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In May 2019, the share of total nonfarm employment in government was at least 20 percent in the District of Columbia (29.9 percent), Alaska (24.2 percent), Wyoming (23.9 percent), New Mexico (21.6 percent), Mississippi (20.7 percent), West Virginia (20.6 percent), and Oklahoma (20.5 percent).
State | Percent of total nonfarm employment in government | Government employment, May 2019(p) | Total nonfarm employment, May 2019(p) |
---|---|---|---|
District of Columbia |
29.9% | 237,700 | 795,800 |
Alaska |
24.2 | 80,400 | 332,600 |
Wyoming |
23.9 | 69,100 | 289,600 |
New Mexico |
21.6 | 184,700 | 854,700 |
Mississippi |
20.7 | 241,800 | 1,165,800 |
West Virginia |
20.6 | 151,500 | 735,500 |
Oklahoma |
20.5 | 346,600 | 1,694,100 |
Hawaii |
19.2 | 126,400 | 658,200 |
Montana |
18.9 | 91,100 | 481,300 |
North Dakota |
18.9 | 82,400 | 436,100 |
Alabama |
18.7 | 388,600 | 2,072,900 |
Maryland |
18.4 | 508,100 | 2,759,700 |
Kansas |
18.2 | 259,900 | 1,425,700 |
South Dakota |
17.9 | 80,100 | 446,300 |
Virginia |
17.9 | 723,500 | 4,032,200 |
Vermont |
17.9 | 56,900 | 318,000 |
South Carolina |
17.1 | 373,400 | 2,179,300 |
Nebraska |
17.1 | 175,900 | 1,029,000 |
Idaho |
16.8 | 126,400 | 754,400 |
Washington |
16.7 | 584,600 | 3,490,500 |
Arkansas |
16.7 | 213,000 | 1,273,200 |
Louisiana |
16.5 | 326,500 | 1,982,800 |
Iowa |
16.3 | 259,300 | 1,590,100 |
Colorado |
16.2 | 448,600 | 2,766,500 |
Utah |
16.2 | 251,700 | 1,554,300 |
North Carolina |
16.1 | 735,200 | 4,559,500 |
Kentucky |
16.0 | 312,400 | 1,949,500 |
Maine |
15.9 | 100,200 | 630,300 |
Oregon |
15.4 | 299,000 | 1,944,200 |
Texas |
15.4 | 1,959,600 | 12,751,400 |
New York |
15.3 | 1,492,300 | 9,763,300 |
Georgia |
15.1 | 696,200 | 4,595,500 |
California |
15.0 | 2,616,200 | 17,425,500 |
Missouri |
15.0 | 436,800 | 2,913,600 |
Delaware |
14.5 | 67,400 | 464,800 |
Minnesota |
14.4 | 425,600 | 2,958,500 |
New Jersey |
14.4 | 602,300 | 4,193,800 |
Arizona |
14.3 | 418,300 | 2,920,300 |
Tennessee |
14.2 | 439,000 | 3,101,300 |
Connecticut |
14.0 | 236,600 | 1,694,000 |
Ohio |
13.9 | 779,100 | 5,593,600 |
Michigan |
13.7 | 606,300 | 4,438,400 |
Wisconsin |
13.5 | 403,700 | 2,982,000 |
Illinois |
13.4 | 829,700 | 6,174,100 |
Indiana |
13.4 | 424,900 | 3,167,000 |
New Hampshire |
13.0 | 89,200 | 688,800 |
Massachusetts |
12.5 | 457,300 | 3,667,300 |
Florida |
12.5 | 1,116,800 | 8,961,300 |
Rhode Island |
12.3 | 61,400 | 498,700 |
Pennsylvania |
11.7 | 706,500 | 6,051,400 |
Nevada |
11.3 | 162,700 | 1,434,200 |
Footnotes: (p) = preliminary. |
California, Texas, and New York, the states with the highest total employment among all states, ranged from 15.0 to 15.4 percent of total employment in government in May 2019. Nevada had the lowest share of total employment in government, with 11.3 percent. Other states with low shares of total employment in government were Pennsylvania (11.7 percent), Rhode Island (12.3 percent), and Florida (12.5 percent), the state with the fourth-highest employment in the country.
These data are from the Current Employment Statistics (State and Metro Area) program and are seasonally adjusted. Data for the most recent month are preliminary and subject to revision. Government includes federal, state, and local government, including education. To learn more, see “State Employment and Unemployment — May 2019.” For more charts and tables related to state employment and unemployment, see the state chart package.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, 6 states and D.C. had at least one-fifth of their total jobs in government in May 2019 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2019/6-states-and-d-c-had-at-least-one-fifth-of-their-total-jobs-in-government-in-may-2019.htm (visited December 05, 2024).