The labor market is still doing relatively well. The national labor force participation rate is slightly above pre-pandemic levels, at 62.7% as of September 2024, and the unemployment rate is 4.1%. Plus, employees have been getting progressively less inclined to leave their employers, allowing companies to focus on filling new positions rather than simply backfilling them from employee turnover. Despite these positive statistics, though, many businesses are still facing labor shortages, finding it difficult to hire new employees.
Workers are easier to find in some states than others. To see where employers are struggling the most in hiring, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on the rate of job openings for the latest month and the last 12 months.
Main Findings
| State | Rank |
|---|---|
| Alaska | 1 |
| Utah | 2 |
| West Virginia | 3 |
| Oklahoma | 4 |
| South Carolina | 5 |
| Georgia | 6 |
| Virginia | 7 |
| Kentucky | 8 |
| Montana | 9 |
| Maryland | 10 |
| Minnesota | 11 |
| New Mexico | 12 |
| Wyoming | 13 |
| Louisiana | 14 |
| Idaho | 15 |
| Arkansas | 16 |
| Alabama | 17 |
| Mississippi | 18 |
| Arizona | 19 |
| Colorado | 20 |
| Oregon | 21 |
| Delaware | 22 |
| South Dakota | 23 |
| Missouri | 24 |
| North Dakota | 25 |
| Ohio | 26 |
| Maine | 27 |
| North Carolina | 28 |
| Nevada | 29 |
| Tennessee | 30 |
| Wisconsin | 31 |
| Massachusetts | 32 |
| Rhode Island | 33 |
| Nebraska | 34 |
| Illinois | 35 |
| Kansas | 36 |
| New Hampshire | 37 |
| Iowa | 38 |
| Florida | 39 |
| Michigan | 39 |
| Pennsylvania | 41 |
| Vermont | 42 |
| Texas | 43 |
| New Jersey | 44 |
| District of Columbia | 45 |
| Connecticut | 46 |
| Indiana | 47 |
| New York | 48 |
| Washington | 49 |
| Hawaii | 50 |
| California | 51 |
| Rank | State | Job Openings Rate (Latest Month) | Job Openings Rate (Last 12 Months) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | 6.60% | 7.06% |
| 2 | Utah | 6.70% | 5.12% |
| 3 | West Virginia | 6.00% | 6.44% |
| 4 | Oklahoma | 6.20% | 6.02% |
| 5 | South Carolina | 6.00% | 6.32% |
| 6 | Georgia | 6.30% | 5.58% |
| 7 | Virginia | 6.10% | 5.85% |
| 8 | Kentucky | 6.10% | 5.81% |
| 9 | Montana | 5.90% | 6.13% |
| 10 | Maryland | 5.80% | 6.13% |
| 11 | Minnesota | 6.00% | 5.62% |
| 12 | New Mexico | 5.70% | 5.86% |
| 13 | Wyoming | 5.50% | 5.65% |
| 14 | Louisiana | 5.40% | 5.79% |
| 15 | Idaho | 5.50% | 5.50% |
| 16 | Arkansas | 5.40% | 5.65% |
| 17 | Alabama | 5.50% | 5.43% |
| 18 | Mississippi | 5.30% | 5.79% |
| 19 | Arizona | 5.60% | 5.17% |
| 20 | Colorado | 5.00% | 6.29% |
| 21 | Oregon | 5.40% | 5.29% |
| 22 | Delaware | 5.20% | 5.61% |
| 23 | South Dakota | 5.30% | 5.34% |
| 24 | Missouri | 5.30% | 5.23% |
| 25 | North Dakota | 5.10% | 5.52% |
| 26 | Ohio | 5.30% | 5.0% |
| 27 | Maine | 4.80% | 5.78% |
| 28 | North Carolina | 5.00% | 5.35% |
| 29 | Nevada | 5.10% | 4.99% |
| 30 | Tennessee | 4.80% | 5.41% |
| 31 | Wisconsin | 4.80% | 5.38% |
| 32 | Massachusetts | 4.70% | 5.49% |
| 33 | Rhode Island | 4.70% | 5.48% |
| 34 | Nebraska | 5.00% | 4.83% |
| 35 | Illinois | 4.60% | 5.49% |
| 36 | Kansas | 4.80% | 4.95% |
| 37 | New Hampshire | 4.60% | 5.21% |
| 38 | Iowa | 4.80% | 4.67% |
| 39 | Florida | 4.60% | 5.04% |
| 39 | Michigan | 4.60% | 5.04% |
| 41 | Pennsylvania | 4.50% | 5.19% |
| 42 | Vermont | 4.50% | 5.13% |
| 43 | Texas | 4.50% | 5.08% |
| 44 | New Jersey | 4.60% | 4.82% |
| 45 | District of Columbia | 4.50% | 4.78% |
| 46 | Connecticut | 4.30% | 4.83% |
| 47 | Indiana | 4.30% | 4.58% |
| 48 | New York | 4.30% | 4.58% |
| 49 | Washington | 4.40% | 4.29% |
| 50 | Hawaii | 4.20% | 4.33% |
| 51 | California | 3.40% | 3.91% |
