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Nebraska had the highest proportion of employed people in 2022

March 03, 2023

Nebraska had the highest proportion of employed people in 2022, 68.1 percent, followed by North Dakota, 67.8 percent. The District of Columbia had the highest annual average employment–population ratio in its history, 67.4 percent. West Virginia (52.5 percent) and Mississippi (52.7 percent) had the lowest employment–population ratios among the states. Overall, 23 states and the District had employment–population ratios higher than the U.S. ratio of 60.0 percent, 18 states had lower ratios, and 9 states had ratios that were not appreciably different from that of the nation.

Employment–population ratios by state, 2022 annual averages

Employment–population ratios by state, 2022 annual averages
State 2022 2021 Change from 2021 to 2022

United States

60.0% 58.4% 1.6 percentage point(s)

Alabama

55.5 54.7 0.8

Alaska

62.6 60.6 2.0

Arizona

59.3 58.2 1.1

Arkansas

55.6 54.4 1.2

California

59.3 56.6 2.7

Colorado

66.3 64.4 1.9

Connecticut

62.8 59.2 3.6

Delaware

57.7 57.7 0.0

District of Columbia

67.4 64.4 3.0

Florida

57.6 55.5 2.1

Georgia

59.6 59.3 0.3

Hawaii

58.1 56.0 2.1

Idaho

61.4 60.7 0.7

Illinois

61.5 59.3 2.2

Indiana

61.6 60.5 1.1

Iowa

66.3 64.8 1.5

Kansas

64.6 64.2 0.4

Kentucky

55.6 54.8 0.8

Louisiana

56.5 54.7 1.8

Maine

56.8 57.2 -0.4

Maryland

62.8 61.5 1.3

Massachusetts

62.7 61.5 1.2

Michigan

57.3 55.8 1.5

Minnesota

66.3 64.9 1.4

Mississippi

52.7 52.1 0.6

Missouri

61.1 60.2 0.9

Montana

61.4 60.2 1.2

Nebraska

68.1 67.6 0.5

Nevada

57.9 55.9 2.0

New Hampshire

64.5 63.6 0.9

New Jersey

61.5 58.8 2.7

New Mexico

54.2 52.5 1.7

New York

57.7 55.3 2.4

North Carolina

58.7 56.5 2.2

North Dakota

67.8 66.5 1.3

Ohio

59.0 58.2 0.8

Oklahoma

59.1 58.3 0.8

Oregon

60.2 58.8 1.4

Pennsylvania

59.1 57.7 1.4

Rhode Island

61.3 60.1 1.2

South Carolina

54.7 54.8 -0.1

South Dakota

66.8 66.8 0.0

Tennessee

57.9 57.5 0.4

Texas

61.4 59.9 1.5

Utah

67.1 66.0 1.1

Vermont

61.5 59.9 1.6

Virginia

63.0 61.2 1.8

Washington

61.4 59.9 1.5

West Virginia

52.5 51.2 1.3

Wisconsin

63.1 63.2 -0.1

Wyoming

61.4 60.7 0.7

In 2022, employment–population ratios increased in 36 states and the District of Columbia. Connecticut (3.6 percentage points) and the District (3.0 points) had the largest increases, with an additional nine states experiencing ratio increases of at least 2.0 points. Three states—Maine, South Carolina, and Wisconsin—had employment–population ratios that decreased over the past year.

These data are from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics program. To learn more, see “Regional and State Unemployment – 2022 Annual Averages.” The employment–population ratio is the proportion of the civilian population age 16 years and older who are employed.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Nebraska had the highest proportion of employed people in 2022 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2023/nebraska-had-the-highest-proportion-of-employed-people-in-2022.htm (visited October 31, 2024).

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