Data / Rankings / Payroll job growth, 12-month change / US states

US states by payroll job growth, 12-month change

Minnesota had the highest payroll job growth, 12-month change of 51 states in July 2026, at 1.5%. District of Columbia had the lowest, at -4.4%. The median was 0.3% and the figure for the United States was 0.2%. Source: BLS.

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Highest1.5Minnesota
Lowest-4.4District of Columbia
Median0.351 states
United States0.2History

Map of states, July 2026

Alabama: 0.9 %Alaska: 1 %Arizona: 0.6 %Arkansas: 0.3 %California: 0.7 %Colorado: 0.3 %Connecticut: 0.8 %Delaware: -0.1 %District of Columbia: -4.4 %Florida: 0.3 %Georgia: -0.3 %Hawaii: 0.2 %Idaho: 0.6 %Illinois: 0.3 %Indiana: -0.4 %Iowa: -0.1 %Kansas: 0.4 %Kentucky: -0.1 %Louisiana: 1.4 %Maine: -0.3 %Maryland: -0.1 %Massachusetts: 0.2 %Michigan: 0.2 %Minnesota: 1.5 %Mississippi: 0.6 %Missouri: 0.9 %Montana: -1.1 %Nebraska: -0.1 %Nevada: 1.3 %New Hampshire: 0.2 %New Jersey: -0.4 %New Mexico: 1.2 %New York: 0.3 %North Carolina: 1.1 %North Dakota: 0.2 %Ohio: 0.2 %Oklahoma: 0.5 %Oregon: -0.8 %Pennsylvania: 0.5 %Rhode Island: -0.1 %South Carolina: 1.4 %South Dakota: 0.4 %Tennessee: 0.6 %Texas: 1.1 %Utah: 1 %Vermont: 0.4 %Virginia: -1.1 %Washington: 0.4 %West Virginia: -0.1 %Wisconsin: 0.2 %Wyoming: 0.5 %
  • Under -0.4
  • -0.4 to -0.1
  • -0.1 to 0
  • 0 to 0.4
  • 0.4 to 0.7
  • 0.7 and over
%, July 2026. Red areas are below zero and blue areas above it. Source: Invokely calculation with data from BLS. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, July 2026

Minnesota: 1.5 %Minnesota1.5Louisiana: 1.4 %Louisiana1.4South Carolina: 1.4 %South Carolina1.4Nevada: 1.3 %Nevada1.3New Mexico: 1.2 %New Mexico1.2North Carolina: 1.1 %North Carolina1.1Texas: 1.1 %Texas1.1Alaska: 1 %Alaska1Utah: 1 %Utah1Alabama: 0.9 %Alabama0.9Missouri: 0.9 %Missouri0.9Connecticut: 0.8 %Connecticut0.8California: 0.7 %California0.7Arizona: 0.6 %Arizona0.6Idaho: 0.6 %Idaho0.6Mississippi: 0.6 %Mississippi0.6Tennessee: 0.6 %Tennessee0.6Oklahoma: 0.5 %Oklahoma0.5Pennsylvania: 0.5 %Pennsylvania0.5Wyoming: 0.5 %Wyoming0.5Kansas: 0.4 %Kansas0.4South Dakota: 0.4 %South Dakota0.4Vermont: 0.4 %Vermont0.4Washington: 0.4 %Washington0.4Arkansas: 0.3 %Arkansas0.3Colorado: 0.3 %Colorado0.3Florida: 0.3 %Florida0.3Illinois: 0.3 %Illinois0.3New York: 0.3 %New York0.3Hawaii: 0.2 %Hawaii0.2Massachusetts: 0.2 %Massachusetts0.2Michigan: 0.2 %Michigan0.2New Hampshire: 0.2 %New Hampshire0.2North Dakota: 0.2 %North Dakota0.2Ohio: 0.2 %Ohio0.2Wisconsin: 0.2 %Wisconsin0.2Delaware: -0.1 %Delaware-0.1Iowa: -0.1 %Iowa-0.1Kentucky: -0.1 %Kentucky-0.1Maryland: -0.1 %Maryland-0.1Nebraska: -0.1 %Nebraska-0.1Rhode Island: -0.1 %Rhode Island-0.1West Virginia: -0.1 %West Virginia-0.1Georgia: -0.3 %Georgia-0.3Maine: -0.3 %Maine-0.3Indiana: -0.4 %Indiana-0.4New Jersey: -0.4 %New Jersey-0.4Oregon: -0.8 %Oregon-0.8Montana: -1.1 %Montana-1.1Virginia: -1.1 %Virginia-1.1District of Columbia: -4.4 %District of Columbia-4.4Minnesota: 1.5 %Minnesota1.5Louisiana: 1.4 %Louisiana1.4South Carolina: 1.4 %South Carolina1.4Nevada: 1.3 %Nevada1.3New Mexico: 1.2 %New Mexico1.2North Carolina: 1.1 %North Carolina1.1Texas: 1.1 %Texas1.1Alaska: 1 %Alaska1Utah: 1 %Utah1Alabama: 0.9 %Alabama0.9Missouri: 0.9 %Missouri0.9Connecticut: 0.8 %Connecticut0.8California: 0.7 %California0.7Arizona: 0.6 %Arizona0.6Idaho: 0.6 %Idaho0.6Mississippi: 0.6 %Mississippi0.6Tennessee: 0.6 %Tennessee0.6Oklahoma: 0.5 %Oklahoma0.5Pennsylvania: 0.5 %Pennsylvania0.5Wyoming: 0.5 %Wyoming0.5Kansas: 0.4 %Kansas0.4South Dakota: 0.4 %South Dakota0.4Vermont: 0.4 %Vermont0.4Washington: 0.4 %Washington0.4Arkansas: 0.3 %Arkansas0.3Colorado: 0.3 %Colorado0.3Florida: 0.3 %Florida0.3Illinois: 0.3 %Illinois0.3New York: 0.3 %New York0.3Hawaii: 0.2 %Hawaii0.2Massachusetts: 0.2 %Massachusetts0.2Michigan: 0.2 %Michigan0.2New Hampshire: 0.2 %New Hampshire0.2North Dakota: 0.2 %North Dakota0.2Ohio: 0.2 %Ohio0.2Wisconsin: 0.2 %Wisconsin0.2Delaware: -0.1 %Delaware-0.1Iowa: -0.1 %Iowa-0.1Kentucky: -0.1 %Kentucky-0.1Maryland: -0.1 %Maryland-0.1Nebraska: -0.1 %Nebraska-0.1Rhode Island: -0.1 %Rhode Island-0.1West Virginia: -0.1 %West Virginia-0.1Georgia: -0.3 %Georgia-0.3Maine: -0.3 %Maine-0.3Indiana: -0.4 %Indiana-0.4New Jersey: -0.4 %New Jersey-0.4Oregon: -0.8 %Oregon-0.8Montana: -1.1 %Montana-1.1Virginia: -1.1 %Virginia-1.1District of Columbia: -4.4 %District of Columbia-4.4
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankStatesJuly 2026 (%)Change on July 2025
1Minnesota1.5+1.2 pts
2Louisiana1.4+1.5 pts
2South Carolina1.4+0.2 pts
4Nevada1.3-0.9 pts
5New Mexico1.2+0.7 pts
6North Carolina1.1+0.3 pts
6Texas1.1-0.2 pts
8Alaska1+0.3 pts
8Utah1-0.7 pts
10Alabama0.9+0.6 pts
10Missouri0.9+0.8 pts
12Connecticut0.8+0.5 pts
13California0.7+0.3 pts
14Arizona0.6+0.4 pts
14Idaho0.6-1.3 pts
14Mississippi0.6+0.5 pts
14Tennessee0.6+0.8 pts
18Oklahoma0.5+0.1 pts
18Pennsylvania0.50 pts
18Wyoming0.5+0.5 pts
21Kansas0.4-0.3 pts
21South Dakota0.4-0.1 pts
21Vermont0.4+1.4 pts
21Washington0.40 pts
25Arkansas0.3-0.4 pts
25Colorado0.3+0.4 pts
25Florida0.3-0.2 pts
25Illinois0.3+0.1 pts
25New York0.3-0.3 pts
30Hawaii0.2-0.6 pts
30Massachusetts0.2+0.7 pts
30Michigan0.20 pts
30New Hampshire0.2+0.3 pts
30North Dakota0.2+0.4 pts
30Ohio0.2-0.1 pts
30Wisconsin0.2+0.1 pts
37Delaware-0.1-1.2 pts
37Iowa-0.1+0.7 pts
37Kentucky-0.1-0.1 pts
37Maryland-0.1+0.8 pts
37Nebraska-0.1-0.4 pts
37Rhode Island-0.1-0.6 pts
37West Virginia-0.1-0.3 pts
44Georgia-0.3-0.7 pts
44Maine-0.3-0.4 pts
46Indiana-0.4-0.9 pts
46New Jersey-0.4-1.1 pts
48Oregon-0.8-0.3 pts
49Montana-1.1-1.2 pts
49Virginia-1.1-1.8 pts
51District of Columbia-4.4-2.5 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Percent change in seasonally adjusted nonfarm payroll employment from the same month a year earlier, from the Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Invokely computes it from the two published job counts, shown with each value, and rounds it to one decimal as BLS does in its state release. The latest month is preliminary. Each year BLS benchmarks the series to unemployment insurance tax records and revises past years. State estimates come out about two weeks after the national ones, and the states do not add up to the national total because each is estimated separately.

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. Current Employment Statistics, State and Area: all employees, total nonfarm, statewide, seasonally adjusted (SMS, state, 000000000000001), percent change from 12 months earlier. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/sm/sm.data.55.TotalNonFarmStateWide.All. 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. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Current Employment Statistics, State and Area: all employees, total nonfarm, statewide, seasonally adjusted (SMS, state, 000000000000001), percent change from 12 months earlier (US states by payroll job growth, 12-month change, 2026-07) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/sm/sm.data.55.TotalNonFarmStateWide.All

MLA 9

Current Employment Statistics, State and Area: all employees, total nonfarm, statewide, seasonally adjusted (SMS, state, 000000000000001), percent change from 12 months earlier, US states by payroll job growth, 12-month change, 2026-07. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 18 Sept. 2026, https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/sm/sm.data.55.TotalNonFarmStateWide.All. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/payroll-job-growth/us-states?period=2026-07. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Current Employment Statistics, State and Area: all employees, total nonfarm, statewide, seasonally adjusted (SMS, state, 000000000000001), percent change from 12 months earlier. US states by payroll job growth, 12-month change, 2026-07. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/sm/sm.data.55.TotalNonFarmStateWide.All. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/payroll-job-growth/us-states?period=2026-07.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Current Employment Statistics, State and Area: all employees, total nonfarm, statewide, seasonally adjusted (SMS, state, 000000000000001), percent change from 12 months earlier, US states by payroll job growth, 12-month change, 2026-07 [Dataset]. Available at: https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/sm/sm.data.55.TotalNonFarmStateWide.All, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/payroll-job-growth/us-states?period=2026-07 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_states_by_payroll_2026,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Current Employment Statistics, State and Area: all employees, total nonfarm, statewide, seasonally adjusted (SMS, state, 000000000000001), percent change from 12 months earlier: US states by payroll job growth, 12-month change, 2026-07}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/sm/sm.data.55.TotalNonFarmStateWide.All},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/payroll-job-growth/us-states?period=2026-07. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Current Employment Statistics, State and Area: all employees, total nonfarm, statewide, seasonally adjusted (SMS, state, 000000000000001), percent change from 12 months earlier. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/sm/sm.data.55.TotalNonFarmStateWide.All. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Current Employment Statistics, State and Area: all employees, total nonfarm, statewide, seasonally adjusted (SMS, state, 000000000000001), percent change from 12 months earlier: US states by payroll job growth, 12-month change, 2026-07
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/18
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/sm/sm.data.55.TotalNonFarmStateWide.All
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/payroll-job-growth/us-states?period=2026-07
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/payroll-job-growth/us-states?period=2026-07.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Current Employment Statistics, State and Area: all employees, total nonfarm, statewide, seasonally adjusted (SMS, state, 000000000000001), percent change from 12 months earlier. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/sm/sm.data.55.TotalNonFarmStateWide.All. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which state has the highest payroll job growth, 12-month change?

Minnesota, with 1.5% in July 2026, according to BLS.

Which state has the lowest payroll job growth, 12-month change?

District of Columbia, with -4.4% 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, Current Employment Statistics, State and Area: all employees, total nonfarm, statewide, seasonally adjusted (SMS, state, 000000000000001), percent change from 12 months earlier. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

US states: more rankings