Job Growth by State

The Southern state of Alabama has one of the lowest job growth rates within the United States. In 2022, Governor Kay Ivey signed Senate Bill 224, which makes unemployment benefits dependent on an unemployed person's ability to contact a prospective employer no less than three times each week until they successfully obtain a job.

The state of Alaska has one of the smallest civilian labor forces in the entire United States, as well as simultaneously having a low ranking of job growth rates. In 2021, Senator Lis Murkowski cited that investing in the state's infrastructure was one way to create new jobs in the state.

Arizona has a moderately sized civilian labor force ranking fifteenth in the U.S. and a higher than median percentage of job growth rate. In 2021, Governor Doug Ducey predicted that Arizona would be able to add more than 700,000 jobs to the state's economy by the year 2030.

The state of Arkansas has a moderately low job growth rate by percentage, at 2.6%. Arkansas has a variety of incentives in place in order to increase the likelihood that entrepreneurs will do business in the state and thus provide eligible individuals with employment.

The state of California has one of the highest rates of job growth, ranked fifth in the United States. In 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 257, which is intended to increase the standard of working conditions for fast food workers as well as raise their wages. The bill is called the Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act.

Colorado has a high job growth rate by percentage, at 4.6%. The state has certain protections that safeguard the employment of the residents of Colorado, such as the Keep Jobs in Colorado Act was passed in 2014 and puts forward employment provisions for projects funded by the state.

The state of Connecticut has a moderately low job growth rate by percentage, at 2.6%, in comparison with other states. In 2019, the state's legislature implemented a graduated program for increasing the minimum wage over a series of five years, beginning in 2019 and ending in 2023.

The state of Delaware has an exceptionally high unemployment rate, small civilian labor force and poor job growth rate by percentage. In 2022, House Bill 465 was introduced specifically to create jobs in Delaware's film, television, and video game industries.

Despite having the smallest civilian labor force in the United States, the District of Columbia has a high job growth rate by percentage, at 4.4%. Since the Covid-19 Pandemic has ended, Washington D.C. has seen a steady and sustained growth of jobs.

The state of Florida has one of the highest rates of job growth by percentage in the United States, at 5.3%. In the Southern region, only Georgia has a higher percentage. In order to continue to increase job growth locally within the state, Governor Ron DeSantis granted the city of Marathon $1.3 million dollars for infrastructure improvements.

The Southern state of Georgia has one of the top three highest job growth rates by percentage in the United States, and it simultaneously has one of the nation's largest civilian labor forces. In 2021, Senator Raphael Warnock helped pass the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, which increases funding for science and engineering positions in states such as Georgia.

The state of Hawaii has one of the smallest civilian labor forces in the United States, which is due in part to the state's relatively small size, and also has one of the highest unemployment rates in the U.S. In 2021, House Bill 567 was proposed and passed in order to expand employment through telework jobs, also known as remote work.

The state of Idaho has a low job growth rate by percentage in the United States. In 2022, the state passed the Idaho Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which intends to advertise "demand-driven" employment opportunities to the state's residents.

Illinois has a relatively high rate of job growth, while concurrently having one of the largest civilian labor forces in the country and one of the highest number of unemployed residents. In 2021, Governor JB Pritzker made the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition into a law, which is intended to create "equitable" and "clean" jobs in the state.

Indiana represents the median number of people unemployed throughout the United States, and it boasts of the nation's lowest unemployment rates. Thanks to the Infrastructure and Jobs Act, passed by the Federal Government, Indiana will get $680 million dollars over a five year period to use in investing in employment opportunities.

Though the state of Iowa has a relatively high rate of unemployment, it is lacking in its job growth rate and labor force. However, Governor Kim Reynolds wants to change that by reforming the state's unemployment system and growing the size of the state's law enforcement employees, among other things.

The state of Kansas has the slowest rate of job growth by percentage in the entire United States. In spite of that, it also has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. The state's legislature has not passed recent laws concerning employment, though it has taken aim at reforming its unemployment system.

The state of Kentucky is relatively moderate across the board regarding employment. In 2022, the state's legislature proposed House Bill 308, which is commonly referred to as the Kentucky Rural Jobs Act. One of the things that the Act intends to do is award a tax credit, which was proposed as having a maximum of $15 million, but was suggested in an amendment to be $50 million.

The state of Louisiana has one of the lowest job growth rates by percentage in the nation. In 2021, there was criticism to an amendment to the massive $3.5 trillion dollar Federal infrastructure bill, called the PRO Act. Critics argued that the PRO Act would force Louisiana workers to join a union or forfeit their jobs.

The state of Maryland has a relatively high level of unemployed residents but boasts a large civilian labor force. In 2020, the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Labor, Tiffany P. Robinson, announced that the state's 2020—2024 Workforce Plan was approved by the legislative bodies necessary to start putting the plan in action.

Massachusetts has one of the highest rates of job growth by percentage in the United States. In 2016, Governor Charlie Baker signed H. 4569, dubbed An Act Relative to Job Creation and Workforce Development, for the primary purpose of creating jobs within the state, as well as making housing more accessible for low-income people.

Though Michigan has one of the largest civilian labor forces in the United States, it has a relatively average rate of job growth by percentage. In 2021, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed the Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve (SOAR) to aid small businesses and salvage Michigan's economy after it was essentially halted by the state's reaction to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

The state of Minnesota has the second lowest unemployment rate in the United States. In 2022, the state's legislature proposed HF 2133, which would secure a $25/hour minimum starting wage for school employees, which not only rewards them for the difficult work they do, but incentivizes residents to work at schools.

Mississippi has a relatively below-average civilian labor force size, job growth rate, and total number of unemployed residents. In 2022, the state passed House Bill 1135, the intent of which was to increase and modernize the state's capacity for plastic recycling, and thus create more jobs.

Missouri has a relatively slow rate of job growth by percentage, but its labor force rate of unemployment helps it rank slightly higher than the median. In 2021, it was anticipated that the Federal Infrastructure Bill would aid Missouri as it moved toward growing its clean energy industry.

The state of Montana has one of the nation's lowest unemployment rates and one of the smallest total populations of unemployed residents. Montana has incentivized the creation of more jobs by offering entrepreneurs and business owners a Job Growth Credit, for which they become eligible after hiring a set number of new employees in a given amount of time.

Nebraska has the lowest unemployment rate in the entire United States, though its total unemployed population is not the nation's lowest. In spite of the state's extremely low unemployment rate, organizations like the Platte Institute continue to help create even more jobs in Nebraska today.

The state of Nevada has the highest job growth rate by percentage in the entire United States, and by a significant margin. In 2021, Governor Steve Sisolak signed a series of bills into law, including AB 106, which provided $101 million dollars to assist small businesses in the state emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic.

New Hampshire has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the U.S, and it also has the lowest population of unemployed people in the United States—fewer than 2,000. Congressman Chris Pappas, in 2021, praised the $3.5 trillion bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, celebrating the fact that it would generate many jobs in the state.

New Jersey has a high job growth rate by percentage and a high total number of its population that are unemployed. In a bid to pay the state's residents more, it was announced that the New Jersey minimum wage was increased to $14.13/hour on January 1, 2023.

The state of New Mexico has the second highest unemployment rate in the United States. In 2022, the state's minimum wage increased to $11.50/hour, though in some cities and counties, the minimum wage is greater or lesser than the state's universal minimum, as those jurisdictions have set their own regulations in place.

With nearly half a million people unemployed, the state of New York has one of the largest total populations of unemployed residents in the nation. However, the state boasts an impressive job growth rate percentage, at 5.1%. In 2022, Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill into law to help promote job opportunities within the state. One of the primary tenets of the legislation is the promotion of the New York State Job Bank.

North Carolina has one of the largest civilian labor forces in the United States and a median job growth and unemployment rate. Senator Thom Tills seeks to implement tax cuts and double deductions though the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which would give residents of North Carolina additional money.

North Dakota has one of the lowest job growth rates by percentage and boasts a low unemployment rate, and it has one of the smallest civilian labor forces in the United States. In Governor Doug Burgum's 2022 State Address, it was noted that $250 million dollars would be invested into the state's workforce.

Ohio has quite a large civilian labor force, though it lacks a high rate of job growth by percentage. In 2017, the state passed the Ohio Rural Jobs Act, which created $60 million dollars worth of tax credits that are intended to generate rural jobs in the state.

Although Oklahoma has a relatively low job growth rate by percentage, the state also holds a low unemployment rate. In 2022, it was announced by Governor Kevin Sitt that the Premium Aerospace Center company intended to base its primary headquarters location in Burns Flat, Oklahoma, with the prospects of creating local employment opportunities.

The state of Oregon has a relatively high job growth rate by percentage. Although the state's legislature has not recently passed any bills that affect the state's job growth directly, Oregon's legislature has recently passed Senate Bill 1532, which increases the state's minimum wage.

The state of Pennsylvania has one of the largest civilian labor forces of any U.S. state. It also has a significantly large total unemployed population, as well as a very high unemployment rate. In 2019, Act 76 (formerly House Bill 265) was passed in order to improve the quality of job training and the further development of the state's workforce.

Rhode Island has an exceptionally small civilian labor force, and as a consequence, it also has a very small total population of residents who are unemployed. Rhode Island Senator, Sheldon Whitehouse, has been attempting to further bolster the state's economy by ending tax incentives for moving jobs to other countries where labor is less expensive.

South Carolina is an all around median state regarding the metrics of this topic. It does, however, have a slightly lower total population of unemployed residents than most states. In 2022, the state permanently codified a program entitled S.C. Workforce Industry Needs Scholarship (SCWINS), which offers $17 million in annual scholarships to qualifying students.

South Dakota has an exceptionally low number of unemployed residents, with an unemployment rate of 2.3%. The state offers certain incentives for entrepreneurs and business owners to establish new businesses or expand their existing business, if the total project cost is less than $20 million dollars.

Tennessee's economy has a relatively high job growth rate by percentage, while its total unemployed population remains quite high. Despite the need for the state's economy to continue to grow, in the face of its large civilian labor force post Covid-19 pandemic, the state's legislature has not recently passed laws regarding job growth.

Texas has the second highest rate of job growth in the entire United States. In 2015, Governor Greg Abbott signed House Bill 32 into law, a $2.56 billion package which was intended to jumpstart "a new era of job growth" within the Lone Star State's economy.

Utah is one of the top three states in regard to overall low unemployment rates in the United States. The state also represents the median job growth rate percentage within the U.S. In 2022, Governor Spencer J. Cox signed an amendment to HB 333, which offered changes to the Economic and Workforce Development bill passed in earlier years.

Vermont has one of the lowest rates of job growth by percentage in the United States. Additionally, the state has one of the smallest civilian labor forces in the country and lowest number of unemployed residents. Act 183 was passed in 2022, which will provide more opportunities for workforce development, among other things.

The state of Virginia is ranked moderately for its job growth rate by percentage. Although the Virginian legislature has not recently passed any new laws regarding job growth, it adopted a host of new wage laws in 2021, some of which protect overtime pay.

The state of Washington has one of the nations highest rates of job growth by percentage, and it also has a large unemployed population. In 2022, SB 5761 was signed into law by Governor Jay Inslee. Though unrelated to job growth directly, it will require employers to share salary ranges for open positions.

West Virginia has a relatively small civilian labor force and ranks well for job growth, coming in at sixteenth in the U.S. In 2022, the director of NRDC's Labor Relations, Dan Sawmiller, was very optimistic that the Federally funded Build Back Better plan would bring 70,000 jobs to the state.

The state of Wisconsin has one of the lowest job growth rates by percentage in the United States, a position that it shares with Wyoming. Critics have pointed to the leadership of Governor Tony Evers as being the cause of the near perfect stagnation of job growth within the state.

The state of Wyoming has one of the lowest rates of job growth and one of the smallest civilian labor forces in the nation. Despite the low numbers and percentages, the state has not passed any recent legislation to combat its slow rate of job growth.