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 July 2026, at 67.7%. West Virginia had the lowest, at 51.6%. The median was 59.4% and the figure for the United States was 58.9%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Highest67.7North Dakota
Lowest51.6West Virginia
Median59.451 states
United States58.9History

All states, July 2026

CSVChart (SVG)

North DakotaNorth Dakota: 67.7 %67.7NebraskaNebraska: 67.4 %67.4District of ColumbiaDistrict of Columbia: 66 %66South DakotaSouth Dakota: 65.4 %65.4IowaIowa: 65 %65KansasKansas: 64.2 %64.2MinnesotaMinnesota: 64 %64UtahUtah: 63.9 %63.9New HampshireNew Hampshire: 63.1 %63.1AlaskaAlaska: 62.9 %62.9ColoradoColorado: 62.9 %62.9MassachusettsMassachusetts: 62.4 %62.4WisconsinWisconsin: 62.4 %62.4TexasTexas: 61.3 %61.3MarylandMaryland: 61.1 %61.1IndianaIndiana: 61 %61MissouriMissouri: 61 %61New JerseyNew Jersey: 60.7 %60.7VirginiaVirginia: 60.7 %60.7VermontVermont: 60.5 %60.5IllinoisIllinois: 60.2 %60.2PennsylvaniaPennsylvania: 60 %60NevadaNevada: 59.7 %59.7Rhode IslandRhode Island: 59.7 %59.7MontanaMontana: 59.5 %59.5HawaiiHawaii: 59.4 %59.4IdahoIdaho: 59.4 %59.4OhioOhio: 59.3 %59.3OklahomaOklahoma: 59.3 %59.3OregonOregon: 59.2 %59.2WashingtonWashington: 59 %59ConnecticutConnecticut: 58.9 %58.9GeorgiaGeorgia: 58.9 %58.9New YorkNew York: 58.6 %58.6WyomingWyoming: 58.5 %58.5CaliforniaCalifornia: 58.4 %58.4TennesseeTennessee: 57.2 %57.2ArizonaArizona: 57.1 %57.1MaineMaine: 57 %57ArkansasArkansas: 56.8 %56.8South CarolinaSouth Carolina: 56.4 %56.4MichiganMichigan: 56.2 %56.2LouisianaLouisiana: 55.9 %55.9North CarolinaNorth Carolina: 55.9 %55.9DelawareDelaware: 55.4 %55.4AlabamaAlabama: 55 %55KentuckyKentucky: 54.9 %54.9FloridaFlorida: 54.8 %54.8New MexicoNew Mexico: 54.1 %54.1MississippiMississippi: 53 %53West VirginiaWest Virginia: 51.6 %51.6
%. Source: BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankStatesJuly 2026 (%)Change on July 2025
1North Dakota67.7-0.1 pts
2Nebraska67.4-0.7 pts
3District of Columbia66-1.2 pts
4South Dakota65.4-1.4 pts
5Iowa65-0.3 pts
6Kansas64.2-1.1 pts
7Minnesota64-1.7 pts
8Utah63.9-1.5 pts
9New Hampshire63.1-0.2 pts
10Alaska62.9+0.4 pts
10Colorado62.9-1.5 pts
12Massachusetts62.4-1.2 pts
12Wisconsin62.4+0.2 pts
14Texas61.3-0.8 pts
15Maryland61.1-0.8 pts
16Indiana61-0.5 pts
16Missouri610 pts
18New Jersey60.7+0.6 pts
18Virginia60.7-1.3 pts
20Vermont60.5-1.9 pts
21Illinois60.2-1.1 pts
22Pennsylvania60+1.3 pts
23Nevada59.7+0.2 pts
23Rhode Island59.7-1.7 pts
25Montana59.5-0.8 pts
26Hawaii59.4+0.2 pts
26Idaho59.4-1.6 pts
28Ohio59.3-0.3 pts
28Oklahoma59.3-1.8 pts
30Oregon59.2-0.5 pts
31Washington59-0.8 pts
32Connecticut58.9-2.6 pts
32Georgia58.9+0.2 pts
34New York58.6+0.3 pts
35Wyoming58.5-0.9 pts
36California58.4-0.6 pts
37Tennessee57.2-1.2 pts
38Arizona57.1-2.3 pts
39Maine57-0.8 pts
40Arkansas56.8+0.6 pts
41South Carolina56.4+0.8 pts
42Michigan56.2-1.9 pts
43Louisiana55.9+0.4 pts
43North Carolina55.9-1.2 pts
45Delaware55.4-1.5 pts
46Alabama55-0.9 pts
47Kentucky54.9-0.7 pts
48Florida54.8-0.5 pts
49New Mexico54.1-1.1 pts
50Mississippi53-0.6 pts
51West Virginia51.6-0.6 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.

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Questions

Which state has the highest employment-population ratio?

North Dakota, with 67.7% in July 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which state has the lowest employment-population ratio?

West Virginia, with 51.6% in July 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.

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