Data / Rankings / Job destruction rate / US states

US states by job destruction rate

Hawaii had the highest job destruction rate of 51 states in 2021, at 22.773%. South Dakota had the lowest, at 11.045%. The median was 15.282% and the figure for the United States was 15.837%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest22.773Hawaii
Lowest11.045South Dakota
Median15.28251 states
United States15.837History

Map of states, 2021

Alabama: 13.799 %Alaska: 16.023 %Arizona: 14.581 %Arkansas: 13.367 %California: 18.31 %Colorado: 17.03 %Connecticut: 16.26 %Delaware: 15.618 %District of Columbia: 20.956 %Florida: 15.282 %Georgia: 14.824 %Hawaii: 22.773 %Idaho: 11.829 %Illinois: 15.284 %Indiana: 13.388 %Iowa: 12.251 %Kansas: 13.038 %Kentucky: 13.964 %Louisiana: 16.588 %Maine: 14.665 %Maryland: 16.11 %Massachusetts: 16.215 %Michigan: 15.536 %Minnesota: 14.636 %Mississippi: 12.815 %Missouri: 14.419 %Montana: 12.179 %Nebraska: 12.314 %Nevada: 21.948 %New Hampshire: 15.141 %New Jersey: 17.646 %New Mexico: 17.172 %New York: 19.397 %North Carolina: 14.04 %North Dakota: 14.72 %Ohio: 14.41 %Oklahoma: 15.311 %Oregon: 16.199 %Pennsylvania: 15.69 %Rhode Island: 16.05 %South Carolina: 14.472 %South Dakota: 11.045 %Tennessee: 14.313 %Texas: 15.843 %Utah: 12.227 %Vermont: 16.781 %Virginia: 15.53 %Washington: 16.278 %West Virginia: 14.697 %Wisconsin: 13.326 %Wyoming: 16.681 %
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%, 2021. 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, 2021

Hawaii: 22.773 %Hawaii22.773Nevada: 21.948 %Nevada21.948District of Columbia: 20.956 %District of Columbia20.956New York: 19.397 %New York19.397California: 18.31 %California18.31New Jersey: 17.646 %New Jersey17.646New Mexico: 17.172 %New Mexico17.172Colorado: 17.03 %Colorado17.03Vermont: 16.781 %Vermont16.781Wyoming: 16.681 %Wyoming16.681Louisiana: 16.588 %Louisiana16.588Washington: 16.278 %Washington16.278Connecticut: 16.26 %Connecticut16.26Massachusetts: 16.215 %Massachusetts16.215Oregon: 16.199 %Oregon16.199Maryland: 16.11 %Maryland16.11Rhode Island: 16.05 %Rhode Island16.05Alaska: 16.023 %Alaska16.023Texas: 15.843 %Texas15.843Pennsylvania: 15.69 %Pennsylvania15.69Delaware: 15.618 %Delaware15.618Michigan: 15.536 %Michigan15.536Virginia: 15.53 %Virginia15.53Oklahoma: 15.311 %Oklahoma15.311Illinois: 15.284 %Illinois15.284Florida: 15.282 %Florida15.282New Hampshire: 15.141 %New Hampshire15.141Georgia: 14.824 %Georgia14.824North Dakota: 14.72 %North Dakota14.72West Virginia: 14.697 %West Virginia14.697Maine: 14.665 %Maine14.665Minnesota: 14.636 %Minnesota14.636Arizona: 14.581 %Arizona14.581South Carolina: 14.472 %South Carolina14.472Missouri: 14.419 %Missouri14.419Ohio: 14.41 %Ohio14.41Tennessee: 14.313 %Tennessee14.313North Carolina: 14.04 %North Carolina14.04Kentucky: 13.964 %Kentucky13.964Alabama: 13.799 %Alabama13.799Indiana: 13.388 %Indiana13.388Arkansas: 13.367 %Arkansas13.367Wisconsin: 13.326 %Wisconsin13.326Kansas: 13.038 %Kansas13.038Mississippi: 12.815 %Mississippi12.815Nebraska: 12.314 %Nebraska12.314Iowa: 12.251 %Iowa12.251Utah: 12.227 %Utah12.227Montana: 12.179 %Montana12.179Idaho: 11.829 %Idaho11.829South Dakota: 11.045 %South Dakota11.045Hawaii: 22.773 %Hawaii22.773Nevada: 21.948 %Nevada21.948District of Columbia: 20.956 %District of Columbia20.956New York: 19.397 %New York19.397California: 18.31 %California18.31New Jersey: 17.646 %New Jersey17.646New Mexico: 17.172 %New Mexico17.172Colorado: 17.03 %Colorado17.03Vermont: 16.781 %Vermont16.781Wyoming: 16.681 %Wyoming16.681Louisiana: 16.588 %Louisiana16.588Washington: 16.278 %Washington16.278Connecticut: 16.26 %Connecticut16.26Massachusetts: 16.215 %Massachusetts16.215Oregon: 16.199 %Oregon16.199Maryland: 16.11 %Maryland16.11Rhode Island: 16.05 %Rhode Island16.05Alaska: 16.023 %Alaska16.023Texas: 15.843 %Texas15.843Pennsylvania: 15.69 %Pennsylvania15.69Delaware: 15.618 %Delaware15.618Michigan: 15.536 %Michigan15.536Virginia: 15.53 %Virginia15.53Oklahoma: 15.311 %Oklahoma15.311Illinois: 15.284 %Illinois15.284Florida: 15.282 %Florida15.282New Hampshire: 15.141 %New Hampshire15.141Georgia: 14.824 %Georgia14.824North Dakota: 14.72 %North Dakota14.72West Virginia: 14.697 %West Virginia14.697Maine: 14.665 %Maine14.665Minnesota: 14.636 %Minnesota14.636Arizona: 14.581 %Arizona14.581South Carolina: 14.472 %South Carolina14.472Missouri: 14.419 %Missouri14.419Ohio: 14.41 %Ohio14.41Tennessee: 14.313 %Tennessee14.313North Carolina: 14.04 %North Carolina14.04Kentucky: 13.964 %Kentucky13.964Alabama: 13.799 %Alabama13.799Indiana: 13.388 %Indiana13.388Arkansas: 13.367 %Arkansas13.367Wisconsin: 13.326 %Wisconsin13.326Kansas: 13.038 %Kansas13.038Mississippi: 12.815 %Mississippi12.815Nebraska: 12.314 %Nebraska12.314Iowa: 12.251 %Iowa12.251Utah: 12.227 %Utah12.227Montana: 12.179 %Montana12.179Idaho: 11.829 %Idaho11.829South Dakota: 11.045 %South Dakota11.045
%. 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

RankStates2021 (%)Change on 2020
1Hawaii22.773+12.9 pts
2Nevada21.948+10.19 pts
3District of Columbia20.956+10.67 pts
4New York19.397+7.8 pts
5California18.31+5.84 pts
6New Jersey17.646+5.93 pts
7New Mexico17.172+6.19 pts
8Colorado17.03+4.37 pts
9Vermont16.781+6.04 pts
10Wyoming16.681+4.72 pts
11Louisiana16.588+4.79 pts
12Washington16.278+5.51 pts
13Connecticut16.26+4.28 pts
14Massachusetts16.215+5.87 pts
15Oregon16.199+5.49 pts
16Maryland16.11+5.49 pts
17Rhode Island16.05+6.36 pts
18Alaska16.023+4.68 pts
19Texas15.843+3.46 pts
20Pennsylvania15.69+5.35 pts
21Delaware15.618+3.95 pts
22Michigan15.536+4.86 pts
23Virginia15.53+4.37 pts
24Oklahoma15.311+3.19 pts
25Illinois15.284+4.12 pts
26Florida15.282+3.51 pts
27New Hampshire15.141+5.71 pts
28Georgia14.824+3.52 pts
29North Dakota14.72+4.3 pts
30West Virginia14.697+3.17 pts
31Maine14.665+4.47 pts
32Minnesota14.636+4.71 pts
33Arizona14.581+2.96 pts
34South Carolina14.472+3.15 pts
35Missouri14.419+4.06 pts
36Ohio14.41+3.45 pts
37Tennessee14.313+3.54 pts
38North Carolina14.04+3.32 pts
39Kentucky13.964+2.95 pts
40Alabama13.799+3.39 pts
41Indiana13.388+2.45 pts
42Arkansas13.367+2.28 pts
43Wisconsin13.326+2.8 pts
44Kansas13.038+1.49 pts
45Mississippi12.815+1.94 pts
46Nebraska12.314+2.41 pts
47Iowa12.251+2.86 pts
48Utah12.227+0.84 pts
49Montana12.179+1.11 pts
50Idaho11.829+2.06 pts
51South Dakota11.045+1.19 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, 2021) [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, 2021. 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=2021. 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, 2021. 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=2021.

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, 2021 [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=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_job_2021,
  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, 2021}},
  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=2021. 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, 2021
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=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/us-states?period=2021.
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?

Hawaii, with 22.773% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest job destruction rate?

South Dakota, with 11.045% in 2021.

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