
    Unemployment
    3.6%

    Based on 365,784 people in the labor force.

    Lake County job market

  21. 21

    McLean County IL

    47%

    Median household income
    $78,329
    People in the labor force
    92,333
    Unemployment
    3.3%

    Based on 92,333 people in the labor force.

    McLean County job market

  22. 22

    Dakota County MN

    47%

    Median household income
    $105,212
    People in the labor force
    252,001
    Unemployment
    4.4%

    Based on 252,001 people in the labor force.

    Dakota County job market

  23. 23

    Franklin County OH

    47%

    Median household income
    $73,795
    People in the labor force
    725,120
    Unemployment
    3.4%

    Based on 725,120 people in the labor force.

    Franklin County job market

  24. 24

    Hamilton County OH

    46%

    Median household income
    $70,816
    People in the labor force
    430,532
    Unemployment
    3.5%

    Based on 430,532 people in the labor force.

    Hamilton County job market

  25. 25

    Hendricks County IN

    46%

    Median household income
    $99,988
    People in the labor force
    105,533
    Unemployment
    3.1%

    Based on 105,533 people in the labor force.

    Hendricks County job market

Full ranking

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

RankCountyScoreSample
1Delaware County OH58%127,769
2Hamilton County IN58%213,172
3Washtenaw County MI57%189,854
4Dane County WI55%347,110
5Hennepin County MN55%721,820
6Olmsted County MN55%91,173
7Oakland County MI54%686,120
8Boone County IN53%43,372
9Washington County MN52%152,258
10Carver County MN52%63,843
11Warren County OH51%132,655
12Waukesha County WI50%224,760
13Champaign County IL50%110,798
14Ozaukee County WI50%50,406
15DuPage County IL50%508,755
16Monroe County IN49%72,239
17Greene County OH49%83,492
18Union County OH48%38,434
19Ramsey County MN47%290,396
20Lake County IL47%365,784
21McLean County IL47%92,333
22Dakota County MN47%252,001
23Franklin County OH47%725,120
24Hamilton County OH46%430,532
25Hendricks County IN46%105,533
26Cook County IL46%2,707,866
27Livingston County MI45%101,150
28Warrick County IN45%33,648
29Sangamon County IL45%91,562
30Scott County MN45%90,683
31Johnson County IN45%90,361
32Medina County OH44%101,039
33Ingham County MI44%139,224
34Peoria County IL44%84,412
35St. Croix County WI44%55,536
36Cuyahoga County OH44%629,048
37Tippecanoe County IN44%101,622
38Hancock County IN44%48,913
39Bartholomew County IN43%39,488
40Midland County MI43%38,572
41Wright County MN43%86,163
42Clay County MN43%35,951
43Kalamazoo County MI43%127,605
44Washington County WI42%76,937
45Kendall County IL42%76,044
46Kent County MI42%332,968
47Clinton County MI42%38,465
48Athens County OH42%27,333
49Summit County OH41%269,402
50Geauga County OH41%49,958
51Clermont County OH41%109,926
52McHenry County IL41%174,662
53Grand Traverse County MI41%50,621
54Floyd County IN41%42,518
55Ottawa County MI41%150,460
56Fairfield County OH41%83,516
57Will County IL40%380,503
58St. Joseph County IN40%130,967
59Madison County IL40%132,941
60Montgomery County OH40%255,117
61Jackson County IL40%24,414
62Wood County OH40%67,973
63Milwaukee County WI40%458,482
64Lake County OH40%126,455
65Anoka County MN40%205,911
66Marion County IN40%520,621
67La Crosse County WI40%67,180
68Williamson County IL40%31,807
69Butler County OH40%196,312
70Tazewell County IL40%63,830
71St. Clair County IL39%120,714
72Licking County OH39%91,877
73Eau Claire County WI39%61,428
74Porter County IN39%89,874
75Outagamie County WI39%106,354
76Eaton County MI39%52,082
77St. Louis County MN39%97,699
78Kane County IL39%270,480
79Allen County IN39%205,594
80Calumet County WI39%29,999
81Lorain County OH39%158,110
82Dearborn County IN39%27,395
83Crow Wing County MN38%34,170
84Columbia County WI38%32,165
85Brown County WI38%149,875
86Kenosha County WI38%97,124
87Berrien County MI38%69,803
88Douglas County MN38%21,375
89Portage County WI38%39,252
90Chisago County MN38%31,628
91Sherburne County MN38%57,029
92Macomb County MI38%448,407
93Blue Earth County MN38%40,641
94Winona County MN37%28,386
95Green County WI37%21,118
96Portage County OH37%84,047
97Marathon County WI37%74,367
98Benton County MN37%22,399
99Stearns County MN37%87,353
100Kandiyohi County MN37%22,983

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 in the great lakes?
Delaware County has the highest share of white-collar workers in the Great Lakes: 58% of its workers are in management, business, financial or professional occupations, against 37% 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 in the Great Lakes,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/counties-with-the-most-white-collar-workers-in-the-great-lakes

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

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

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