In this paper a conceptualization of the structure of positional occupational inequality is presented. Examining the technical division of labor and the social relations of production, three components of positional inequality are derived. They are: inequality in occupational rewards, requirements and resources. The interrelationships among these three components provide an appropriate conceptual context from which to empirically examine social differentiation and inequality at the positional level of analysis. At the positional level of analysis, inequality in intrinsic and extrinsic occupational rewards is attributable to inequality in occupational task requirements and to inequality in the resources available to occupational groups. The viability of the conceptualization is demonstrated with a preliminary analysis of the structure of occupational inequality in the contemporary United States. Where the empirical analysis is methodologically limited or otherwise incomplete, the conceptualization suggests a relatively well defined program for future research. Conceptualization and research at the positional level of analysis is not completely separable from that at the level of individual attainment. The manner in which the occupational structure underlies modes of individual attainment was noted. Some recent attempts to incorporate structural variables into those models are discussed. (Author/AM)