Since the end of the global health crisis, hiring in the U.S. has occurred at a brisk pace. Despite the availability of more jobs than job seekers, many people still need help securing full-time employment.
With job growth seemingly stalling and recession fears deepening, aspiring workers must consider numerous factors in their search, including location, opportunities, employment growth, wages, and job outlook.
States with the highest metrics have more friendly environments for job seekers. In contrast, states with the lowest metrics in these areas are the worst places. According to a recent study from WalletHub, these are the worst (and best) states for those looking for work.
Worst – West Virginia
Known as one of the most economically depressed states, West Virginia isn’t hospitable to workers. Its minimum wage is far less than the living wage for an adult with no children. The same goes for families with one or two working families. When the available jobs have wages that aren’t sufficient to support individuals or families, it’s going to be hard to attract workers.
West Virginia suffers from losing mining jobs as cleaner energy options replace coal mining, The shift from coal to clean energy hasn’t replaced these mining jobs, which only makes the current and future job outlook even worse. Lower education attainment and few large cities also make the state a tough place to start a career.
Kentucky
Job seekers in the market for first-time employment or a different career will find it hard to do either in Kentucky. The Kentucky Chamber Foundation cites other reasons for the harsh job market, including a gap between the skills employers are looking for in a workforce and the skills available workers have, and many retirement-age workforce participants.
Half of the state’s population lives in areas with little to no childcare, making it harder for residents with young children to enter the workforce. Like West Virginia, a declining coal mining industry with jobs that have been lost because of the changes towards clean energy, and low education levels have held the state back.
Mississippi
Mississippi ranks third among the worst places in the country to obtain gainful employment. Its unemployment rate is 3.9%, slightly higher than the national rate of 3.8%. Low minimum wages falling significantly below a living wage for singles and families and inadequate worker protections are two of the causes of this ranking.
The state also suffers from one of the most severe worker shortages in the nation. Mississippi only has 49 workers for every 100 available jobs. In comparison to the rest of the country, including the District of Columbia. That means a good number of open positions within the state are going unfulfilled. Additionally, the state has the lowest median household income of $48,610.
Louisiana
Louisiana is another economically depressed southern state. Cities like New Orleans and Baton Rouge attract visitors worldwide, but the state’s low median income doesn’t attract job seekers from within or outside the state. The low job wages contribute to the deep poverty experienced by individuals and families living and working in the state.
As of March 2024, the U.S. unemployment rate was 3.8%, while Louisiana’s was 4.4%. The primary factors contributing to Louisiana’s depressed job market are persistently high rates of crime within many communities, health concerns and access to healthcare, diversity and inclusion, challenges to voting rights, and meager worker protections.
Pennsylvania
During the height of the Steel Belt era, Pennsylvania was one of several states on the East Coast and parts of the Midwest had a strong labor force supported by manufacturing giants like Bethlehem Steel Corporation. As those factories shut down in favor of cheaper production elsewhere, the high-paying steel manufacturing jobs disappeared.
Pennsylvania has never fully recovered from the loss of those jobs, making it a Rust Belt state. While there are various industries within the state, including agriculture travel tourism, hospitality, and government positions, nothing has come close to the dominance of the steel industry from the last half of the nineteenth century through the first half of the twentieth century.
Indiana
Indiana is another Rust Belt state whose struggles are evident with the exit of high-paying blue-collar jobs relocating to other regions and countries. Working-age parents with young children find it difficult to obtain childcare, with the state having less than ten licensed childcare centers for every 100,000 residents, known as childcare deserts.
Indiana’s hourly minimum wage of $7.25 is about one cent above the poverty level wage for a single person with no children. A serious problem plaguing the state involves diversity and inclusion. The most recent Census Bureau figures indicate only 10.3% of the population identify as Black or African American, and 7.9% identify as Hispanic or Latino.
Oregon
Best known for its outdoor beauty, craft breweries, and Voodoo Doughnuts, there’s a lot to like about Oregon. However, despite the state’s many attributes, it’s surprisingly one of the worst places in the country to land a job, considering its proximity to technology hubs in Washington state. The cause for the weak job market is for several reasons.
Low-quality, low-paying jobs account for a sizable number of employment opportunities in Oregon. These detrimental work environments affect women, people of color, and rural residents the hardest. Workers in the state also grapple with being limited to part-time work, poor access to benefits full-time workers receive, and irregular work schedules.
Arkansas
Like many states on this list, there are multiple reasons why Arkansas isn’t a good place to work. Quality of life concerns like the state’s high crime rate, issues regarding substance abuse, limited access to health care, legal limitations on reproductive rights, and diversity and inclusion greatly influence the job market and the number of workers willing to participate in it.
One of the primary detractions about the work environment in Arkansas is the significant number of low-quality employers. The reasons behind this include poor worker benefits and low incomes that don’t meet the criteria for a living wage, including the state’s $11-an-hour minimum wage, which is approximately $4 less than the poverty wage for a single person without children.
Alabama
Alabama consistently ranks among the most socioeconomically disadvantaged states and has a persistent poor quality of life metrics. Issues such as inclusion, inadequate access to healthcare, a lack of worker and worker rights protections, and legal barriers to restrict or suppress voting rights contribute to the state’s poor placement.
Areas of concern regarding the state’s business environment include the number of workers living in poverty and the state income taxes levied against low-wage earners. It’s hoped that a surge in technology and medical industry jobs will boost Alabama’s economy since they are two of the fastest-growing industries in the state.
Idaho
No one will ever mistake Idaho for states like New York and California with huge cities and large populations. Because it’s so rural, Idaho’s best-known industry is farming. Aside from government jobs, there aren’t many other large industries within the state.
Idaho’s $7.25 an hour minimum wage is far from meeting a living wage for individuals or families. The state doesn’t provide very many protections for members of the workforce. It also lacks robust policies supporting the rights of workers to organize.
Best States for Jobs – Washington
Washington edges out all other states as the best place to find a job. Companies like Amazon, Apple, Google, and Microsoft either have offices or are headquartered there, making Washington one of the biggest technology hubs in the country for sought-after careers.
The state also has a reputation for pro-worker policies, including no income taxes, competitive salaries, and a higher-than-average minimum wage of $16.28 an hour. Equal pay mandates, paid sick leave, and protections from workplace sexual harassment make Washington an ideal location for workers.
Virginia
Job seekers who want to work in a region with plentiful opportunities at well-regarded companies, high wages, and job security can find it all in Virginia. Almost 42% of the state’s residents have bachelor’s degrees or higher, making it the most highly educated southern state.
Virginia is not only a great state for business innovation, but it’s also home to numerous lucrative industries like aerospace, cybersecurity, and semiconductors. Its talent development programs help build a strong skilled workforce for employers within the state.
Utah
If Utah wasn’t on your radar as a top place to find a job, there are several reasons why it should be. The median annual income is an impressive $76,685, and the average work week is 37.1 hours, meaning workers earn more with a schedule that’s less than the typical 40-hour workweek.
Utah’s 2.8% unemployment rate is a full percentage point below the national figure of 3.8%. In addition, when Utah residents are out of work, they find new jobs rather quickly. Less than 1% of the unemployed are out of work for at least 15 weeks or more.
Florida
The Sunshine State is famous for its tourist destinations and beaches. It’s also one of the best places in the country to work. The state ranks sixth in job growth and tenth in job satisfaction.
According to WalletHub, three of the ten best cities in the U.S. to launch a career are in Florida: Orlando, Tampa, and Miami. The job market in Florida is especially good for new college graduates.
Vermont
Vermont, the birthplace of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream and the largest producer of maple syrup, is also one of the sweetest places to work in the U.S. The state boasts 22 colleges and universities, creating a highly educated workforce. Vermont also provides more worker and right-to-organize protections than most other states.
The $13.67 an-hour minimum wage exceeds the federal minimum wage of $7.25, but it’s still around $10 below the living wage for a single person without children, although localities can pay more than the minimum wage. Vermont offers low unemployment and a strong job market with generous salaries.
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