U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

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.

Https

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.

36 states added jobs in year ending October 2018

November 27, 2018

Thirty-six states had over-the-year increases in nonfarm payroll employment in October. The largest job gains occurred in Texas (+384,800), California (+308,700), and Florida (+232,600). The largest percentage gain occurred in Nevada (+3.4 percent), followed by Utah and Washington (+3.3 percent each).
Change in nonfarm employment by state, October 2017 to October 2018, seasonally adjusted
State Percent change (p) October 2017 employment October 2018 employment (p) Net change (p)

Alabama

 1.7% 2,018,500 2,052,100 33,600

Alaska

 0.1 329,100 329,500 400

Arizona

 3.1 2,793,600 2,880,300 86,700

Arkansas

 0.7 1,243,900 1,252,300 8,400

California

 1.8 16,927,900 17,236,600 308,700

Colorado

 2.7 2,675,100 2,747,100 72,000

Connecticut

 1.3 1,679,600 1,701,900 22,300

Delaware

 1.1 458,800 463,700 4,900

District of Columbia

 0.2 794,000 795,900 1,900

Florida

 2.7 8,614,700 8,847,300 232,600

Georgia

 2.1 4,482,200 4,575,800 93,600

Hawaii

 1.7 653,800 664,700 10,900

Idaho

 2.1 723,800 739,100 15,300

Illinois

 1.0 6,074,800 6,134,100 59,300

Indiana

 0.8 3,114,000 3,139,400 25,400

Iowa

 1.4 1,573,500 1,595,300 21,800

Kansas

 1.4 1,405,900 1,425,400 19,500

Kentucky

 0.5 1,921,600 1,932,000 10,400

Louisiana

 1.0 1,970,300 1,989,700 19,400

Maine

 1.3 621,200 629,100 7,900

Maryland

 1.4 2,723,100 2,761,600 38,500

Massachusetts

 1.8 3,619,100 3,683,500 64,400

Michigan

 1.4 4,379,700 4,441,500 61,800

Minnesota

 1.2 2,942,500 2,978,100 35,600

Mississippi

 1.2 1,155,100 1,168,900 13,800

Missouri

 1.6 2,872,600 2,917,200 44,600

Montana

 1.5 473,000 480,100 7,100

Nebraska

 1.6 1,016,100 1,032,200 16,100

Nevada

 3.4 1,352,100 1,397,900 45,800

New Hampshire

 2.3 679,500 694,800 15,300

New Jersey

 1.7 4,144,800 4,213,300 68,500

New Mexico

 2.7 832,900 855,200 22,300

New York

 1.3 9,546,000 9,668,800 122,800

North Carolina

 2.3 4,435,400 4,538,900 103,500

North Dakota

 1.2 429,800 434,900 5,100

Ohio

 2.1 5,531,800 5,647,200 115,400

Oklahoma

 1.4 1,675,900 1,699,100 23,200

Oregon

 2.5 1,885,100 1,931,600 46,500

Pennsylvania

 1.5 5,971,100 6,063,400 92,300

Rhode Island

 1.3 496,800 503,100 6,300

South Carolina

 1.8 2,096,300 2,134,100 37,800

South Dakota

 1.7 436,500 443,800 7,300

Tennessee

 2.0 3,025,100 3,084,400 59,300

Texas

 3.1 12,300,900 12,685,700 384,800

Utah

 3.3 1,480,000 1,528,600 48,600

Vermont

 -0.9 315,000 312,200 -2,800

Virginia

 1.8 3,956,300 4,027,700 71,400

Washington

 3.3 3,351,100 3,460,700 109,600

West Virginia

 0.9 746,600 753,500 6,900

Wisconsin

 1.1 2,947,200 2,978,700 31,500

Wyoming

 2.1 282,500 288,500 6,000
Footnotes:

(p) Preliminary

Over the year, 36 states added nonfarm payroll jobs and 14 states and the District were essentially unchanged.

These data are from the Current Employment Statistics (State and Metro Area) program. Data for the most recent month are preliminary and subject to revision. To learn more, see "State Employment and Unemployment — October 2018." For more charts and tables related to state employment and unemployment, see the state chart package.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, 36 states added jobs in year ending October 2018 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2018/36-states-added-jobs-in-year-ending-october-2018.htm (visited March 15, 2026).