Jobs Power Rankings Based on 65% of intended metrics

50 states + D.C. · accountable: Governor · updated 2026-06-18 · source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Composite score by state

strongweakno data

#	State	Score	Unemployment rate	Nonfarm job growth (YoY)	Labor force growth (YoY)
1	North Dakota	82.0	2.4%	0.16%	1.34%
2	South Dakota	77.7	2.2%	0.04%	-0.01%
3	Hawaii	76.6	2.5%	0.36%	0.02%
4	Alabama	75.2	2.8%	0.61%	0.05%
5	Nebraska	70.6	3%	-0.32%	0.62%
6	Georgia	69.4	3.5%	0.05%	1%
7	South Carolina	69.4	4.8%	0.89%	2.9%
8	Maine	68.9	3.1%	0.3%	-0.38%
9	North Carolina	68.4	3.7%	0.91%	0.09%
10	New Hampshire	67.8	3.1%	-0.4%	0.28%
11	Nevada	67.4	5.3%	1.91%	2.23%
12	Arkansas	66.5	4.3%	0.33%	1.78%
13	Pennsylvania	66.4	4.2%	0.52%	1.28%
14	Louisiana	65.8	4.4%	0.54%	1.56%
15	Idaho	65.7	3.6%	0.54%	-0.3%
16	Missouri	64.0	3.8%	0.05%	0.38%
17	Utah	63.9	3.8%	0.69%	-0.48%
18	Wisconsin	63.7	3.5%	-0.42%	0.25%
19	Montana	63.3	3.5%	-0.25%	-0.07%
20	Indiana	63.2	3.2%	-0.41%	-0.58%
21	Wyoming	62.1	3.5%	-0.07%	-0.59%
22	Tennessee	62.1	3.6%	0.03%	-0.51%
23	New York	62.1	4.6%	0.35%	1.39%
24	Texas	61.7	4.3%	0.58%	0.31%
25	Iowa	61.4	3.3%	-0.95%	-0.08%
26	Mississippi	60.8	3.8%	0.13%	-0.49%
27	Vermont	60.4	2.6%	-0.42%	-2.63%
28	Kansas	60.4	3.9%	-0.22%	0.1%
29	Ohio	59.3	3.9%	0.29%	-0.83%
30	Alaska	57.3	4.7%	-0.3%	1.31%
31	Colorado	55.5	3.9%	0.13%	-1.53%
32	Oklahoma	54.8	4%	-0.23%	-0.98%
33	West Virginia	54.8	4.4%	0.03%	-0.41%
34	Florida	54.8	4.8%	0.16%	0.34%
35	Minnesota	54.1	4.5%	0.29%	-0.67%
36	Virginia	53.7	3.8%	-0.88%	-0.85%
37	New Jersey	53.4	4.8%	0.08%	0.11%
38	Kentucky	53.0	4.3%	-0.21%	-0.75%
39	Arizona	52.1	4.7%	0.41%	-0.85%
40	New Mexico	51.2	4.9%	0.53%	-0.77%
41	Washington	49.9	5.2%	-0.06%	0.37%
42	California	49.2	5.3%	0.56%	-0.37%
43	Massachusetts	47.0	4.7%	0.04%	-1.59%
44	Maryland	46.6	4.4%	-1.17%	-0.79%
45	Connecticut	46.1	5%	0.3%	-1.45%
46	Illinois	45.7	5.1%	-0.07%	-0.84%
47	Rhode Island	45.2	4.5%	-0.5%	-1.78%
48	Delaware	43.1	5.3%	-0.36%	-0.63%
49	Michigan	41.2	5%	-0.14%	-2.05%
50	Oregon	40.9	5.2%	-1.19%	-0.3%
51	District of Columbia	0.8	6.2%	-5.14%	-2.44%

Dimensions awaiting a sourced feed (not estimated): Wage growth (avg hourly earnings); Private vs. government job mix; Underemployment (U-6).

Every figure is measured, never opinion. Click any value for its source and how it’s scored. Composite = weighted, normalized sum of the dimensions — see methodology.