NextChapter

Counties with the highest share of white-collar workers in the West Coast

San Francisco County has the highest share of white-collar workers in the West Coast: 63% of its workers are in management, business, financial or professional occupations, against 39% 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 San Francisco County, CA: 63%
  • #2 Santa Clara County, CA: 59%
  • #3 King County, WA: 58%
  • 86 counties ranked in the West Coast
  • Data as of November 2026

For comparison: 39% across the typical large county.

  1. 1San Francisco County CA63%
  2. 2Santa Clara County CA59%
  3. 3King County WA58%
  4. 4Marin County CA57%
  5. 5San Mateo County CA55%
  6. 6Alameda County CA55%
  7. 7Whitman County WA52%
  8. 8Multnomah County OR51%
  9. 9Benton County OR51%
  10. 10Washington County OR50%

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: San Francisco County leads on 63%, and #10 Washington County is at 50%.
  • Whitman County reaches #7 on a sample of 21,492 people in the labor force, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
  • King County is the largest market in the top ten, with 1,373,697 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

    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

  2. 2

    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

  3. 3

    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

  4. 4

    Marin County CA

    57%

    Median household income
    $142,785
    People in the labor force
    123,425
    Unemployment
    4.3%

    Based on 123,425 people in the labor force.

    Marin County job market

  5. 5

    San Mateo County CA

    55%

    Median household income
    $156,000
    People in the labor force
    410,701
    Unemployment
    3.9%

    Based on 410,701 people in the labor force.

    San Mateo County job market

  6. 6

    Alameda County CA

    55%

    Median household income
    $126,240
    People in the labor force
    860,492
    Unemployment
    4.7%

    Based on 860,492 people in the labor force.

    Alameda County job market

  7. 7

    Whitman County WA

    52%

    Median household income
    $52,893
    People in the labor force
    21,492
    Unemployment
    3.4%

    Based on 21,492 people in the labor force.

    Whitman County job market

  8. 8

    Multnomah County OR

    51%

    Median household income
    $86,247
    People in the labor force
    469,250
    Unemployment
    4.3%

    Based on 469,250 people in the labor force.

    Multnomah County job market

  9. 9

    Benton County OR

    51%

    Median household income
    $76,011
    People in the labor force
    49,221
    Unemployment
    3.9%

    Based on 49,221 people in the labor force.

    Benton County job market

  10. 10

    Washington County OR

    50%

    Median household income
    $104,434
    People in the labor force
    345,574
    Unemployment
    4.1%

    Based on 345,574 people in the labor force.

    Washington County job market

  11. 11

    Placer County CA

    50%

    Median household income
    $114,678
    People in the labor force
    208,548
    Unemployment
    4.4%

    Based on 208,548 people in the labor force.

    Placer County job market

  12. 12

    Contra Costa County CA

    48%

    Median household income
    $125,727
    People in the labor force
    577,458
    Unemployment
    4.8%

    Based on 577,458 people in the labor force.

    Contra Costa County job market

  13. 13

    Santa Cruz County CA

    48%

    Median household income
    $109,266
    People in the labor force
    138,703
    Unemployment
    5.1%

    Based on 138,703 people in the labor force.

    Santa Cruz County job market

  14. 14

    Yolo County CA

    47%

    Median household income
    $88,818
    People in the labor force
    112,553
    Unemployment
    5.5%

    Based on 112,553 people in the labor force.

    Yolo County job market

  15. 15

    San Diego County CA

    47%

    Median household income
    $102,285
    People in the labor force
    1,656,661
    Unemployment
    4.7%

    Based on 1,656,661 people in the labor force.

    San Diego County job market

  16. 16

    Orange County CA

    46%

    Median household income
    $113,702
    People in the labor force
    1,615,890
    Unemployment
    4.3%

    Based on 1,615,890 people in the labor force.

    Orange County job market

  17. 17

    El Dorado County CA

    46%

    Median household income
    $106,190
    People in the labor force
    89,933
    Unemployment
    5.0%

    Based on 89,933 people in the labor force.

    El Dorado County job market

  18. 18

    Deschutes County OR

    45%

    Median household income
    $87,640
    People in the labor force
    111,956
    Unemployment
    3.9%

    Based on 111,956 people in the labor force.

    Deschutes County job market

  19. 19

    Thurston County WA

    45%

    Median household income
    $93,985
    People in the labor force
    144,060
    Unemployment
    3.4%

    Based on 144,060 people in the labor force.

    Thurston County job market

  20. 20

    Snohomish County WA

    45%

    Median household income
    $107,982
    People in the labor force
    466,879
    Unemployment
    4.9%

    Based on 466,879 people in the labor force.

    Snohomish County job market

  21. 21

    Nevada County CA

    45%

    Median household income
    $84,905
    People in the labor force
    47,496
    Unemployment
    4.8%

    Based on 47,496 people in the labor force.

    Nevada County job market

  22. 22

    Clackamas County OR

    44%

    Median household income
    $100,360
    People in the labor force
    227,400
    Unemployment
    4.1%

    Based on 227,400 people in the labor force.

    Clackamas County job market

  23. 23

    Kitsap County WA

    43%

    Median household income
    $98,546
    People in the labor force
    120,336
    Unemployment
    3.5%

    Based on 120,336 people in the labor force.

    Kitsap County job market

  24. 24

    Sonoma County CA

    42%

    Median household income
    $102,840
    People in the labor force
    247,201
    Unemployment
    4.3%

    Based on 247,201 people in the labor force.

    Sonoma County job market

  25. 25

    Benton County WA

    42%

    Median household income
    $87,316
    People in the labor force
    105,654
    Unemployment
    3.5%

    Based on 105,654 people in the labor force.

    Benton County job market

Full ranking

All 86 counties that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCountyScoreSample
1San Francisco County CA63%501,440
2Santa Clara County CA59%1,040,676
3King County WA58%1,373,697
4Marin County CA57%123,425
5San Mateo County CA55%410,701
6Alameda County CA55%860,492
7Whitman County WA52%21,492
8Multnomah County OR51%469,250
9Benton County OR51%49,221
10Washington County OR50%345,574
11Placer County CA50%208,548
12Contra Costa County CA48%577,458
13Santa Cruz County CA48%138,703
14Yolo County CA47%112,553
15San Diego County CA47%1,656,661
16Orange County CA46%1,615,890
17El Dorado County CA46%89,933
18Deschutes County OR45%111,956
19Thurston County WA45%144,060
20Snohomish County WA45%466,879
21Nevada County CA45%47,496
22Clackamas County OR44%227,400
23Kitsap County WA43%120,336
24Sonoma County CA42%247,201
25Benton County WA42%105,654
26San Luis Obispo County CA42%133,280
27Sacramento County CA42%784,917
28Whatcom County WA41%113,440
29Los Angeles County CA41%5,031,013
30Clark County WA41%253,367
31Ventura County CA41%418,002
32Island County WA40%35,421
33Spokane County WA40%261,925
34Napa County CA40%74,282
35Santa Barbara County CA40%226,288
36Butte County CA40%90,577
37Lane County OR39%188,288
38Jackson County OR39%109,826
39Polk County OR39%47,883
40Pierce County WA38%499,802
41Humboldt County CA38%60,296
42Tuolumne County CA38%22,009
43Kittitas County WA38%22,251
44Shasta County CA37%81,542
45Clallam County WA37%30,531
46Walla Walla County WA37%29,289
47Klamath County OR37%29,957
48Skagit County WA36%60,255
49Chelan County WA36%42,163
50Mason County WA36%25,072
51Yamhill County OR36%57,103
52Solano County CA35%218,875
53Marion County OR35%187,060
54Josephine County OR34%35,480
55Linn County OR34%62,850
56Lincoln County OR34%21,259
57Fresno County CA33%478,446
58Riverside County CA33%1,193,416
59Clatsop County OR33%20,406
60San Benito County CA33%35,200
61Franklin County WA33%47,126
62Lewis County WA33%33,964
63Mendocino County CA33%37,131
64Monterey County CA33%227,565
65Coos County OR32%26,940
66Yuba County CA32%36,193
67San Joaquin County CA32%377,180
68San Bernardino County CA32%1,029,285
69Douglas County OR31%46,914
70Columbia County OR31%26,694
71Sutter County CA31%46,200
72Lake County CA31%26,900
73Grant County WA31%47,249
74Cowlitz County WA30%46,732
75Grays Harbor County WA30%29,423
76Stanislaus County CA30%255,342
77Kern County CA30%417,030
78Umatilla County OR29%37,926
79Madera County CA28%71,120
80Yakima County WA28%129,429
81Douglas County WA28%20,670
82Tulare County CA27%217,383
83Tehama County CA27%27,799
84Merced County CA26%125,119
85Imperial County CA25%76,185
86Kings County CA25%59,560

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 west coast?
San Francisco County has the highest share of white-collar workers in the West Coast: 63% of its workers are in management, business, financial or professional occupations, against 39% in the typical large county.
How many counties are ranked?
86 counties have at least 20,000 people in the labor force, so the list has 86 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 West Coast,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/counties-with-the-most-white-collar-workers-in-the-west-coast

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

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