Best & Worst States for Jobs

Job hunting is hard work from searching for employment openings and updating résumés to contacting references and preparing for interviews. Not knowing where to look can make finding a job even more difficult, so narrowing your search area is crucial. Since that part requires research, WalletHub did the homework to help you focus on the most important task: finding your dream position in a place you’ll love.

To determine the most attractive states for employment, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 34 key indicators of job-market strength and economic health. Our data set ranges from employment growth to the median annual income to the average commute time.

For a more local breakdown of the job market, check out WalletHub’s ranking of the Best Cities for Jobs.

“Living in one of the best states for jobs can provide stable conditions for the long-term, helping you ride out the fluctuations that the economy will experience in the future. The best states for jobs make it easier for residents to find and retain jobs, and employers in these states also offer very competitive compensation and benefits. In addition, the top states are great places for people looking to raise a family, ranking among the best states for working parents.”

Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst

Main Findings

Best States to Find a Job

Note: With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that state, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.

Job Opportunities

Most

• 1. North Dakota
• 2. Vermont
• 3. New Hampshire
• 4. South Dakota
• 5. Hawaii

Fewest

• 46. New Jersey
• 47. New York
• 48. Washington
• 49. California
• 50. Nevada

Employment Growth

Highest

• 1. Vermont
• 2. Massachusetts
• 3. Mississippi
• 4. Maine
• 5. Pennsylvania

Lowest

• 46. Idaho
• 47. Iowa
• 48. Washington
• 49. Colorado
• 50. Utah

Monthly Average Starting Salary

Highest

• 1. Washington
• 2. Texas
• 3. New York
• 4. Virginia
• 5. Georgia

Lowest

• 46. Vermont
• 47. Rhode Island
• 48. Hawaii
• 49. Mississippi
• 50. Alaska

Best State vs. Worst State: 2x Difference

Washington vs. Alaska

Unemployment Rate

Lowest

• T-1. South Dakota
• T-1. New Hampshire
• T-1. Vermont
• T-1. North Dakota
• T-1. Maryland

Highest

• T-46. California
• T-46. Ohio
• T-46. Washington
• 49. Illinois
• 50. Nevada

Best State vs. Worst State: 3x Difference

South Dakota vs. Nevada

Median Annual Income

Highest

• 1. Virginia
• 2. Utah
• 3. Minnesota
• 4. New Jersey
• 5. Colorado

Lowest

• 46. Mississippi
• 47. Louisiana
• 48. New Mexico
• 49. Maine
• 50. West Virginia

Best State vs. Worst State: 2x Difference

Virginia vs. West Virginia

Time Spent Working

Shortest

• 1. Utah
• 2. Vermont
• 3. Rhode Island
• 4. Oregon
• T-5. Connecticut
• T-5. Massachusetts

Longest

• T-45. North Dakota
• T-45. South Dakota
• T-48. Texas
• T-48. Wyoming
• 50. Alaska

Time Spent Commuting

Shortest

• 1. South Dakota
• 2. North Dakota
• 3. Wyoming
• 4. Montana
• 5. Nebraska

Longest

• 46. California
• 47. Massachusetts
• 48. New Jersey
• 49. Maryland
• 50. New York

Best State vs. Worst State: 2x Difference

South Dakota vs. New York

Work-Related Stress

Lowest

• 1. Montana
• 2. Mississippi
• 3. South Carolina
• 4. Maine
• 5. Maryland

Highest

• 46. Washington
• 47. West Virginia
• 48. Alabama
• 49. Oregon
• 50. New Hampshire

Show More

In-Depth Look at the Best States for Jobs

New Hampshire

New Hampshire is the best state for jobs, in large part because it has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, at just 2%. It also has the third-most job opportunities per capita. Plus, the number of available jobs in New Hampshire increases by around 1.7% per year, the seventh-highest in the nation, so there will be even more opportunities in the future.

Once people get jobs in New Hampshire, they’re also likely to keep them, as the state has the seventh-best job security. In addition, the Granite State has the third-highest share of workers with private health insurance and the 7th-best access to employer-based retirement plans. Workers who have access to benefits like these enjoy a higher quality of life.

To top things off, New Hampshire has the lowest percentage of the workforce living in poverty, which demonstrates that workers are generally receiving reasonable pay. New Hampshire also ranks as the seventh-best state for working dads and 15th-best for working moms.

Vermont

Vermont is the second-best state for jobs, and it has a 2% unemployment rate, one of the lowest in the country. It also has the highest average annual growth rate for the number of available jobs, along with the second-highest number of job opportunities per capita. In addition, people who find themselves out of work in Vermont typically don’t stay unemployed for long. Only 0.5% of the labor force has been unemployed for 15 weeks or longer, the third-lowest percentage in the country.

Workers in the Green Mountain State enjoy good job conditions, too. For example, they only work an average of 37.5 hours per week, the second-fewest hours in the country. It also only takes residents an average of around 23 minutes to get to work, the 14th-shortest commute. On top of that, Vermonters have the fifth-best job security in the nation and the 6th-best access to employer-based retirement plans.

Finally, Vermont has the fifth-lowest income tax burden for people making $25,000 or less per year and the 10th-lowest burden for people earning between $25,000 and $50,000. It’s also the seventh-best state for working moms and 14th-best for working dads.

Minnesota

Minnesota ranks as the third-best state for jobs, in large part because it has the third-highest median household income, at over $82,000, adjusted for the cost of living. It also has the 10th-highest average monthly starting salary, at nearly $3,900.

In addition to great compensation, Minnesota workers have good access to benefits. The state has the 9th-highest share of workers with private health insurance and the 6th-best access to employer-based retirement plans.

The Land of 10,000 Lakes has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, too, at just 2.7%. It also has the 13th-most job opportunities per capita. And for workers who are parents, Minnesota is the fourth-best state for both working moms and working dads.

Ask the Experts

The future of U.S. jobs is impacted by many factors, including the economic environment and innovations. To gauge the possible effects of each and find ways to strengthen the labor market, we asked a panel of experts to share their thoughts on the following key questions:

1. What types of jobs do you think are most threatened by automation/the rise of robots? What jobs are least threatened?
2. What fields are expected to experience the highest rate of job growth in the next 10 years?
3. What can we expect from the job market in 2025?
4. How can local policymakers help diversify and strengthen local economies?
5. Are there any models for re-training displaced workers that have proven successful?

Ask the Experts

Saba Rasheed Ali
Ph.D. – Professor, Counseling Psychology; Associate Dean for Research; Licensed Psychologist; Associate Editor, Journal of Career Assessment, College of Education – University of Iowa
Read More

Don Kjelleren
Executive Director, '68 Center for Career Exploration – Williams College
Read More

Daniel E. Goldberg
Ed.D. – Associate Professor of Instruction; Academic Director of the Business Management BBA Program, Department of Management, Fox School of Business – Temple University
Read More

C. Darren Brooks
Ph.D. – MBA Program Director, Assistant Department Chair, Senior Lecturer – Florida State University, College of Business
Read More

Methodology

In order to determine the best states for jobs, WalletHub compared the 50 states across two key dimensions: Job Market and Economic Environment. We assigned a heavier weight to the former, considering the factors in that category most heavily influence a job seeker’s decision regarding relocation for employment.

We evaluated the two dimensions using 34 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for job seekers.

We then determined each state’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.

Job Market – Total Points: 60

• Job Opportunities: Double Weight (~3.75 Points)
  Note: This metric was calculated as follows: Number of Job Openings per Total Population in Labor Force – Unemployment Rate.
• Employment Growth: Triple Weight (~5.63 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the rate of annual job growth (adjusted by the working-age population growth).
• Unemployment Rate: Double Weight (~3.75 Points)
• Share of Civilian Labor Force Unemployed 15 Weeks or Longer: Full Weight (~1.88 Points)
• Underemployment Rate: Double Weight (~3.75 Points)
• Industry Variety: Full Weight (~1.88 Points)
• Employment Outlook: Triple Weight (~5.63 Points)
  Note: This metric is based on the Gallup's Job Creation Index.
• AI Risk: Full Weight (~1.88 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the most at risk states for AI job losses.
• Job Security: Triple Weight (~5.63 Points)
  Note: This metric was calculated as follows: (Number of Employees in May 2024 – Number of Employees in May 2023) / Number of Employees in May 2023.
• Share of Work-Related Stressed Tweets: Full Weight (~1.88 Points)
  Note: This metric is based on PlushCare’s analysis of retrieved geotagged tweets from 340 major cities in the U.S.
• Share of Engaged Workers: Full Weight (~1.88 Points)
  Note: This metric is based on Gallup’s “State of the American Workplace” report. Gallup defines engaged employees as those who are involved in, enthusiastic about and committed to their work and workplace.
• Share of Discouraged Workers: Full Weight (~1.88 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the percentage of people marginally attached to the labor force who did not actively look for work in the prior 4 weeks for reasons such as thinks no work available, could not find work, lacks schooling or training, employer thinks too young or old, and other types of discrimination.
• Employer-Based Retirement Access & Participation: Full Weight (~1.88 Points)
• Employee Benefits: Full Weight (~1.88 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the share of employees with private health insurance.
• Presence of Work-Share Programs: Full Weight (~1.88 Points)
  Note: This binary metric measures the presence or absence of state programs that allow employers to temporarily reduce employees' work hours instead of laying them off during economic downturns.
• Presence of State Nondiscrimination Laws & Policies: Full Weight (~1.88 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the presence or absence of state laws and policies that protect workers against discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender.
• State’s Statute on Hiring Based on Salary History: Full Weight (~1.88 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the presence or absence of salary history bans in a state.
• Worker Protection Score: Full Weight (~1.88 Points)
  Note: The policies include:
  • Protections for women who are pregnant and breastfeeding.
  • Mandates for equal pay, pay secrecy.
  • Leave for non-FMLA workers because of less time on the job; leave longer than federal FMLA.
  • Mandate for paid sick leave.
  • Protections around flexible scheduling, reporting pay, split shift pay, advance notice.
  • Protections around sexual harassment.
• Share of Part-Time Employees: Full Weight (~1.88 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the number of part-time employees for every 100 full-time employees. A greater share of full-time employees is ideal.
• Availability of Internships: Double Weight (~3.75 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the number of internships per total civilian population aged 16 to 24 years in the labor force.
• 4+ Star Job Opportunities per Total People in Labor Force: Full Weight (~1.88 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the number of job opportunities at 4+ star rated companies on Glasssdoor.com per the total number of people in the labor force.
• Disability-Friendliness of Employers: Full Weight (~1.88 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the percentage of persons with disabilities who are employed.

Economic Environment – Total Points: 40

• Median Annual Income: Double Weight (~5.00 Points)
  Note: This metric was adjusted by the cost of living.
• Monthly Average Starting Salary: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
• Share of Workers Living in Poverty: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
• Average Length of Work Week (in Hours): Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
• Share of Workers with Multiple Jobs: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
• Average Commute Time (in Minutes): Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
• Commuter-Friendly Jobs (Number of Jobs Accessible by a 30-Minute Transit Ride): Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
• Earned Income-Tax Credit: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
  Note: This binary metric measures the presence or absence of state earned income tax credit.
• State Income-Tax Burden for Low-Income Earners (as Share of Income): Double Weight (~5.00 Points)
• State Income-Tax Burden for Middle-Income Earners (as Share of Income): Double Weight (~5.00 Points)
• State Income-Tax Burden for High-Income Earners (as Share of Income): Double Weight (~5.00 Points)
• Working Moms & Dads Rankings: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
  Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “Best & Worst States for Working Moms” & “Best & Worst States for Working Dads” reports.

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected as of August 15, 2024 from U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Indeed.com, Gallup-Healthways, United Health Foundation, ThreeMovers.com, PlushCare, The Economic Innovation Group, National Conference of State Legislatures, Council for Community and Economic Research, Tax Credits for Workers and Their Families, ITEP, Movement Advancement Project, Industry Dive, Oxfam America, Glassdoor, The Center for Neighborhood Technology and WalletHub research.

Supporting Video Files:

• YouTube - National (for web embedding)
• YouTube - New Hampshire (for web embedding)
• Raw video files (for editing into clips)