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Delaware had the highest total job separations rate in May 2023

July 31, 2023

Delaware had the highest total job separations rate in May 2023, at 5.8 percent, while Massachusetts had the lowest, at 2.8 percent. Thirty-two states had a total separations rate greater than the national rate of 3.8 percent.

Job openings and labor turnover measures by state, May 2023

Job openings and labor turnover measures by state, May 2023
State Job openings rate Number of job openings Hires rate Number of hires Total separations rate Number of total separations Quits rate Number of quits Layoffs and discharges rate Number of layoffs and discharges

United States

5.9 9,824,000 4.0 6,208,000 3.8 5,871,000 2.6 4,015,000 1.0 1,555,000

Alabama

6.0 138,000 4.9 105,000 4.7 101,000 3.6 77,000 0.9 20,000

Alaska

7.4 26,000 6.5 21,000 5.5 18,000 3.7 12,000 1.5 5,000

Arizona

6.2 208,000 4.9 154,000 3.9 122,000 3.0 94,000 0.7 21,000

Arkansas

6.9 101,000 4.8 65,000 4.6 63,000 3.3 45,000 1.1 15,000

California

5.3 1,005,000 2.9 524,000 2.9 525,000 1.9 347,000 0.8 147,000

Colorado

6.8 212,000 4.3 124,000 3.8 111,000 2.7 77,000 1.0 30,000

Connecticut

4.8 85,000 3.9 66,000 3.7 63,000 2.4 41,000 1.0 17,000

Delaware

6.9 36,000 4.9 24,000 5.8 28,000 4.1 20,000 1.4 7,000

District of Columbia

5.5 45,000 3.5 27,000 3.3 26,000 2.3 18,000 0.8 6,000

Florida

5.9 606,000 4.1 400,000 4.1 403,000 2.9 286,000 1.0 99,000

Georgia

7.0 368,000 4.3 212,000 4.9 240,000 3.2 158,000 1.5 73,000

Hawaii

4.8 32,000 3.3 21,000 3.3 21,000 2.2 14,000 1.0 6,000

Idaho

6.3 57,000 5.1 43,000 4.4 37,000 3.1 26,000 1.2 10,000

Illinois

6.5 429,000 4.3 263,000 3.4 209,000 2.2 134,000 1.1 67,000

Indiana

5.3 182,000 4.8 156,000 4.1 134,000 2.8 90,000 1.1 37,000

Iowa

5.9 100,000 4.0 64,000 3.6 58,000 2.3 37,000 1.1 18,000

Kansas

5.9 91,000 4.1 59,000 3.8 55,000 2.6 37,000 1.0 15,000

Kentucky

6.8 146,000 4.5 91,000 4.7 95,000 3.5 70,000 1.0 21,000

Louisiana

7.4 157,000 5.2 103,000 5.1 101,000 3.5 69,000 1.3 25,000

Maine

5.8 40,000 3.7 24,000 4.5 29,000 2.9 19,000 1.2 8,000

Maryland

6.9 204,000 4.1 111,000 4.2 115,000 2.8 77,000 1.2 33,000

Massachusetts

6.7 271,000 3.0 112,000 2.8 106,000 1.8 66,000 0.8 31,000

Michigan

5.5 256,000 3.7 166,000 3.6 162,000 2.4 105,000 1.2 52,000

Minnesota

6.6 210,000 3.9 116,000 3.3 100,000 2.4 71,000 0.8 24,000

Mississippi

6.9 87,000 4.7 55,000 5.3 62,000 3.3 39,000 1.7 20,000

Missouri

5.6 176,000 4.0 118,000 3.7 110,000 2.6 78,000 0.9 26,000

Montana

6.7 37,000 5.6 29,000 5.4 28,000 3.7 19,000 1.4 7,000

Nebraska

5.7 63,000 4.0 42,000 3.7 38,000 2.3 24,000 1.2 12,000

Nevada

6.5 107,000 4.3 66,000 4.3 66,000 3.1 47,000 1.1 17,000

New Hampshire

5.5 41,000 4.1 29,000 4.1 29,000 2.4 17,000 1.4 10,000

New Jersey

4.6 210,000 3.6 158,000 3.0 128,000 1.9 82,000 0.8 34,000

New Mexico

7.2 67,000 4.4 38,000 3.8 33,000 2.6 23,000 0.9 8,000

New York

4.3 435,000 2.9 286,000 3.0 292,000 2.0 195,000 0.9 84,000

North Carolina

7.3 388,000 4.3 209,000 4.1 199,000 2.7 134,000 1.1 54,000

North Dakota

6.5 30,000 4.8 21,000 3.9 17,000 2.8 12,000 0.9 4,000

Ohio

6.3 380,000 3.8 215,000 3.9 218,000 2.5 142,000 1.1 62,000

Oklahoma

6.9 128,000 4.5 78,000 4.1 71,000 2.9 50,000 1.0 18,000

Oregon

5.8 122,000 4.4 88,000 3.9 78,000 2.7 54,000 1.0 20,000

Pennsylvania

5.3 345,000 3.3 200,000 3.1 191,000 2.0 122,000 0.9 58,000

Rhode Island

5.4 28,000 4.2 21,000 4.5 22,000 2.6 13,000 1.4 7,000

South Carolina

7.2 178,000 4.8 111,000 4.4 102,000 3.2 73,000 1.0 23,000

South Dakota

6.3 31,000 4.1 19,000 3.9 18,000 2.6 12,000 1.3 6,000

Tennessee

6.7 239,000 4.9 161,000 4.4 147,000 3.1 103,000 1.1 38,000

Texas

5.7 846,000 4.6 635,000 4.0 552,000 3.0 412,000 0.8 118,000

Utah

5.9 109,000 4.5 78,000 4.7 82,000 3.4 58,000 1.2 21,000

Vermont

5.8 19,000 4.2 13,000 4.5 14,000 2.9 9,000 1.3 4,000

Virginia

6.9 307,000 4.0 166,000 4.1 169,000 2.9 120,000 1.0 42,000

Washington

5.0 189,000 4.2 152,000 3.4 122,000 2.3 85,000 0.8 29,000

West Virginia

7.3 55,000 4.7 33,000 4.9 34,000 3.3 23,000 1.3 9,000

Wisconsin

5.7 182,000 4.0 121,000 3.8 113,000 2.4 72,000 1.2 35,000

Wyoming

6.2 19,000 4.8 14,000 5.5 16,000 3.5 10,000 1.4 4,000

In May 2023, the job openings rate was at least 7.0 percent in the following seven states: Alaska (7.4 percent), Louisiana (7.4 percent), North Carolina (7.3 percent), West Virginia (7.3 percent), New Mexico (7.2 percent), South Carolina (7.2 percent), and Georgia (7.0 percent). New York had the lowest job openings rate in May 2023, at 4.3 percent, followed by New Jersey (4.6 percent), and Connecticut and Hawaii (4.8 percent each).

Alaska had the highest hires rate in May 2023, at 6.5 percent, while California and New York had the lowest, at 2.9 percent each. Thirty-four states had a hires rate greater than the national rate of 4.0 percent.

In May 2023, 29 states had a quits rate above the national rate of 2.6 percent. Mississippi had the highest layoffs and discharges rate in May 2023, at 1.7 percent, while Arizona had the lowest, at 0.7 percent.

These data are from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey and are seasonally adjusted. Data for the most recent month are preliminary. For more information, see "State Job Openings and Labor Turnover — May 2023" and charts featuring state labor turnover data.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Delaware had the highest total job separations rate in May 2023 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2023/delaware-had-the-highest-total-job-separations-rate-in-may-2023.htm (visited October 31, 2024).

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