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

US states by covered employment (QCEW)

California had the highest covered employment (QCEW) of 51 states in 2022, at 17,903,539 jobs. Wyoming had the lowest, at 272,234 jobs. The median was 1,920,456 jobs and the figure for the United States was 150,025,655 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest17,903,539California
Lowest272,234Wyoming
Median1,920,45651 states
United States150,025,655History

Map of states, 2022

Alabama: 2,026,102 jobsAlaska: 313,959 jobsArizona: 3,075,427 jobsArkansas: 1,248,972 jobsCalifornia: 17,903,539 jobsColorado: 2,814,975 jobsConnecticut: 1,642,536 jobsDelaware: 459,114 jobsDistrict of Columbia: 748,737 jobsFlorida: 9,358,228 jobsGeorgia: 4,705,337 jobsHawaii: 619,985 jobsIdaho: 820,860 jobsIllinois: 5,918,832 jobsIndiana: 3,113,419 jobsIowa: 1,536,997 jobsKansas: 1,390,817 jobsKentucky: 1,920,456 jobsLouisiana: 1,865,592 jobsMaine: 626,520 jobsMaryland: 2,641,021 jobsMassachusetts: 3,595,632 jobsMichigan: 4,300,943 jobsMinnesota: 2,853,966 jobsMississippi: 1,145,453 jobsMissouri: 2,821,194 jobsMontana: 496,227 jobsNebraska: 983,968 jobsNevada: 1,471,888 jobsNew Hampshire: 670,645 jobsNew Jersey: 4,134,620 jobsNew Mexico: 832,863 jobsNew York: 9,264,611 jobsNorth Carolina: 4,699,554 jobsNorth Dakota: 411,307 jobsOhio: 5,392,612 jobsOklahoma: 1,624,905 jobsOregon: 1,950,774 jobsPennsylvania: 5,863,233 jobsRhode Island: 481,342 jobsSouth Carolina: 2,181,593 jobsSouth Dakota: 443,127 jobsTennessee: 3,157,887 jobsTexas: 13,249,119 jobsUtah: 1,651,243 jobsVermont: 301,271 jobsVirginia: 3,958,628 jobsWashington: 3,512,268 jobsWest Virginia: 673,782 jobsWisconsin: 2,877,343 jobsWyoming: 272,234 jobs
  • Under 600K
  • 600K to 1.2M
  • 1.2M to 1.9M
  • 1.9M to 2.9M
  • 2.9M to 4.6M
  • 4.6M and over
jobs, 2022. 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, 2022

California: 17,903,539 jobsCalifornia17,903,539Texas: 13,249,119 jobsTexas13,249,119Florida: 9,358,228 jobsFlorida9,358,228New York: 9,264,611 jobsNew York9,264,611Illinois: 5,918,832 jobsIllinois5,918,832Pennsylvania: 5,863,233 jobsPennsylvania5,863,233Ohio: 5,392,612 jobsOhio5,392,612Georgia: 4,705,337 jobsGeorgia4,705,337North Carolina: 4,699,554 jobsNorth Carolina4,699,554Michigan: 4,300,943 jobsMichigan4,300,943New Jersey: 4,134,620 jobsNew Jersey4,134,620Virginia: 3,958,628 jobsVirginia3,958,628Massachusetts: 3,595,632 jobsMassachusetts3,595,632Washington: 3,512,268 jobsWashington3,512,268Tennessee: 3,157,887 jobsTennessee3,157,887Indiana: 3,113,419 jobsIndiana3,113,419Arizona: 3,075,427 jobsArizona3,075,427Wisconsin: 2,877,343 jobsWisconsin2,877,343Minnesota: 2,853,966 jobsMinnesota2,853,966Missouri: 2,821,194 jobsMissouri2,821,194Colorado: 2,814,975 jobsColorado2,814,975Maryland: 2,641,021 jobsMaryland2,641,021South Carolina: 2,181,593 jobsSouth Carolina2,181,593Alabama: 2,026,102 jobsAlabama2,026,102Oregon: 1,950,774 jobsOregon1,950,774Kentucky: 1,920,456 jobsKentucky1,920,456Louisiana: 1,865,592 jobsLouisiana1,865,592Utah: 1,651,243 jobsUtah1,651,243Connecticut: 1,642,536 jobsConnecticut1,642,536Oklahoma: 1,624,905 jobsOklahoma1,624,905Iowa: 1,536,997 jobsIowa1,536,997Nevada: 1,471,888 jobsNevada1,471,888Kansas: 1,390,817 jobsKansas1,390,817Arkansas: 1,248,972 jobsArkansas1,248,972Mississippi: 1,145,453 jobsMississippi1,145,453Nebraska: 983,968 jobsNebraska983,968New Mexico: 832,863 jobsNew Mexico832,863Idaho: 820,860 jobsIdaho820,860District of Columbia: 748,737 jobsDistrict of Columbia748,737West Virginia: 673,782 jobsWest Virginia673,782New Hampshire: 670,645 jobsNew Hampshire670,645Maine: 626,520 jobsMaine626,520Hawaii: 619,985 jobsHawaii619,985Montana: 496,227 jobsMontana496,227Rhode Island: 481,342 jobsRhode Island481,342Delaware: 459,114 jobsDelaware459,114South Dakota: 443,127 jobsSouth Dakota443,127North Dakota: 411,307 jobsNorth Dakota411,307Alaska: 313,959 jobsAlaska313,959Vermont: 301,271 jobsVermont301,271Wyoming: 272,234 jobsWyoming272,234California: 17,903,539 jobsCalifornia17,903,539Texas: 13,249,119 jobsTexas13,249,119Florida: 9,358,228 jobsFlorida9,358,228New York: 9,264,611 jobsNew York9,264,611Illinois: 5,918,832 jobsIllinois5,918,832Pennsylvania: 5,863,233 jobsPennsylvania5,863,233Ohio: 5,392,612 jobsOhio5,392,612Georgia: 4,705,337 jobsGeorgia4,705,337North Carolina: 4,699,554 jobsNorth Carolina4,699,554Michigan: 4,300,943 jobsMichigan4,300,943New Jersey: 4,134,620 jobsNew Jersey4,134,620Virginia: 3,958,628 jobsVirginia3,958,628Massachusetts: 3,595,632 jobsMassachusetts3,595,632Washington: 3,512,268 jobsWashington3,512,268Tennessee: 3,157,887 jobsTennessee3,157,887Indiana: 3,113,419 jobsIndiana3,113,419Arizona: 3,075,427 jobsArizona3,075,427Wisconsin: 2,877,343 jobsWisconsin2,877,343Minnesota: 2,853,966 jobsMinnesota2,853,966Missouri: 2,821,194 jobsMissouri2,821,194Colorado: 2,814,975 jobsColorado2,814,975Maryland: 2,641,021 jobsMaryland2,641,021South Carolina: 2,181,593 jobsSouth Carolina2,181,593Alabama: 2,026,102 jobsAlabama2,026,102Oregon: 1,950,774 jobsOregon1,950,774Kentucky: 1,920,456 jobsKentucky1,920,456Louisiana: 1,865,592 jobsLouisiana1,865,592Utah: 1,651,243 jobsUtah1,651,243Connecticut: 1,642,536 jobsConnecticut1,642,536Oklahoma: 1,624,905 jobsOklahoma1,624,905Iowa: 1,536,997 jobsIowa1,536,997Nevada: 1,471,888 jobsNevada1,471,888Kansas: 1,390,817 jobsKansas1,390,817Arkansas: 1,248,972 jobsArkansas1,248,972Mississippi: 1,145,453 jobsMississippi1,145,453Nebraska: 983,968 jobsNebraska983,968New Mexico: 832,863 jobsNew Mexico832,863Idaho: 820,860 jobsIdaho820,860District of Columbia: 748,737 jobsDistrict of Columbia748,737West Virginia: 673,782 jobsWest Virginia673,782New Hampshire: 670,645 jobsNew Hampshire670,645Maine: 626,520 jobsMaine626,520Hawaii: 619,985 jobsHawaii619,985Montana: 496,227 jobsMontana496,227Rhode Island: 481,342 jobsRhode Island481,342Delaware: 459,114 jobsDelaware459,114South Dakota: 443,127 jobsSouth Dakota443,127North Dakota: 411,307 jobsNorth Dakota411,307Alaska: 313,959 jobsAlaska313,959Vermont: 301,271 jobsVermont301,271Wyoming: 272,234 jobsWyoming272,234
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

RankStates2022
jobs		Change on 2021
1California17,903,539+5.5%
2Texas13,249,119+5.8%
3Florida9,358,228+5.6%
4New York9,264,611+5.1%
5Illinois5,918,832+3.9%
6Pennsylvania5,863,233+3.8%
7Ohio5,392,612+2.8%
8Georgia4,705,337+5.1%
9North Carolina4,699,554+4.2%
10Michigan4,300,943+4.1%
11New Jersey4,134,620+5.3%
12Virginia3,958,628+3.1%
13Massachusetts3,595,632+4%
14Washington3,512,268+4.8%
15Tennessee3,157,887+4.7%
16Indiana3,113,419+3.4%
17Arizona3,075,427+4.8%
18Wisconsin2,877,343+2.8%
19Minnesota2,853,966+2.9%
20Missouri2,821,194+2.9%
21Colorado2,814,975+4.3%
22Maryland2,641,021+2.3%
23South Carolina2,181,593+4.2%
24Alabama2,026,102+3.1%
25Oregon1,950,774+3.7%
26Kentucky1,920,456+3.4%
27Louisiana1,865,592+2.7%
28Utah1,651,243+4.3%
29Connecticut1,642,536+3.2%
30Oklahoma1,624,905+3.4%
31Iowa1,536,997+2.1%
32Nevada1,471,888+8.4%
33Kansas1,390,817+2.8%
34Arkansas1,248,972+3.8%
35Mississippi1,145,453+2.5%
36Nebraska983,968+1.9%
37New Mexico832,863+4.5%
38Idaho820,860+3.9%
39District of Columbia748,737+3.2%
40West Virginia673,782+2.4%
41New Hampshire670,645+3.3%
42Maine626,520+2.7%
43Hawaii619,985+5.4%
44Montana496,227+3.7%
45Rhode Island481,342+3.8%
46Delaware459,114+4%
47South Dakota443,127+2.9%
48North Dakota411,307+2.7%
49Alaska313,959+2.9%
50Vermont301,271+3.3%
51Wyoming272,234+2.5%

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/2022/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), 2022) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/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), 2022. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/us-states?period=2022. 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), 2022. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/us-states?period=2022.

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), 2022 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/us-states?period=2022 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_states_by_covered_2022,
  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), 2022}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/us-states?period=2022. 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/2022/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), 2022
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/us-states?period=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/us-states?period=2022.
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/2022/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which state has the highest covered employment (QCEW)?

California, with 17,903,539 jobs in 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which state has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

Wyoming, with 272,234 jobs in 2022.

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