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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.
United States Department of Labor
