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In 2017, employment–population ratios increased in 12 states, decreased in 2 states, and were little changed or unchanged in 36 states and the District of Columbia. North Dakota had the highest proportion of employed persons, 69.6 percent in 2017. The next highest ratios were in Minnesota, 67.8 percent, and Utah, 67.2 percent. West Virginia had the lowest employment–population ratio among the states, 50.5 percent.
State | Employment | Civilian noninstitutional population | Employment–population ratio |
---|---|---|---|
United States |
153,337,000 | 255,079,000 | 60.1% |
Alabama |
2,073,000 | 3,830,000 | 54.1 |
Alaska |
337,000 | 547,000 | 61.6 |
Arizona |
3,151,000 | 5,462,000 | 57.7 |
Arkansas |
1,304,000 | 2,325,000 | 56.1 |
California |
18,393,000 | 30,990,000 | 59.4 |
Colorado |
2,907,000 | 4,392,000 | 66.2 |
Connecticut |
1,829,000 | 2,890,000 | 63.3 |
Delaware |
455,000 | 766,000 | 59.4 |
District of Columbia |
377,000 | 570,000 | 66.1 |
Florida |
9,681,000 | 16,951,000 | 57.1 |
Georgia |
4,822,000 | 8,007,000 | 60.2 |
Hawaii |
669,000 | 1,096,000 | 61.1 |
Idaho |
807,000 | 1,302,000 | 62.0 |
Illinois |
6,171,000 | 10,060,000 | 61.3 |
Indiana |
3,203,000 | 5,181,000 | 61.8 |
Iowa |
1,626,000 | 2,455,000 | 66.2 |
Kansas |
1,425,000 | 2,219,000 | 64.2 |
Kentucky |
1,952,000 | 3,476,000 | 56.2 |
Louisiana |
2,004,000 | 3,595,000 | 55.7 |
Maine |
677,000 | 1,101,000 | 61.5 |
Maryland |
3,086,000 | 4,764,000 | 64.8 |
Massachusetts |
3,521,000 | 5,584,000 | 63.1 |
Michigan |
4,657,000 | 7,944,000 | 58.6 |
Minnesota |
2,958,000 | 4,365,000 | 67.8 |
Mississippi |
1,215,000 | 2,289,000 | 53.1 |
Missouri |
2,936,000 | 4,781,000 | 61.4 |
Montana |
504,000 | 832,000 | 60.6 |
Nebraska |
977,000 | 1,466,000 | 66.7 |
Nevada |
1,389,000 | 2,349,000 | 59.1 |
New Hampshire |
727,000 | 1,100,000 | 66.1 |
New Jersey |
4,310,000 | 7,159,000 | 60.2 |
New Mexico |
872,000 | 1,620,000 | 53.9 |
New York |
9,249,000 | 15,941,000 | 58.0 |
North Carolina |
4,717,000 | 8,030,000 | 58.7 |
North Dakota |
404,000 | 580,000 | 69.6 |
Ohio |
5,491,000 | 9,190,000 | 59.8 |
Oklahoma |
1,756,000 | 2,997,000 | 58.6 |
Oregon |
2,017,000 | 3,329,000 | 60.6 |
Pennsylvania |
6,112,000 | 10,261,000 | 59.6 |
Rhode Island |
530,000 | 862,000 | 61.5 |
South Carolina |
2,214,000 | 3,948,000 | 56.1 |
South Dakota |
440,000 | 659,000 | 66.7 |
Tennessee |
3,080,000 | 5,278,000 | 58.4 |
Texas |
12,961,000 | 21,261,000 | 61.0 |
Utah |
1,510,000 | 2,248,000 | 67.2 |
Vermont |
334,000 | 516,000 | 64.9 |
Virginia |
4,146,000 | 6,606,000 | 62.8 |
Washington |
3,547,000 | 5,829,000 | 60.9 |
West Virginia |
738,000 | 1,462,000 | 50.5 |
Wisconsin |
3,048,000 | 4,592,000 | 66.4 |
Wyoming |
281,000 | 448,000 | 62.7 |
In 2017, the largest employment–population ratio increase among the states occurred in Colorado (+1.3 percentage points), followed by Georgia and Tennessee (+1.1 points each). Nine other states also had significant increases in their ratios. Two states had over-the-year decreases in their employment–population ratios: Nebraska (−0.5 percentage point) and New Hampshire (−0.4 point). The remaining 36 states and the District of Columbia had ratios that were not appreciably different from those of the previous year, though some had changes that were at least as large numerically as the significant changes.
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 – 2017 Annual Averages” (HTML) (PDF).
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Employment–population ratios increased in 12 states in 2017 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2018/employment-population-ratios-increased-in-12-states-in-2017.htm (visited December 14, 2024).