Data / Rankings / Job destruction rate / US states

US states by job destruction rate

Colorado had the highest job destruction rate of 51 states in 2020, at 12.662%. Iowa had the lowest, at 9.388%. The median was 10.963% and the figure for the United States was 11.326%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest12.662Colorado
Lowest9.388Iowa
Median10.96351 states
United States11.326History

Map of states, 2020

Alabama: 10.413 %Alaska: 11.341 %Arizona: 11.622 %Arkansas: 11.083 %California: 12.473 %Colorado: 12.662 %Connecticut: 11.985 %Delaware: 11.664 %District of Columbia: 10.29 %Florida: 11.777 %Georgia: 11.302 %Hawaii: 9.873 %Idaho: 9.772 %Illinois: 11.169 %Indiana: 10.937 %Iowa: 9.388 %Kansas: 11.549 %Kentucky: 11.01 %Louisiana: 11.8 %Maine: 10.198 %Maryland: 10.619 %Massachusetts: 10.346 %Michigan: 10.675 %Minnesota: 9.922 %Mississippi: 10.877 %Missouri: 10.355 %Montana: 11.071 %Nebraska: 9.906 %Nevada: 11.762 %New Hampshire: 9.434 %New Jersey: 11.716 %New Mexico: 10.986 %New York: 11.597 %North Carolina: 10.722 %North Dakota: 10.424 %Ohio: 10.963 %Oklahoma: 12.121 %Oregon: 10.714 %Pennsylvania: 10.338 %Rhode Island: 9.692 %South Carolina: 11.32 %South Dakota: 9.853 %Tennessee: 10.775 %Texas: 12.382 %Utah: 11.384 %Vermont: 10.739 %Virginia: 11.159 %Washington: 10.77 %West Virginia: 11.528 %Wisconsin: 10.524 %Wyoming: 11.962 %
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%, 2020. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2020

Colorado: 12.662 %Colorado12.662California: 12.473 %California12.473Texas: 12.382 %Texas12.382Oklahoma: 12.121 %Oklahoma12.121Connecticut: 11.985 %Connecticut11.985Wyoming: 11.962 %Wyoming11.962Louisiana: 11.8 %Louisiana11.8Florida: 11.777 %Florida11.777Nevada: 11.762 %Nevada11.762New Jersey: 11.716 %New Jersey11.716Delaware: 11.664 %Delaware11.664Arizona: 11.622 %Arizona11.622New York: 11.597 %New York11.597Kansas: 11.549 %Kansas11.549West Virginia: 11.528 %West Virginia11.528Utah: 11.384 %Utah11.384Alaska: 11.341 %Alaska11.341South Carolina: 11.32 %South Carolina11.32Georgia: 11.302 %Georgia11.302Illinois: 11.169 %Illinois11.169Virginia: 11.159 %Virginia11.159Arkansas: 11.083 %Arkansas11.083Montana: 11.071 %Montana11.071Kentucky: 11.01 %Kentucky11.01New Mexico: 10.986 %New Mexico10.986Ohio: 10.963 %Ohio10.963Indiana: 10.937 %Indiana10.937Mississippi: 10.877 %Mississippi10.877Tennessee: 10.775 %Tennessee10.775Washington: 10.77 %Washington10.77Vermont: 10.739 %Vermont10.739North Carolina: 10.722 %North Carolina10.722Oregon: 10.714 %Oregon10.714Michigan: 10.675 %Michigan10.675Maryland: 10.619 %Maryland10.619Wisconsin: 10.524 %Wisconsin10.524North Dakota: 10.424 %North Dakota10.424Alabama: 10.413 %Alabama10.413Missouri: 10.355 %Missouri10.355Massachusetts: 10.346 %Massachusetts10.346Pennsylvania: 10.338 %Pennsylvania10.338District of Columbia: 10.29 %District of Columbia10.29Maine: 10.198 %Maine10.198Minnesota: 9.922 %Minnesota9.922Nebraska: 9.906 %Nebraska9.906Hawaii: 9.873 %Hawaii9.873South Dakota: 9.853 %South Dakota9.853Idaho: 9.772 %Idaho9.772Rhode Island: 9.692 %Rhode Island9.692New Hampshire: 9.434 %New Hampshire9.434Iowa: 9.388 %Iowa9.388Colorado: 12.662 %Colorado12.662California: 12.473 %California12.473Texas: 12.382 %Texas12.382Oklahoma: 12.121 %Oklahoma12.121Connecticut: 11.985 %Connecticut11.985Wyoming: 11.962 %Wyoming11.962Louisiana: 11.8 %Louisiana11.8Florida: 11.777 %Florida11.777Nevada: 11.762 %Nevada11.762New Jersey: 11.716 %New Jersey11.716Delaware: 11.664 %Delaware11.664Arizona: 11.622 %Arizona11.622New York: 11.597 %New York11.597Kansas: 11.549 %Kansas11.549West Virginia: 11.528 %West Virginia11.528Utah: 11.384 %Utah11.384Alaska: 11.341 %Alaska11.341South Carolina: 11.32 %South Carolina11.32Georgia: 11.302 %Georgia11.302Illinois: 11.169 %Illinois11.169Virginia: 11.159 %Virginia11.159Arkansas: 11.083 %Arkansas11.083Montana: 11.071 %Montana11.071Kentucky: 11.01 %Kentucky11.01New Mexico: 10.986 %New Mexico10.986Ohio: 10.963 %Ohio10.963Indiana: 10.937 %Indiana10.937Mississippi: 10.877 %Mississippi10.877Tennessee: 10.775 %Tennessee10.775Washington: 10.77 %Washington10.77Vermont: 10.739 %Vermont10.739North Carolina: 10.722 %North Carolina10.722Oregon: 10.714 %Oregon10.714Michigan: 10.675 %Michigan10.675Maryland: 10.619 %Maryland10.619Wisconsin: 10.524 %Wisconsin10.524North Dakota: 10.424 %North Dakota10.424Alabama: 10.413 %Alabama10.413Missouri: 10.355 %Missouri10.355Massachusetts: 10.346 %Massachusetts10.346Pennsylvania: 10.338 %Pennsylvania10.338District of Columbia: 10.29 %District of Columbia10.29Maine: 10.198 %Maine10.198Minnesota: 9.922 %Minnesota9.922Nebraska: 9.906 %Nebraska9.906Hawaii: 9.873 %Hawaii9.873South Dakota: 9.853 %South Dakota9.853Idaho: 9.772 %Idaho9.772Rhode Island: 9.692 %Rhode Island9.692New Hampshire: 9.434 %New Hampshire9.434Iowa: 9.388 %Iowa9.388
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankStates2020 (%)Change on 2019
1Colorado12.662+1.36 pts
2California12.473+1.29 pts
3Texas12.382+1.55 pts
4Oklahoma12.121+1.26 pts
5Connecticut11.985+2.68 pts
6Wyoming11.962+1.44 pts
7Louisiana11.8+1.54 pts
8Florida11.777+0.89 pts
9Nevada11.762+1.37 pts
10New Jersey11.716+1.28 pts
11Delaware11.664+1.24 pts
12Arizona11.622+0.45 pts
13New York11.597+1.21 pts
14Kansas11.549+1.46 pts
15West Virginia11.528+0.48 pts
16Utah11.384+1.37 pts
17Alaska11.341+0.68 pts
18South Carolina11.32+0.58 pts
19Georgia11.302-0.06 pts
20Illinois11.169+0.85 pts
21Virginia11.159+1.32 pts
22Arkansas11.083+0.84 pts
23Montana11.071+0.68 pts
24Kentucky11.01+1.31 pts
25New Mexico10.986+0.2 pts
26Ohio10.963+1.12 pts
27Indiana10.937+1.72 pts
28Mississippi10.877+1.46 pts
29Tennessee10.775+0.69 pts
30Washington10.77+0.41 pts
31Vermont10.739+1.19 pts
32North Carolina10.722+0.46 pts
33Oregon10.714+0.03 pts
34Michigan10.675+0.83 pts
35Maryland10.619+0.46 pts
36Wisconsin10.524+0.25 pts
37North Dakota10.424+1.7 pts
38Alabama10.413+0.91 pts
39Missouri10.355+0.19 pts
40Massachusetts10.346+1.4 pts
41Pennsylvania10.338+1.13 pts
42District of Columbia10.29-1.86 pts
43Maine10.198+0.54 pts
44Minnesota9.922-0.27 pts
45Nebraska9.906+0.35 pts
46Hawaii9.873+0.34 pts
47South Dakota9.853+0.49 pts
48Idaho9.772+0.3 pts
49Rhode Island9.692-0.58 pts
50New Hampshire9.434+0.48 pts
51Iowa9.388+0.62 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Jobs lost at closing and shrinking 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 added elsewhere are not subtracted, so the net change is job_creation_rate minus this rate. Not a layoff rate: it counts positions lost at establishments, not people who lost a job. 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 destruction 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 destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010 (US states by job destruction rate, 2020) [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 destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, US states by job destruction rate, 2020. 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-destruction-rate/us-states?period=2020. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. US states by job destruction rate, 2020. 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-destruction-rate/us-states?period=2020.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, US states by job destruction rate, 2020 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/us-states?period=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_job_2020,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: US states by job destruction rate, 2020}},
  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-destruction-rate/us-states?period=2020. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction 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 destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: US states by job destruction rate, 2020
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-destruction-rate/us-states?period=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/us-states?period=2020.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction 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 destruction rate?

Colorado, with 12.662% in 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest job destruction rate?

Iowa, with 9.388% in 2020.

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 destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Job destruction rate: other rankings

US states: more rankings