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In January 2024, there were a total of 6,124,000 unemployed people and 8,863,000 job openings in the United States, yielding a ratio of 0.7 unemployed person per job opening. The national job openings rate was 5.3 percent. Maryland and North Dakota were among the states with the lowest numbers of unemployed people per job opening with 0.3 person each. Maryland had one of the highest job openings rates in the nation at 7.4 percent. The job openings rate in North Dakota was 5.6 percent.
State | Unemployed people per job opening | Unemployed people | Job openings | Job openings rate |
---|---|---|---|---|
Total U.S. |
0.7 | 6,124,000 | 8,863,000 | 5.3 |
Alabama |
0.5 | 66,558 | 129,000 | 5.6 |
Alaska |
0.7 | 16,406 | 25,000 | 7.0 |
Arizona |
1.1 | 155,052 | 144,000 | 4.3 |
Arkansas |
0.7 | 50,811 | 71,000 | 5.0 |
California |
1.2 | 1,013,856 | 819,000 | 4.4 |
Colorado |
0.6 | 110,213 | 183,000 | 5.8 |
Connecticut |
0.9 | 82,924 | 90,000 | 5.0 |
Delaware |
0.6 | 20,659 | 36,000 | 6.9 |
District of Columbia |
0.5 | 20,312 | 44,000 | 5.4 |
Florida |
0.7 | 340,168 | 518,000 | 5.0 |
Georgia |
0.6 | 166,760 | 283,000 | 5.4 |
Hawaii |
0.8 | 20,868 | 26,000 | 3.9 |
Idaho |
0.6 | 32,264 | 52,000 | 5.7 |
Illinois |
0.9 | 305,486 | 349,000 | 5.4 |
Indiana |
0.7 | 117,341 | 162,000 | 4.7 |
Iowa |
0.5 | 51,077 | 96,000 | 5.7 |
Kansas |
0.5 | 39,069 | 82,000 | 5.4 |
Kentucky |
0.7 | 87,154 | 117,000 | 5.5 |
Louisiana |
0.7 | 85,123 | 122,000 | 5.9 |
Maine |
0.5 | 23,742 | 45,000 | 6.4 |
Maryland |
0.3 | 72,831 | 219,000 | 7.4 |
Massachusetts |
0.5 | 114,168 | 214,000 | 5.4 |
Michigan |
0.8 | 201,951 | 261,000 | 5.5 |
Minnesota |
0.5 | 82,861 | 183,000 | 5.7 |
Mississippi |
0.5 | 39,128 | 74,000 | 5.9 |
Missouri |
0.5 | 101,578 | 205,000 | 6.4 |
Montana |
0.5 | 19,312 | 37,000 | 6.6 |
Nebraska |
0.5 | 26,336 | 55,000 | 4.9 |
Nevada |
1.0 | 84,821 | 84,000 | 5.1 |
New Hampshire |
0.5 | 19,663 | 41,000 | 5.5 |
New Jersey |
1.1 | 232,347 | 211,000 | 4.6 |
New Mexico |
0.6 | 38,562 | 61,000 | 6.5 |
New York |
0.8 | 438,983 | 556,000 | 5.4 |
North Carolina |
0.6 | 185,737 | 299,000 | 5.7 |
North Dakota |
0.3 | 8,027 | 26,000 | 5.6 |
Ohio |
0.6 | 211,818 | 334,000 | 5.6 |
Oklahoma |
0.6 | 70,141 | 115,000 | 6.1 |
Oregon |
0.6 | 88,370 | 143,000 | 6.8 |
Pennsylvania |
0.6 | 220,568 | 367,000 | 5.6 |
Rhode Island |
0.7 | 20,926 | 28,000 | 5.2 |
South Carolina |
0.5 | 75,325 | 164,000 | 6.5 |
South Dakota |
0.4 | 9,899 | 27,000 | 5.5 |
Tennessee |
0.6 | 117,040 | 209,000 | 5.9 |
Texas |
0.7 | 584,580 | 781,000 | 5.3 |
Utah |
0.6 | 50,263 | 91,000 | 5.0 |
Vermont |
0.4 | 8,093 | 18,000 | 5.5 |
Virginia |
0.5 | 139,777 | 257,000 | 5.8 |
Washington |
1.1 | 183,684 | 175,000 | 4.6 |
West Virginia |
0.6 | 34,031 | 53,000 | 6.8 |
Wisconsin |
0.6 | 100,375 | 163,000 | 5.1 |
Wyoming |
0.4 | 8,373 | 19,000 | 6.1 |
Note: Data are seasonally adjusted. |
In Nevada, the numbers of unemployed people and job openings in January 2024 were roughly equal, yielding a ratio of 1.0 unemployed person per job opening.
Among the states with the highest numbers of unemployed people per job opening were California (1.2 people) and Arizona, New Jersey and Washington (1.1 people each).
In addition to Maryland, other states that had high job openings rates in January 2024 were Alaska (7.0 percent), Delaware (6.9 percent), and Oregon and West Virginia (6.8 percent each). Some of the lowest rates occurred in Hawaii (3.9 percent), Arizona (4.3 percent), and California (4.4 percent).
These data are from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey and are seasonally adjusted and preliminary. For more information, see "State Job Openings and Labor Turnover — January 2024" and charts of state job openings and labor turnover data. The ratio of unemployed people per job opening shows tightness in the labor market. When the ratio equals 1.0, there is approximately one unemployed person per job opening. When less than 1.0, the labor market is tight, as job openings outnumber the unemployed. When greater than 1.0, there are more unemployed people than available jobs. The job openings rate is calculated by dividing the number of job openings by the sum of employment and job openings.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, 0.3 unemployed person per job opening in Maryland and North Dakota in January 2024 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2024/0-3-unemployed-person-per-job-opening-in-maryland-and-north-dakota-in-january-2024.htm (visited October 31, 2024).