Data / Rankings / Job creation rate / US states

US states by job creation rate

Colorado had the highest job creation rate of 51 states in 2017, at 15.143%. West Virginia had the lowest, at 10.981%. The median was 12.929% and the figure for the United States was 13.528%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest15.143Colorado
Lowest10.981West Virginia
Median12.92951 states
United States13.528History

Map of states, 2017

Alabama: 13.168 %Alaska: 13.03 %Arizona: 14.855 %Arkansas: 13.327 %California: 14.918 %Colorado: 15.143 %Connecticut: 12.367 %Delaware: 13.769 %District of Columbia: 12.223 %Florida: 14.9 %Georgia: 14.501 %Hawaii: 13.394 %Idaho: 14.083 %Illinois: 12.241 %Indiana: 12.724 %Iowa: 11.306 %Kansas: 12.587 %Kentucky: 12.956 %Louisiana: 12.643 %Maine: 11.594 %Maryland: 13.74 %Massachusetts: 12.4 %Michigan: 12.532 %Minnesota: 12.518 %Mississippi: 11.572 %Missouri: 12.929 %Montana: 13.068 %Nebraska: 12.017 %Nevada: 14.479 %New Hampshire: 11.668 %New Jersey: 14.044 %New Mexico: 12.142 %New York: 13.2 %North Carolina: 13.189 %North Dakota: 12.079 %Ohio: 12.545 %Oklahoma: 12.941 %Oregon: 13.981 %Pennsylvania: 12.19 %Rhode Island: 11.936 %South Carolina: 13.409 %South Dakota: 11.386 %Tennessee: 13.148 %Texas: 15.075 %Utah: 14.465 %Vermont: 11.012 %Virginia: 12.803 %Washington: 14.15 %West Virginia: 10.981 %Wisconsin: 11.97 %Wyoming: 12.668 %
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%, 2017. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2017

Colorado: 15.143 %Colorado15.143Texas: 15.075 %Texas15.075California: 14.918 %California14.918Florida: 14.9 %Florida14.9Arizona: 14.855 %Arizona14.855Georgia: 14.501 %Georgia14.501Nevada: 14.479 %Nevada14.479Utah: 14.465 %Utah14.465Washington: 14.15 %Washington14.15Idaho: 14.083 %Idaho14.083New Jersey: 14.044 %New Jersey14.044Oregon: 13.981 %Oregon13.981Delaware: 13.769 %Delaware13.769Maryland: 13.74 %Maryland13.74South Carolina: 13.409 %South Carolina13.409Hawaii: 13.394 %Hawaii13.394Arkansas: 13.327 %Arkansas13.327New York: 13.2 %New York13.2North Carolina: 13.189 %North Carolina13.189Alabama: 13.168 %Alabama13.168Tennessee: 13.148 %Tennessee13.148Montana: 13.068 %Montana13.068Alaska: 13.03 %Alaska13.03Kentucky: 12.956 %Kentucky12.956Oklahoma: 12.941 %Oklahoma12.941Missouri: 12.929 %Missouri12.929Virginia: 12.803 %Virginia12.803Indiana: 12.724 %Indiana12.724Wyoming: 12.668 %Wyoming12.668Louisiana: 12.643 %Louisiana12.643Kansas: 12.587 %Kansas12.587Ohio: 12.545 %Ohio12.545Michigan: 12.532 %Michigan12.532Minnesota: 12.518 %Minnesota12.518Massachusetts: 12.4 %Massachusetts12.4Connecticut: 12.367 %Connecticut12.367Illinois: 12.241 %Illinois12.241District of Columbia: 12.223 %District of Columbia12.223Pennsylvania: 12.19 %Pennsylvania12.19New Mexico: 12.142 %New Mexico12.142North Dakota: 12.079 %North Dakota12.079Nebraska: 12.017 %Nebraska12.017Wisconsin: 11.97 %Wisconsin11.97Rhode Island: 11.936 %Rhode Island11.936New Hampshire: 11.668 %New Hampshire11.668Maine: 11.594 %Maine11.594Mississippi: 11.572 %Mississippi11.572South Dakota: 11.386 %South Dakota11.386Iowa: 11.306 %Iowa11.306Vermont: 11.012 %Vermont11.012West Virginia: 10.981 %West Virginia10.981Colorado: 15.143 %Colorado15.143Texas: 15.075 %Texas15.075California: 14.918 %California14.918Florida: 14.9 %Florida14.9Arizona: 14.855 %Arizona14.855Georgia: 14.501 %Georgia14.501Nevada: 14.479 %Nevada14.479Utah: 14.465 %Utah14.465Washington: 14.15 %Washington14.15Idaho: 14.083 %Idaho14.083New Jersey: 14.044 %New Jersey14.044Oregon: 13.981 %Oregon13.981Delaware: 13.769 %Delaware13.769Maryland: 13.74 %Maryland13.74South Carolina: 13.409 %South Carolina13.409Hawaii: 13.394 %Hawaii13.394Arkansas: 13.327 %Arkansas13.327New York: 13.2 %New York13.2North Carolina: 13.189 %North Carolina13.189Alabama: 13.168 %Alabama13.168Tennessee: 13.148 %Tennessee13.148Montana: 13.068 %Montana13.068Alaska: 13.03 %Alaska13.03Kentucky: 12.956 %Kentucky12.956Oklahoma: 12.941 %Oklahoma12.941Missouri: 12.929 %Missouri12.929Virginia: 12.803 %Virginia12.803Indiana: 12.724 %Indiana12.724Wyoming: 12.668 %Wyoming12.668Louisiana: 12.643 %Louisiana12.643Kansas: 12.587 %Kansas12.587Ohio: 12.545 %Ohio12.545Michigan: 12.532 %Michigan12.532Minnesota: 12.518 %Minnesota12.518Massachusetts: 12.4 %Massachusetts12.4Connecticut: 12.367 %Connecticut12.367Illinois: 12.241 %Illinois12.241District of Columbia: 12.223 %District of Columbia12.223Pennsylvania: 12.19 %Pennsylvania12.19New Mexico: 12.142 %New Mexico12.142North Dakota: 12.079 %North Dakota12.079Nebraska: 12.017 %Nebraska12.017Wisconsin: 11.97 %Wisconsin11.97Rhode Island: 11.936 %Rhode Island11.936New Hampshire: 11.668 %New Hampshire11.668Maine: 11.594 %Maine11.594Mississippi: 11.572 %Mississippi11.572South Dakota: 11.386 %South Dakota11.386Iowa: 11.306 %Iowa11.306Vermont: 11.012 %Vermont11.012West Virginia: 10.981 %West Virginia10.981
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankStates2017 (%)Change on 2016
1Colorado15.143+0.79 pts
2Texas15.075+1.07 pts
3California14.918+0.66 pts
4Florida14.9+0.34 pts
5Arizona14.855-0.91 pts
6Georgia14.501+1 pts
7Nevada14.479+0.63 pts
8Utah14.465+0.37 pts
9Washington14.15+0.61 pts
10Idaho14.083+0.52 pts
11New Jersey14.044+0.76 pts
12Oregon13.981+0.98 pts
13Delaware13.769+0.42 pts
14Maryland13.74+1.71 pts
15South Carolina13.409+0.03 pts
16Hawaii13.394+2.33 pts
17Arkansas13.327+1.06 pts
18New York13.2+0.51 pts
19North Carolina13.189-0.01 pts
20Alabama13.168+1.11 pts
21Tennessee13.148+0.45 pts
22Montana13.068+1.21 pts
23Alaska13.03-0.02 pts
24Kentucky12.956+1.03 pts
25Oklahoma12.941+0.9 pts
26Missouri12.929+0.86 pts
27Virginia12.803+0.14 pts
28Indiana12.724+0.72 pts
29Wyoming12.668+1.59 pts
30Louisiana12.643+1.08 pts
31Kansas12.587+1.49 pts
32Ohio12.545+0.92 pts
33Michigan12.532+0.27 pts
34Minnesota12.518+0.42 pts
35Massachusetts12.4+0.84 pts
36Connecticut12.367+0.11 pts
37Illinois12.241+0.09 pts
38District of Columbia12.223-0.4 pts
39Pennsylvania12.19+0.81 pts
40New Mexico12.142+0.09 pts
41North Dakota12.079+2.42 pts
42Nebraska12.017+1.12 pts
43Wisconsin11.97+0.94 pts
44Rhode Island11.936+0.21 pts
45New Hampshire11.668+0.37 pts
46Maine11.594+0.32 pts
47Mississippi11.572-0.11 pts
48South Dakota11.386+1.27 pts
49Iowa11.306+1.08 pts
50Vermont11.012+1.13 pts
51West Virginia10.981+0.13 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Jobs added at opening and expanding establishments during the year, as a percentage of average employment in the two years. United States: Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics.

A gross flow: jobs lost elsewhere are not subtracted, so the net change is this rate minus job_destruction_rate. Not the same as payroll job growth from the monthly employment surveys. The year is the twelve months to March: 2023 compares March 2022 with March 2023.

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. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st.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. Census Bureau. (2025). Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010 (US states by job creation rate, 2017) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st.csv

MLA 9

Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, US states by job creation rate, 2017. U.S. Census Bureau, 25 Sept. 2025, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-creation-rate/us-states?period=2017. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. US states by job creation rate, 2017. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-creation-rate/us-states?period=2017.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, US states by job creation rate, 2017 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-creation-rate/us-states?period=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_job_2017,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: US states by job creation rate, 2017}},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-creation-rate/us-states?period=2017. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023\_st.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: US states by job creation rate, 2017
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/09/25
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-creation-rate/us-states?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-creation-rate/us-states?period=2017.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which state has the highest job creation rate?

Colorado, with 15.143% in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest job creation rate?

West Virginia, with 10.981% in 2017.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Job creation rate: other rankings

US states: more rankings