Data / Rankings / Covered employment (QCEW) / US states

US states by covered employment (QCEW)

California had the highest covered employment (QCEW) of 51 states in 2019, at 17,631,489 jobs. Wyoming had the lowest, at 277,114 jobs. The median was 1,923,825 jobs and the figure for the United States was 148,105,092 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest17,631,489California
Lowest277,114Wyoming
Median1,923,82551 states
United States148,105,092History

Map of states, 2019

Alabama: 1,989,555 jobsAlaska: 323,695 jobsArizona: 2,908,826 jobsArkansas: 1,218,106 jobsCalifornia: 17,631,489 jobsColorado: 2,736,105 jobsConnecticut: 1,670,704 jobsDelaware: 452,776 jobsDistrict of Columbia: 776,041 jobsFlorida: 8,884,066 jobsGeorgia: 4,513,028 jobsHawaii: 659,045 jobsIdaho: 752,351 jobsIllinois: 5,995,905 jobsIndiana: 3,077,767 jobsIowa: 1,553,350 jobsKansas: 1,393,184 jobsKentucky: 1,897,896 jobsLouisiana: 1,923,825 jobsMaine: 621,691 jobsMaryland: 2,698,113 jobsMassachusetts: 3,636,617 jobsMichigan: 4,358,167 jobsMinnesota: 2,902,225 jobsMississippi: 1,135,598 jobsMissouri: 2,812,888 jobsMontana: 470,525 jobsNebraska: 982,504 jobsNevada: 1,408,753 jobsNew Hampshire: 665,320 jobsNew Jersey: 4,083,014 jobsNew Mexico: 836,674 jobsNew York: 9,542,899 jobsNorth Carolina: 4,498,572 jobsNorth Dakota: 422,837 jobsOhio: 5,439,352 jobsOklahoma: 1,622,058 jobsOregon: 1,953,467 jobsPennsylvania: 5,925,588 jobsRhode Island: 485,638 jobsSouth Carolina: 2,129,271 jobsSouth Dakota: 430,117 jobsTennessee: 3,032,893 jobsTexas: 12,590,406 jobsUtah: 1,520,688 jobsVermont: 310,611 jobsVirginia: 3,938,841 jobsWashington: 3,439,158 jobsWest Virginia: 688,761 jobsWisconsin: 2,887,018 jobsWyoming: 277,114 jobs
  • Under 600K
  • 600K to 1.2M
  • 1.2M to 1.9M
  • 1.9M to 2.9M
  • 2.9M to 4.5M
  • 4.5M and over
jobs, 2019. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2019

California: 17,631,489 jobsCalifornia17,631,489Texas: 12,590,406 jobsTexas12,590,406New York: 9,542,899 jobsNew York9,542,899Florida: 8,884,066 jobsFlorida8,884,066Illinois: 5,995,905 jobsIllinois5,995,905Pennsylvania: 5,925,588 jobsPennsylvania5,925,588Ohio: 5,439,352 jobsOhio5,439,352Georgia: 4,513,028 jobsGeorgia4,513,028North Carolina: 4,498,572 jobsNorth Carolina4,498,572Michigan: 4,358,167 jobsMichigan4,358,167New Jersey: 4,083,014 jobsNew Jersey4,083,014Virginia: 3,938,841 jobsVirginia3,938,841Massachusetts: 3,636,617 jobsMassachusetts3,636,617Washington: 3,439,158 jobsWashington3,439,158Indiana: 3,077,767 jobsIndiana3,077,767Tennessee: 3,032,893 jobsTennessee3,032,893Arizona: 2,908,826 jobsArizona2,908,826Minnesota: 2,902,225 jobsMinnesota2,902,225Wisconsin: 2,887,018 jobsWisconsin2,887,018Missouri: 2,812,888 jobsMissouri2,812,888Colorado: 2,736,105 jobsColorado2,736,105Maryland: 2,698,113 jobsMaryland2,698,113South Carolina: 2,129,271 jobsSouth Carolina2,129,271Alabama: 1,989,555 jobsAlabama1,989,555Oregon: 1,953,467 jobsOregon1,953,467Louisiana: 1,923,825 jobsLouisiana1,923,825Kentucky: 1,897,896 jobsKentucky1,897,896Connecticut: 1,670,704 jobsConnecticut1,670,704Oklahoma: 1,622,058 jobsOklahoma1,622,058Iowa: 1,553,350 jobsIowa1,553,350Utah: 1,520,688 jobsUtah1,520,688Nevada: 1,408,753 jobsNevada1,408,753Kansas: 1,393,184 jobsKansas1,393,184Arkansas: 1,218,106 jobsArkansas1,218,106Mississippi: 1,135,598 jobsMississippi1,135,598Nebraska: 982,504 jobsNebraska982,504New Mexico: 836,674 jobsNew Mexico836,674District of Columbia: 776,041 jobsDistrict of Columbia776,041Idaho: 752,351 jobsIdaho752,351West Virginia: 688,761 jobsWest Virginia688,761New Hampshire: 665,320 jobsNew Hampshire665,320Hawaii: 659,045 jobsHawaii659,045Maine: 621,691 jobsMaine621,691Rhode Island: 485,638 jobsRhode Island485,638Montana: 470,525 jobsMontana470,525Delaware: 452,776 jobsDelaware452,776South Dakota: 430,117 jobsSouth Dakota430,117North Dakota: 422,837 jobsNorth Dakota422,837Alaska: 323,695 jobsAlaska323,695Vermont: 310,611 jobsVermont310,611Wyoming: 277,114 jobsWyoming277,114California: 17,631,489 jobsCalifornia17,631,489Texas: 12,590,406 jobsTexas12,590,406New York: 9,542,899 jobsNew York9,542,899Florida: 8,884,066 jobsFlorida8,884,066Illinois: 5,995,905 jobsIllinois5,995,905Pennsylvania: 5,925,588 jobsPennsylvania5,925,588Ohio: 5,439,352 jobsOhio5,439,352Georgia: 4,513,028 jobsGeorgia4,513,028North Carolina: 4,498,572 jobsNorth Carolina4,498,572Michigan: 4,358,167 jobsMichigan4,358,167New Jersey: 4,083,014 jobsNew Jersey4,083,014Virginia: 3,938,841 jobsVirginia3,938,841Massachusetts: 3,636,617 jobsMassachusetts3,636,617Washington: 3,439,158 jobsWashington3,439,158Indiana: 3,077,767 jobsIndiana3,077,767Tennessee: 3,032,893 jobsTennessee3,032,893Arizona: 2,908,826 jobsArizona2,908,826Minnesota: 2,902,225 jobsMinnesota2,902,225Wisconsin: 2,887,018 jobsWisconsin2,887,018Missouri: 2,812,888 jobsMissouri2,812,888Colorado: 2,736,105 jobsColorado2,736,105Maryland: 2,698,113 jobsMaryland2,698,113South Carolina: 2,129,271 jobsSouth Carolina2,129,271Alabama: 1,989,555 jobsAlabama1,989,555Oregon: 1,953,467 jobsOregon1,953,467Louisiana: 1,923,825 jobsLouisiana1,923,825Kentucky: 1,897,896 jobsKentucky1,897,896Connecticut: 1,670,704 jobsConnecticut1,670,704Oklahoma: 1,622,058 jobsOklahoma1,622,058Iowa: 1,553,350 jobsIowa1,553,350Utah: 1,520,688 jobsUtah1,520,688Nevada: 1,408,753 jobsNevada1,408,753Kansas: 1,393,184 jobsKansas1,393,184Arkansas: 1,218,106 jobsArkansas1,218,106Mississippi: 1,135,598 jobsMississippi1,135,598Nebraska: 982,504 jobsNebraska982,504New Mexico: 836,674 jobsNew Mexico836,674District of Columbia: 776,041 jobsDistrict of Columbia776,041Idaho: 752,351 jobsIdaho752,351West Virginia: 688,761 jobsWest Virginia688,761New Hampshire: 665,320 jobsNew Hampshire665,320Hawaii: 659,045 jobsHawaii659,045Maine: 621,691 jobsMaine621,691Rhode Island: 485,638 jobsRhode Island485,638Montana: 470,525 jobsMontana470,525Delaware: 452,776 jobsDelaware452,776South Dakota: 430,117 jobsSouth Dakota430,117North Dakota: 422,837 jobsNorth Dakota422,837Alaska: 323,695 jobsAlaska323,695Vermont: 310,611 jobsVermont310,611Wyoming: 277,114 jobsWyoming277,114
jobs. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankStates2019
jobs		Change on 2018
1California17,631,489+1.6%
2Texas12,590,406+2.3%
3New York9,542,899+1.2%
4Florida8,884,066+2.1%
5Illinois5,995,905+0.4%
6Pennsylvania5,925,588+1%
7Ohio5,439,352+0.6%
8Georgia4,513,028+1.9%
9North Carolina4,498,572+2%
10Michigan4,358,167+0.4%
11New Jersey4,083,014+1%
12Virginia3,938,841+1.2%
13Massachusetts3,636,617+1.4%
14Washington3,439,158+2%
15Indiana3,077,767+0.8%
16Tennessee3,032,893+1.9%
17Arizona2,908,826+2.9%
18Minnesota2,902,225+0.7%
19Wisconsin2,887,018+0.4%
20Missouri2,812,888+0.7%
21Colorado2,736,105+2.3%
22Maryland2,698,113+0.7%
23South Carolina2,129,271+1.8%
24Alabama1,989,555+1.4%
25Oregon1,953,467+1.7%
26Louisiana1,923,825+0.1%
27Kentucky1,897,896+0.7%
28Connecticut1,670,704-0.2%
29Oklahoma1,622,058+1%
30Iowa1,553,350+0.2%
31Utah1,520,688+2.9%
32Nevada1,408,753+2.8%
33Kansas1,393,184+0.7%
34Arkansas1,218,106+0.6%
35Mississippi1,135,598+0.4%
36Nebraska982,504+0.5%
37New Mexico836,674+1.7%
38District of Columbia776,041+0.6%
39Idaho752,351+3%
40West Virginia688,761-0.7%
41New Hampshire665,320+1%
42Hawaii659,045+0.1%
43Maine621,691+1%
44Rhode Island485,638+0.8%
45Montana470,525+1.2%
46Delaware452,776+1.3%
47South Dakota430,117+0.7%
48North Dakota422,837+1.3%
49Alaska323,695+0.8%
50Vermont310,611+0.1%
51Wyoming277,114+1.8%

Other periods

About this ranking

Average number of jobs covered by unemployment insurance during the year, all industries, private and government, from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Counted where the job is located, from the reports employers file each quarter; monthly employment counts the jobs in the pay period that includes the 12th.

Counts jobs, not people: someone with two jobs counts twice. Covers about 95 percent of US wage and salary jobs. Excludes the self-employed, most agricultural workers on small farms, the armed forces, elected officials in most states, most railroad employees, some domestic workers and most student workers at schools. A count of employer reports, not a survey estimate like oews_employment.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the states are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties (US states by covered employment (QCEW), 2019) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv

MLA 9

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, US states by covered employment (QCEW), 2019. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/us-states?period=2019. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. US states by covered employment (QCEW), 2019. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/us-states?period=2019.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, US states by covered employment (QCEW), 2019 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/us-states?period=2019 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_states_by_covered_2019,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: US states by covered employment (QCEW), 2019}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/us-states?period=2019. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: US states by covered employment (QCEW), 2019
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/us-states?period=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/us-states?period=2019.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which state has the highest covered employment (QCEW)?

California, with 17,631,489 jobs in 2019, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which state has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

Wyoming, with 277,114 jobs in 2019.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Covered employment (QCEW): other rankings

US states: more rankings