The .gov means it's official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information,
make sure you're on a federal government site.
The site is secure. The
https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any
information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.
North Dakota had the highest employment–population ratio in 2015; West Virginia had the lowest
March 01, 2016
North Dakota had the highest employment–population ratio among the states in 2015, with 69.1 percent of the civilian working-age population employed. The four next-highest ratios were in Nebraska (68.0 percent), Minnesota (67.6 percent), Iowa (67.3 percent), and South Dakota (67.2 percent). West Virginia had the lowest employment–population ratio among the states (49.4 percent), as it has every year since this data series began in 1976.
Employment–population ratios by state, 2015 annual averages
64.8% and higher
61.3% to 64.7%
59.4% to 61.2%
56.7% to 59.3%
56.6% and lower
69.1%
North Dakota
2014 ratio: 70.7%
Over-the-year ratio change: -1.6
Is change statistically significant?: Yes
Hover over a state to see data.
Hover over legend items to see states in a category.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Employment–population ratios by state, 2015 annual averages
State
2014 ratio
2015 ratio
Over-the-year ratio change
Change statistically significant?
Alabama
53.2%
53.0%
-0.2
No
Alaska
63.1
62.7
-0.4
No
Arizona
55.7
56.1
0.4
No
Arkansas
53.6
54.8
1.2
Yes
California
57.7
58.3
0.6
Yes
Colorado
64.5
64.1
-0.4
No
Connecticut
61.5
62.0
0.5
No
Delaware
57.9
59.4
1.5
Yes
District Of Columbia
64.0
65.3
1.3
Yes
Florida
56.3
56.1
-0.2
No
Georgia
57.6
57.7
0.1
No
Hawaii
59.0
59.7
0.7
Yes
Idaho
60.5
61.3
0.8
No
Illinois
60.2
60.9
0.7
Yes
Indiana
59.6
60.7
1.1
Yes
Iowa
67.2
67.3
0.1
No
Kansas
64.9
65.0
0.1
No
Kentucky
54.8
53.7
-1.1
Yes
Louisiana
56.9
56.7
-0.2
No
Maine
60.3
59.5
-0.8
No
Maryland
62.9
63.4
0.5
Yes
Massachusetts
61.5
61.7
0.2
No
Michigan
56.2
57.1
0.9
Yes
Minnesota
67.1
67.6
0.5
Yes
Mississippi
50.8
52.2
1.4
Yes
Missouri
60.7
62.4
1.7
Yes
Montana
60.9
61.4
0.5
Yes
Nebraska
68.4
68.0
-0.4
Yes
Nevada
58.4
58.9
0.5
Yes
New Hampshire
65.7
66.0
0.3
No
New Jersey
59.7
60.5
0.8
Yes
New Mexico
53.6
53.5
-0.1
No
New York
57.0
57.9
0.9
Yes
North Carolina
57.2
57.7
0.5
No
North Dakota
70.7
69.1
-1.6
Yes
Ohio
59.1
59.4
0.3
No
Oklahoma
58.3
59.3
1.0
Yes
Oregon
57.0
57.6
0.6
No
Pennsylvania
58.9
59.6
0.7
Yes
Rhode Island
60.2
61.0
0.8
Yes
South Carolina
55.1
55.5
0.4
Yes
South Dakota
67.0
67.2
0.2
No
Tennessee
55.7
55.9
0.2
No
Texas
61.4
60.9
-0.5
Yes
Utah
65.4
65.7
0.3
No
Vermont
64.9
64.4
-0.5
No
Virginia
62.6
62.3
-0.3
No
Washington
59.3
59.5
0.2
No
West Virginia
49.7
49.4
-0.3
No
Wisconsin
64.4
64.8
0.4
No
Wyoming
65.3
64.9
-0.4
No
The largest 2014–15 increases in the employment–population ratio occurred in Missouri (+1.7 percentage points) and Delaware (+1.5 points). Seventeen other states and the District of Columbia also had statistically significant increases in their ratios. Four states had significant over-the-year decreases in their employment–population ratios, the largest of which occurred in North Dakota (–1.6 percentage points).
The employment–population ratio for the nation as a whole was 59.3 percent in 2015. Twenty-five states and the District of Columbia had ratios that were significantly higher than the national average, while 17 states had ratios that were appreciably below it. Three states had employment–population ratios that were the lowest recorded since the series began in 1976: Alaska (62.7 percent), Kentucky (53.7 percent), and New Mexico (53.5 percent).
These data are from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics program. The employment–population ratio is the proportion of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years of age and over who are employed. To learn more, see “Regional and State Unemployment — 2015 Annual Averages” (HTML) (PDF).
United States Department of Labor
