Data / Rankings / Employment-population ratio / US states

US states by employment-population ratio

North Dakota had the highest employment-population ratio of 51 states in May 2026, at 68.1%. West Virginia had the lowest, at 51.7%. The median was 59.6% and the figure for the United States was 59.2%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Highest68.1North Dakota
Lowest51.7West Virginia
Median59.651 states
United States59.2History

All states, May 2026

CSVChart (SVG)

North DakotaNorth Dakota: 68.1 %68.1NebraskaNebraska: 67.7 %67.7District of ColumbiaDistrict of Columbia: 66.2 %66.2South DakotaSouth Dakota: 65.9 %65.9IowaIowa: 65.2 %65.2KansasKansas: 64.6 %64.6MinnesotaMinnesota: 64.2 %64.2UtahUtah: 64.1 %64.1ColoradoColorado: 63.3 %63.3New HampshireNew Hampshire: 63.2 %63.2AlaskaAlaska: 63 %63MassachusettsMassachusetts: 62.4 %62.4WisconsinWisconsin: 62.2 %62.2TexasTexas: 61.5 %61.5IndianaIndiana: 61.1 %61.1MarylandMaryland: 61.1 %61.1MissouriMissouri: 61 %61VirginiaVirginia: 60.9 %60.9VermontVermont: 60.8 %60.8New JerseyNew Jersey: 60.5 %60.5IllinoisIllinois: 60.4 %60.4NevadaNevada: 60.1 %60.1Rhode IslandRhode Island: 59.9 %59.9IdahoIdaho: 59.8 %59.8PennsylvaniaPennsylvania: 59.7 %59.7ConnecticutConnecticut: 59.6 %59.6MontanaMontana: 59.6 %59.6OhioOhio: 59.5 %59.5OklahomaOklahoma: 59.4 %59.4HawaiiHawaii: 59.3 %59.3OregonOregon: 59.2 %59.2WashingtonWashington: 59.2 %59.2GeorgiaGeorgia: 58.8 %58.8New YorkNew York: 58.8 %58.8CaliforniaCalifornia: 58.7 %58.7WyomingWyoming: 58.7 %58.7ArizonaArizona: 57.8 %57.8MaineMaine: 57.4 %57.4TennesseeTennessee: 57.4 %57.4MichiganMichigan: 56.8 %56.8ArkansasArkansas: 56.7 %56.7North CarolinaNorth Carolina: 56.4 %56.4South CarolinaSouth Carolina: 56.3 %56.3LouisianaLouisiana: 56.1 %56.1DelawareDelaware: 55.7 %55.7AlabamaAlabama: 55.4 %55.4KentuckyKentucky: 55 %55FloridaFlorida: 54.9 %54.9New MexicoNew Mexico: 54.3 %54.3MississippiMississippi: 53.2 %53.2West VirginiaWest Virginia: 51.7 %51.7
%. Source: BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankStatesMay 2026 (%)Change on May 2025
1North Dakota68.1+0.3 pts
2Nebraska67.7-0.3 pts
3District of Columbia66.2-1.7 pts
4South Dakota65.9-0.9 pts
5Iowa65.2-0.2 pts
6Kansas64.6-0.6 pts
7Minnesota64.2-1.6 pts
8Utah64.1-1.6 pts
9Colorado63.3-1.2 pts
10New Hampshire63.2-0.2 pts
11Alaska63+0.5 pts
12Massachusetts62.4-1.3 pts
13Wisconsin62.2-0.2 pts
14Texas61.5-0.7 pts
15Indiana61.1-0.4 pts
15Maryland61.1-1 pts
17Missouri610 pts
18Virginia60.9-1.4 pts
19Vermont60.8-1.7 pts
20New Jersey60.5+0.3 pts
21Illinois60.4-1.1 pts
22Nevada60.1+0.6 pts
23Rhode Island59.9-1.5 pts
24Idaho59.8-1.3 pts
25Pennsylvania59.7+0.9 pts
26Connecticut59.6-2.2 pts
26Montana59.6-0.8 pts
28Ohio59.5-0.2 pts
29Oklahoma59.4-1.8 pts
30Hawaii59.3+0.1 pts
31Oregon59.2-0.5 pts
31Washington59.2-0.7 pts
33Georgia58.80 pts
33New York58.8+0.4 pts
35California58.7-0.3 pts
35Wyoming58.7-0.9 pts
37Arizona57.8-1.6 pts
38Maine57.4-0.5 pts
38Tennessee57.4-1 pts
40Michigan56.8-1.5 pts
41Arkansas56.7+0.5 pts
42North Carolina56.4-0.8 pts
43South Carolina56.3+0.6 pts
44Louisiana56.1+0.6 pts
45Delaware55.7-1.4 pts
46Alabama55.4-0.5 pts
47Kentucky55-0.6 pts
48Florida54.9-0.7 pts
49New Mexico54.3-1.1 pts
50Mississippi53.2-0.4 pts
51West Virginia51.7-0.5 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Employed people as a percentage of the civilian noninstitutional population aged 16 and older.

Seasonally adjusted. US national figures come from the Current Population Survey; state figures are LAUS model-based estimates. The population excludes active-duty military personnel and people living in institutions. The age range and population scope differ from the existing employment-rate indicator.

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. Employment-population ratio, civilian noninstitutional population aged 16 and over, seasonally adjusted, state LAUS measure 07. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.3.AllStatesS. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank US states by employment-population ratio using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"employment_population_ratio","level":"region","within":"United States","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=employment_population_ratio&level=region&within=United%20States&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

Which state has the highest employment-population ratio?

North Dakota, with 68.1% in May 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which state has the lowest employment-population ratio?

West Virginia, with 51.7% in May 2026.

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, Employment-population ratio, civilian noninstitutional population aged 16 and over, seasonally adjusted, state LAUS measure 07. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

US states: more rankings