Quiz: Can You Guess the Biggest Industry in Your State?

So, you think you know a lot about your state? You might be surprised to learn that the industries most closely associated with your region are actually not the sectors that power your state’s economy. From agriculture and marketing to technology and manufacturing, one industry always stands out above all others as the state’s heavyweight.

With stats according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and with government jobs and real estate excluded, do you feel confident you’ve got your state’s GDP powerhouse industry pegged? Take this quiz to find out.

A. College Football

B. Ambulatory healthcare services

C. Insurance

Do you know what the biggest industry in Alabama is? Click through to see the answer.

The king of the economic hill in Alabama is ambulatory healthcare services, which does not include private doctors and dentists offices. More than half of all the licensed ambulatory surgery centers in Alabama are organized under the Alabama Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers.

Need a Job? Here Are the Biggest Employers Across America

A. Mining

B. Oil and gas

C. Dogsled racing

One-third of jobs in Alaska are linked to the state’s gargantuan oil and gas industry. The sector is expected to continue providing 90 percent of the state’s revenue, even with prices dropping in an energy slump. Since 1959, Alaska has collected $157 billion in oil money when adjusted for inflation.

A. Oil and gas

B. Environmental tourism

C. Ambulatory healthcare services

Ambulatory care is the biggest growing sector of the Arizona healthcare industry, which dominates the state’s economy. Arizona also ranks No. 5 in the country as far as the growth rate for healthcare jobs, and the industry touches nearly every corner of the job market. The massive industry spans demographics from the highest-paid employees in the state to entry-level workers without degrees.

A. Manufacturing

B. Ambulatory healthcare services

C. Hospital and nursing

As the population of northwest Arkansas continues to grow, the state’s healthcare industry expands to accommodate it. Although major hospitals like Arkansas Children’s Hospital and Mercy Hospital Northwest are undergoing massive expansions worth hundreds of millions of dollars, non-hospital ambulatory care still dominates the industry.

A. Computer and electronic products

B. Agriculture

C. Entertainment

For every job that’s created in California’s massive electronic computer manufacturing sector, 15 other jobs are created in other sectors because of it, the Milken Institute estimates. By comparison, in the rest of the state’s manufacturing industry, the multiplier effect is just 2.5 jobs created as a result. In all, computers and electronics represent nearly 30 percent of the state’s manufacturing exports.

A. Insurance

B. Cattle and beef

C. Oil and gas

In 2016, oil and gas production in Colorado declined for the first time since 2001. But in 2017, production once again increased, according to CNBC, thanks to massive growth in shale production. The fuel industry supports 45,000 generally high-paying jobs in the state. The average annual salary in 2015 for a Colorado energy worker is $107,000.

A. Computer and electronic products

B. Timber

C. Insurance

Connecticut proudly claims it earned the title of the insurance capital of the world. The industry employs 58,700 people in the state and leads the country in most insurance jobs per capita, the highest concentration of actuaries and the biggest amount of state payroll — a full 5.1 percent — dedicated to the sector.

A. Insurance

B. Chemical processing

C. Ambulatory healthcare services

About 13.5 percent of Delaware’s GSP can be traced to the state’s dominant insurance industry. Nearly 8,000 jobs in the small Mid-Atlantic state can be traced to the insurance industry for total compensation of $640 million. The industry’s businesses contributed more than $96 million to the state’s tax base in 2016.

A. Oil and gas

B. Ambulatory healthcare services

C. Insurance

Florida is home to hundreds of ambulatory care centers scattered throughout the state, both hospital-based and in freestanding facilities. They received more than 3 million visits in a single year between 2016 and 2017 alone.

A. Peach exports

B. Insurance

C. Broadcasting and telecommunications

Billing itself as a “camera ready state,” Georgia has worked hard to lure business away from traditional film and television centers like Los Angeles and New York. Since 1972, more than 800 film and television projects have been completed in Georgia, and the state’s 30,000-strong working professionals is one of the largest in the country.

A. Textiles

B. Pineapple exports

C. Accommodation

Around 9 million visitors passed through the island state of Hawaii in 2016, spending about $15.6 billion and contributing about $1.82 billion in tax revenue. That year, the last for which statistics are available, the tourism industry supported 190,000 jobs, which was an increase of 8.6 percent from the year before.

A. Potato farming

B. Ranching

C. Computer and electronic products

Idaho’s advanced manufacturing industry is big and getting bigger, growing 39 percent in the decade between 2004 and 2014 alone. It’s responsible for 5.5 percent of the state’s total workforce and almost 15 percent of the state’s private sector GDP — and the biggest sector in the entire industry is computer and electronic products.

A. Insurance

B. Publishing

C. Chemicals and solvents

The Midwest state of Illinois earns about $1.1 billion in tax revenue from its insurance industry, which provides roughly 145,000 jobs. The industry also invests about $306 billion in the state, a driver of growth that outpaces all of the surrounding states. The average insurance employee there earns 50 percent more than the average worker in Illinois.

A. Chemical products

B. Hospitality

C. Printing

Indiana’s tally of chemical and pharmaceutical companies reads like a who’s who list of the life sciences industry. Eli Lilly and Company, Mead Johnson and Roche Diagnostics are just a few of the state’s heavy hitters in the chemical sector. In total, the industry contributes a massive $62 billion to the state’s economy and employs 56,582 people across 1,700 companies.

A. Agriculture

B. Technology

C. Insurance

In the last 15 years, Iowa has added 4,200 insurance jobs to its state’s dominant industry, which now employs 43,000 people. Just one other state gets a higher percentage of its gross domestic product from the insurance sector. Recently, Iowa has made a major push — largely successful — to attract millennials to join the industry.

A. Finance and accounting

B. Ambulatory healthcare services

C. Insurance

The sprawling Kansas healthcare sector generated $25.7 billion in sales in 2017, according to the Wichita Business Journal. That translated into an income of $14 billion. Along with that, 222,500 people owe their jobs to the industry, with hospitals alone employing 86,324 — but the most dominant segment remains ambulatory services.

A. Hospital and nursing

B. Horse racing

C. Ambulatory healthcare services

The Kentucky healthcare juggernaut employs about 30,000 people in the state, which is bursting with more than 160 health-related facilities. In 2016 alone, a dozen planned facilities were announced — and those facilities were backed up with $157 million in investments. Not all of those, of course, are related to ambulatory services, but that’s the segment that dominates the industry.

A. Ambulatory healthcare services

B. Oil and gas

C. Insurance

Prior to Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana’s healthcare system was dominated by hospitals that operated a vast network of ambulatory care and outpatient services. The storm devastated several area hospitals and other healthcare infrastructure, and the web of ambulatory facilities absorbed a massive crush of patients during post-storm rebuilding.

A. Lobsters and other shellfish

B. Hospital and nursing

C. Insurance

Hospital and nursing services are the kings of the hill in the Maine economy — but a major and sustained shortage of workers is putting a squeeze on the industry. Medical institutions are spending millions in overtime wages to compensate for vacant positions there. The number of unfilled jobs could balloon to 3,000 by 2025.

A. Ambulatory healthcare services

B. Forestry

C. Government

A full 9.5 percent of Maryland employees work in some segment of the healthcare industry. The largest segment in terms of GDP is concentrated in ambulatory healthcare services. The renowned Johns Hopkins medical network is currently folding much of its system of ambulatory services into EpicCare Ambulatory.

A. Insurance

B. Hospital and nursing

C. Publishing

In November 2017, Massachusetts passed comprehensive legislation designed to put the brakes on the state’s snowballing healthcare costs. Part of the bill is controversial, according to a report by the Boston Globe — hospitals could be fined for overspending.

A. Aerospace

B. Hospital and nursing

C. Automotive

Michigan’s massive healthcare industry is big and getting bigger. By 2015, the sector employed more than half a million people and hospitals alone employ 228,000 people. The industry as a whole contributes $35 billion to the state’s economy.

A. Ambulatory healthcare services

B. Hospitality

C. Milling and paper

More than 1 million people come to Minnesota every year just to receive treatment at the Rochester Mayo Clinic, which is part of a vast healthcare industry that contributes heavily to the state’s economy. The largest contributor, however, is not inpatient care — it’s ambulatory services.

A. Petroleum and coal

B. Natural gas

C. Cosmetics manufacturing

The nation is reminded just how critical Mississippi’s energy industry is to the country every time it has to shut down to pause for an arriving hurricane. The Magnolia State is the country’s No. 14 largest crude oil producer and also produces huge amounts of coal, 100 percent of which is low-heat lignite coal.

A. Agriculture

B. Plastics and chemicals

C. Hospital and nursing

Hospital and nursing services do the heavy lifting for the Missouri economy. The industry has grown so large, in fact, that filling vacant positions has become an issue in the state. By 2017, the state’s nursing shortage in hospitals reached an all-time high, the Missourian reported.

A. Timber and forestry

B. Hospital and nursing

C. Oil and coal

In 2016, Montana joined a growing list of states projecting long-term shortages of healthcare workers. About 74,000 employees work in the industry, which is the largest private sector of the state’s entire economy. In all, healthcare represents 14.3 percent of the overall economy in Montana, and the hospital and nursing segment is the biggest driver of all.

A. Agriculture

B. Insurance

C. Ambulatory healthcare services

There are 25,780 insurance carriers, agents and brokers in Nebraska’s insurance sector. When you count foreign insurers, 1,536 insurance companies call the state home. Collectively, the sector is responsible for more than $113 million in total revenue and more than $93 million in taxes.

A. Food service

B. Gaming

C. Accommodation

More than 42.2 million visitors passed through Las Vegas in 2017, filling the city to a capacity of 88.6 percent. When Vegas is mentioned, gambling and entertainment come to mind. But a large part of the accommodation industry pie is credited to the city’s strong convention attendance numbers.

A. Hospital and nursing

B. Insurance

C. Mining

More than 18,200 people depend on the insurance industry for their livelihood in the state of New Hampshire. The $3.9 billion industry accounts for 5.26 percent of the GDP, and the insurance companies that call New Hampshire home pay a collective $113.5 million in taxes.

A. Insurance

B. Ambulatory healthcare services

C. Banking

New Jersey classifies almost 20 kinds of services and facilities as ambulatory care. Over the past 26 years, the number of people employed in the ambulatory care field, which is the biggest in the state, has doubled. During that same time period, ambulatory care has jumped from 35 percent of total healthcare employment to 47 percent.

A. Oil and gas

B. Ambulatory healthcare services

C. Manufacturing

The New Mexico oil and gas industry, which has an almost 50-year history, has invested a collective $13 billion in the Land of Enchantment in recent months. The industry provides more than 100,000 jobs and provides one dollar out of every three that fund the state’s schools, roads, public safety and healthcare services.

A. Entertainment

B. Tourism

C. Federal Reserve banks

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York is responsible for the financial health of the sprawling Second Federal Reserve District. Under its jurisdiction is all of New York, 12 counties in New Jersey, part of Connecticut, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Although its jurisdiction is geographically small, no other Reserve bank tops the Second District’s assets or activity volume.

A. Tourism

B. Milling and paper products

C. Chemical products

The chemical and plastics industry in North Carolina accounts for more than 75,000 jobs, which makes it America’s fifth-largest industry workforce — and it’s also a most highly educated one. The industry is growing at a rate of 1.5 times the national average.

A. Oil and gas

B. Ambulatory healthcare services

C. Cattle and beef

A recent oil boom helped North Dakota emerge as a heavy hitter on the world energy market stage. A global dip in energy prices, however, put the brakes on the industry’s growth. But that decline, according to the Star Tribune, is beginning to turn around. There are now more than 50 rigs actively producing in the state.

A. Agriculture

B. Hospital and nursing

C. Dairy

Healthcare is big business in the Buckeye State. According to VentureBeat, Ohio healthcare startups enjoyed a 206 percent increase in funding in 2017. Even though Ohio is a Rust Belt state that was built on manufacturing, healthcare jobs now outnumber manufacturing jobs.

A. Farming

B. Beef and cattle

C. Oil and gas

Oklahoma is one of America’s top energy producers — and the state’s energy sector is a crucial breadwinner. More than one job in four comes from the energy industry, and the large expansion that began in 2014 is back on track after a setback in 2015. Like all energy states, Oklahoma suffered from a global plunge in energy prices but, according to a 2017 economic impact report, production is picking back up.

A. Timber and forestry

B. Chemicals and plastics

C. Computer and electronic products

Although output declined by .3 percent last year, the computer and electronic products sector is still the biggest segment of Oregon’s powerhouse manufacturing industry. In the country as a whole, computer and electronic products make up just 8.4 percent of manufacturing jobs. In Oregon, that figure jumps to 19 percent.

A. Broadcasting and telecommunications

B. Poultry processing

C. Steel production

Pennsylvania offers lucrative incentives and tax breaks for companies that bring their film, television and broadcasting projects to the Keystone State — and the effort has been paying off. More than 100 films have been shot there since 2000 alone.

A. Fisheries

B. Insurance

C. Hospital and nursing

A long-term need for a sufficient number of qualified workers is plaguing expanding state healthcare systems across the country — and tiny Rhode Island is not immune. Twenty percent of the state’s workforce is already employed in the industry, and the $3 billion sector is only expected to keep expanding. Those with specialized skill sets will be aggressively recruited in coming years to meet the growing demand for talent.

A. Ambulatory healthcare services

B. Tourism

C. Hospital and nursing

The healthcare industry in South Carolina is in a state of rapid consolidation. Two large health systems merged in 2017, creating the largest healthcare conglomerate in the entire state. Now, the massive 13-hospital system will serve the medical needs of a full 1.2 million patients and draw $3.9 billion in net revenue every year — but ambulatory services still dominate the sector.

A. Agriculture

B. Steel production

C. Federal Reserve banks

The entire state of South Dakota is under the jurisdiction of the Ninth Federal Reserve District, which encompasses 12 percent of America’s land mass, but just 3 percent of its population. South Dakota is home to 85 banks in the Fed network — or 11 percent of the entire Fed district.

A. Country music

B. Ambulatory healthcare services

C. Insurance

The Tennessee healthcare industry is so large that Nashville’s healthcare sector alone contributes around $40 billion to the regional economy. The capital city is indeed the epicenter of the industry in Tennessee. More than 250 healthcare-related companies operate in Nashville alone.

A. Oil and gas

B. Cattle, beef and ranching

C. Solar energy

The massive Texas oil and gas industry recently suffered its worst slowdown in three decades thanks to a global drop in energy prices. It appears, however, that the industry has turned a corner. Exports out of the Lonestar State are once again booming, according to OilPrice.

A. Tourism

B. Insurance

C. Federal Reserve banks

The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco oversees the 12th Federal Reserve District, which encompasses the seven Western-most contiguous United States as well as Alaska and Hawaii. It maintains just four major regional branches in the entire massive territory — one of them is in Salt Lake City.

A. Ambulatory healthcare services

B. Maple syrup

C. Skiing and tourism

Like so many other states, Vermont — where ambulatory services dominate the economy — is working feverishly to contain skyrocketing healthcare costs. The solution is what Vermont Public Radio recently referred to as the “$779 million experiment.” The state hired a 47-employee nonprofit “accountable care organization” to unify Vermont’s entire network of hospitals, doctors and nurses in developing more cost-effective treatments.

A. Hospitality and tourism

B. Administrative and support services

C. Commercial fishing

More than 547,000 people work in Vermont’s administrative and support services sector. The area represents one of the highest-paying metro regions for the occupation in the entire country.

A. Timber and forestry

B. Pharmaceuticals

C. Publishing

Washington is part of the Pacific Northwest region known collectively as Cascadia. Home to hundreds of presses, it’s a publishing powerhouse — and Washington is the heart of it all. The state is home to nearly three dozen book publishers alone, and the University of Washington maintains a significant publishing operation.

A. Mining

B. Insurance

C. Advertising

After two centuries of unrelenting mining, most of West Virginia’s legendary coal seams have been depleted — but that doesn’t mean that the industry doesn’t continue to dominate the state. Miners are on track to haul nearly 100 million tons of the fossil fuel out of the state’s mountains.

A. Insurance

B. Dairy

C. The Green Bay Packers

Nearly 81,000 jobs in Wisconsin — and $6 billion in total compensation — come from the state’s booming insurance industry every year. The state’s GSP gets a $15.4 billion bump from Wisconsin’s network of insurance companies, not to mention $196.5 million in tax payments.

A. Oil and gas

B. Cattle and beef

C. Agriculture

The same geological forces that gave Wyoming the Rocky Mountains also created its massive energy reserves. Although the state has less than 3 percent of the nation’s crude oil and contains just 2 to 3 percent of the country’s crude oil production, it serves as a major regional pipeline intersection. Wyoming also ranks among the top five states with the most significant natural gas reserves.