Introduction
At-will employment is a widely recognized employment arrangement in the United States, where an employer can terminate an employee at any time, for any reason, as long as it is not illegal. The majority of states in America have embraced at-will employment. Notably, Montana is the only state that does not adhere to any form of at-will employment doctrine.
Although the at-will employment doctrine is widely accepted in the United States, there may be regional variations in labor laws and practices that could impact the application and interpretation of at-will employment. it is also important to note that there are certain exceptions to at-will employment, such as when termination violates federal or state anti-discrimination laws or when an employment contract explicitly states otherwise.
At Will States
| State | At-Will Employment Status | Right to Work Status |
|---|---|---|
| Montana | No | No |
| Alabama | Yes | Yes |
| Alaska | Yes | No |
| Arizona | Yes | Yes |
| Arkansas | Yes | Yes |
| California | Yes | No |
| Colorado | Yes | No |
| Connecticut | Yes | No |
| Delaware | Yes | No |
| Florida | Yes | Yes |
| Georgia | Yes | Yes |
| Hawaii | Yes | No |
| Idaho | Yes | Yes |
| Illinois | Yes | No |
| Indiana | Yes | Yes |
| Iowa | Yes | Yes |
| Kansas | Yes | Yes |
| Kentucky | Yes | Yes |
| Louisiana | Yes | Yes |
| Maine | Yes | No |
| Maryland | Yes | No |
| Massachusetts | Yes | No |
| Michigan | Yes | Yes |
| Minnesota | Yes | No |
| Mississippi | Yes | Yes |
| Missouri | Yes | No |
| Nebraska | Yes | Yes |
| Nevada | Yes | Yes |
| New Hampshire | Yes | No |
| New Jersey | Yes | No |
| New Mexico | Yes | No |
| New York | Yes | No |
| North Carolina | Yes | Yes |
| North Dakota | Yes | Yes |
| Ohio | Yes | No |
| Oklahoma | Yes | Yes |
| Oregon | Yes | No |
| Pennsylvania | Yes | No |
| Rhode Island | Yes | No |
| South Carolina | Yes | Yes |
| South Dakota | Yes | Yes |
| Tennessee | Yes | Yes |
| Texas | Yes | Yes |
| Utah | Yes | Yes |
| Vermont | Yes | No |
| Virginia | Yes | Yes |
| Washington | Yes | No |
| West Virginia | Yes | Yes |
| Wisconsin | Yes | Yes |
| Wyoming | Yes | Yes |
At Will Employment States
Alabama
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
Alabama is an at-will state.
Alaska
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
Alaska is an at will state, but it provides certain exemptions based on public policy, covenants of good faith, and implied contract exceptions.
Arizona
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
Arizona is an at will employment state, with exemptions for public policy, covenants of good faith, and implied contracts.
Arkansas
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
Arkansas is an at will state with exemptions for public policy, covenants of good faith, and implied contract exceptions.
California
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
California, although an at will state, has exemptions for public policy, covenants of good faith, and implied contract exceptions.
Colorado
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
In Colorado, employers have the right to terminate employees at will, but there are exemptions for public policy, covenants of good faith, and implied contracts.
Connecticut
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
Connecticut is an at-will state with exemptions for public policy, covenants of good faith, and implied contracts.
Delaware
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
Delaware is an at-will state with exemptions for public policy and covenants of good faith but lacks an implied contract exception.
Florida
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
Florida is an at-will state without any exemptions.
Georgia
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
Georgia is an at will state.
Hawaii
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
Hawaii is an at-will state with exemptions for public policy, covenants of good faith, and implied contracts.
Idaho
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
Idaho is an at will employment state, with exemptions for public policy, covenants of good faith, and implied contracts.
Illinois
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
Illinois is an at-will state with exemptions for public policy, covenants of good faith, and implied contracts.
Indiana
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
In Indiana, employers have the right to terminate employees at will, with exemptions for public policy and implied contracts.
Iowa
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
Iowa is an at-will state with exemptions for public policy, covenants of good faith, and implied contracts.
Kansas
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
Kansas is an at will employment state, with exemptions for public policy, covenants of good faith, and implied contracts.
Kentucky
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
Kentucky is an at will state with exemptions for public policy, covenants of good faith, and implied contracts.
Louisiana
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
Louisiana is an at-will state without any exemptions.
Maine
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
Maine is an at will state without exemptions for public policy and covenants of good faith but provides an implied contract exception.
Maryland
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
Maryland is an at will state with exemptions for public policy, covenants of good faith, and implied contracts.
Massachusetts
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
Massachusetts is an at-will state with exemptions for public policy and covenants of good faith but lacks an implied contract exception.
Michigan
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
Michigan is an at-will state with exemptions for public policy, covenants of good faith, and implied contracts.
Minnesota
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
Minnesota follows the at will employment doctrine, with exemptions for public policy, covenants of good faith, and implied contracts.
Mississippi
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
Mississippi is an at will state with exemptions for public policy, covenants of good faith, and implied contracts.
Missouri
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
Missouri follows the at-will employment doctrine, with exemptions for public policy and implied contracts but lacks a covenant of good faith exception.
Montana
At-Will Employment Status
No
Montana is not an at-will state.
Nebraska
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
Nebraska is an at will state with exemptions for public policy, implied contracts, and covenants of good faith.
Nevada
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
Nevada follows the at-will employment doctrine, with exemptions for public policy, covenants of good faith, and implied contracts.
New Hampshire
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
New Hampshire is an at will state with exemptions for public policy, covenants of good faith, and implied contracts.
New Jersey
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
New Jersey follows the at will employment doctrine, with exemptions for public policy, covenants of good faith, and implied contracts.
New Mexico
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
New Mexico is an at-will state with exemptions for public policy, covenants of good faith, and implied contracts.
New York
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
New York is an at-will state without exemptions for public policy but provides exemptions for implied contracts.
North Carolina
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
North Carolina follows the at-will employment doctrine, with exemptions for public policy and implied contracts but lacks a covenant of good faith exception.
North Dakota
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
North Dakota is an at will state with exemptions for public policy, covenants of good faith, and implied contracts.
Ohio
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
Ohio is an at-will state with exemptions for public policy, covenants of good faith, and implied contracts.
Oklahoma
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
Oklahoma follows the at-will employment doctrine, with exemptions for public policy, covenants of good faith, and implied contracts.
Oregon
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
Oregon is an at will state with exemptions for public policy, covenants of good faith, and implied contracts.
Pennsylvania
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
Pennsylvania follows the at-will employment doctrine, with exemptions for public policy and implied contract but lacks a covenant of good faith exception.
Rhode Island
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
Rhode Island is an at will state without any exemptions.
South Carolina
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
South Carolina is an at will state with exemptions for public policy, covenants of good faith, and implied contracts.
South Dakota
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
South Dakota is an at will state with exemptions for public policy, covenant sof good faith, and implied contracts.
Tennessee
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
Tennessee is an at-will state with exemptions for public policy, covenants of good faith, and implied contracts.
Texas
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
Texas follows the at will employment doctrine, with exemptions for public policy and implied contracts but lacks a covenant of good faith exception.
Utah
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
Utah is an at will state with exemptions for public policy, covenants of good faith, and implied contracts.
Vermont
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
Vermont is an at-will state with exemptions for public policy, covenants of good faith, and implied contracts.
Virginia
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
Virginia follows the at-will employment doctrine, with exemptions for public policy and implied contracts but lacks a covenant of good faith exception.
Washington
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
Washington is an at will state with exemptions for public policy, covenants of good faith, and implied contracts.
West Virginia
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
West Virginia is an at will state with exemptions for public policy, covenants of good faith, and implied contracts.
Wisconsin
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
Wisconsin is an at will state with exemptions for public policy, covenants of good faith, and implied contracts.
Wyoming
At-Will Employment Status
Yes
Wyoming is an at-will state with exemptions for public policy, covenants of good faith, and implied contracts.
FAQs
What states are not at will employment ?
Montana is the only state that does not have any type of at will employment.
What states are at will states ?
The majority of states in the U.S. follow the at-will employment doctrine, including Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
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