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14 states had at least 2 job openings for every unemployed person in May 2024
July 30, 2024
In May 2024, there were a total of 6,694,000 unemployed people and 8,140,000 job openings in the United States, yielding a ratio of 0.8 unemployed person per job opening. The national job openings rate was 4.9 percent. Fourteen states had 0.5 or fewer unemployed person per job opening: North Dakota (0.3 person), Vermont and South Dakota (0.4 person each), and Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Virginia, and Wyoming (0.5 person each). The job openings rates in these states ranged from 4.4 percent in Nebraska to 6.6 percent in South Carolina.
Number of unemployed people per job opening by state, May 2024
Total U.S.: 0.8
Number of unemployed people per job opening and job openings rates by state, May 2024
State
Unemployed people per job opening
Unemployed people
Job openings
Job openings rate (in percent)
Total U.S.
0.8
6,649,000
8,140,000
4.9
Alabama
0.6
70,668
124,000
5.3
Alaska
0.6
16,073
25,000
6.9
Arizona
0.8
126,671
164,000
4.8
Arkansas
0.6
46,937
84,000
5.8
California
1.5
1,010,218
686,000
3.7
Colorado
0.7
123,639
178,000
5.6
Connecticut
0.9
81,817
90,000
5.0
Delaware
0.7
19,868
30,000
5.8
District of Columbia
0.6
21,695
39,000
4.8
Florida
0.7
360,500
501,000
4.8
Georgia
0.6
169,912
283,000
5.4
Hawaii
0.7
20,025
27,000
4.1
Idaho
0.7
32,584
48,000
5.2
Illinois
0.9
317,370
346,000
5.3
Indiana
0.8
124,579
165,000
4.8
Iowa
0.6
46,893
75,000
4.4
Kansas
0.6
43,855
72,000
4.7
Kentucky
0.7
94,630
136,000
6.2
Louisiana
0.7
86,115
120,000
5.8
Maine
0.5
20,579
40,000
5.7
Maryland
0.5
85,889
184,000
6.3
Massachusetts
0.5
115,251
213,000
5.4
Michigan
0.9
196,780
226,000
4.8
Minnesota
0.5
86,910
169,000
5.3
Mississippi
0.5
34,599
70,000
5.5
Missouri
0.7
109,380
152,000
4.7
Montana
0.5
17,675
34,000
6.0
Nebraska
0.5
26,355
49,000
4.4
Nevada
1.1
82,770
73,000
4.4
New Hampshire
0.5
19,401
39,000
5.2
New Jersey
0.9
223,884
240,000
5.2
New Mexico
0.6
37,048
60,000
6.3
New York
0.9
409,860
477,000
4.6
North Carolina
0.7
187,419
287,000
5.4
North Dakota
0.3
8,574
25,000
5.3
Ohio
0.9
242,761
256,000
4.3
Oklahoma
0.6
69,271
113,000
6.0
Oregon
0.9
91,029
100,000
4.8
Pennsylvania
0.7
223,176
314,000
4.8
Rhode Island
0.8
25,099
32,000
5.9
South Carolina
0.5
83,589
167,000
6.6
South Dakota
0.4
9,589
24,000
4.9
Tennessee
0.6
103,800
173,000
4.9
Texas
0.9
606,797
678,000
4.6
Utah
0.6
51,899
86,000
4.7
Vermont
0.4
7,615
17,000
5.1
Virginia
0.5
124,764
257,000
5.7
Washington
1.2
195,546
167,000
4.4
West Virginia
0.7
33,009
49,000
6.4
Wisconsin
0.6
92,487
158,000
4.9
Wyoming
0.5
8,360
17,000
5.5
Note: Data are seasonally adjusted.
In May 2024, there were more unemployed people than job openings in Nevada (1.1 unemployed people per job opening), Washington (1.2 unemployed people per job opening), and California (1.5 unemployed people per job opening). The job openings rates were 4.4 percent in Nevada and Washington and 3.7 percent in California.
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 — May 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.
United States Department of Labor
