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When we asked 3,000 Americans who consider themselves ruthless at work to name their industry, we didn’t expect such a fascinating-and at times, surprising-state-by-state breakdown.
From legal eagles in Oregon to hospitality sharks in Alabama, the results are a peek behind the curtain of professional ambition in 2025.
Key Findings
Healthcare Dominates the Map
Workers in 13 states identified healthcare as their most cutthroat field – by far the most dominant across the U.S.
This includes states as varied as Florida, Illinois, Georgia, Rhode Island, and South Dakota.
It could be a reflection of growing burnout, brutal competition for advancement, or just how high the stakes are in patient care.
Legal Takes the Silver Medal
11 states pointed to legal as the most ruthless industry, including Arizona, Oregon, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.
These aren’t all big litigation hubs, which suggests law is viewed as a high-stakes, win-or-die profession no matter where you are.
Notably, New Jersey, Kentucky, and Utah also fell into this category – states not usually associated with “Big Law” reputations.
Tech vs. I.T.: A Quiet Rivalry
Tech was only identified in 2 states as having the most ruthless workers: California (no surprise) and Massachusetts (Boston’s biotech/innovation scene likely a factor).
Meanwhile, three states leaned toward I.T.: North Carolina, New Hampshire, and Delaware.
While tech is often flashy and headline-grabbing, I.T. might be where quiet ruthlessness lives, especially in systems-heavy corporate roles.
Retail and Real Estate: The Cutthroat Underdogs
Retail came out on top in Texas, Ohio, and Vermont. It may reflect the pressures of sales quotas, fast-paced inventory cycles, or brutal management hierarchies, especially in leadership roles.
Real Estate was chosen as the most ruthless in Nevada and Wyoming. High commissions and boom-bust cycles likely play a role, especially in volatile markets like Las Vegas.
Tourism & Hospitality: More Brutal Than You Would Think
Hospitality is the most ruthless industry chosen in Alabama, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, and West Virginia – a mix of travel hubs and rural service economies.
Tourism claimed the top spot in Alaska and Hawaii, where competition for seasonal, high-revenue roles can get fierce.
It’s a reminder that the service industry, often undervalued in workplace studies, may house some of the most quietly competitive dynamics.
Finance Wins Where It Matters
Finance employees in New York, Connecticut, Montana, and North Dakota all admitted to being the most competitive.
While NYC is the obvious finance capital, Montana and North Dakota might reflect a more limited pool of high-earning jobs, where the few finance roles become battlegrounds.
And Connecticut, long home to hedge funds and insurance giants, fits the mold perfectly.
The Outliers
Maine stood alone with engineering, likely tied to the state’s tight-knit, innovation-focused industries like naval shipbuilding and clean energy.
Mississippians’ public service workers are identified as the most ruthless in that state, possibly reflecting a more bureaucratic form of office politics or competition in civil service leadership.
Final Thoughts
What this survey shows is that ruthlessness isn’t limited to boardrooms or Silicon Valley. It’s showing up in hospitals, hotel chains, courthouses, and sales floors.
And while ambition itself isn’t a bad thing, this state-by-state breakdown reminds us that how we pursue success and where we do it can vary wildly depending on the local culture, industry mix, and economic pressure.
Methodology
Online panel survey of 3,000 respondents based on age, gender, and geography. Internal data sources are used to obtain population data sets. We used a two-step process to ensure representativeness through stratified sampling and post-stratification weighting.
Respondents are carefully chosen from a geographically representative online panel of double opt-in members. This selection is further tailored to meet the precise criteria required for each unique survey. Throughout the survey, we design questions to carefully screen and authenticate respondents, guaranteeing the alignment of the survey with the ideal participants.
To ensure the integrity of our data collection, we employ an array of data quality methods. Alongside conventional measures like digital fingerprinting, bot checks, geo-verification, and speeding detection, etc. each response undergoes a thorough review by a dedicated team member to ensure quality and contextual accuracy. Our commitment extends to open-ended responses, subjecting them to scrutiny for gibberish answers and plagiarism detection.