Data / Rankings / Wage and salary jobs (OEWS) / US states

US states by wage and salary jobs (OEWS)

California had the highest wage and salary jobs (OEWS) of 51 states in 2015, at 15,496,600 jobs. Wyoming had the lowest, at 283,830 jobs. The median was 1,838,220 jobs and the figure for the United States was 137,896,660 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest15,496,600California
Lowest283,830Wyoming
Median1,838,22051 states
United States137,896,660History

Map of states, 2015

Alabama: 1,883,310 jobsAlaska: 327,250 jobsArizona: 2,587,070 jobsArkansas: 1,176,130 jobsCalifornia: 15,496,600 jobsColorado: 2,451,490 jobsConnecticut: 1,659,430 jobsDelaware: 433,840 jobsDistrict of Columbia: 676,060 jobsFlorida: 7,925,300 jobsGeorgia: 4,107,960 jobsHawaii: 619,960 jobsIdaho: 642,700 jobsIllinois: 5,852,710 jobsIndiana: 2,947,380 jobsIowa: 1,526,950 jobsKansas: 1,371,630 jobsKentucky: 1,838,220 jobsLouisiana: 1,939,300 jobsMaine: 591,520 jobsMaryland: 2,596,630 jobsMassachusetts: 3,396,840 jobsMichigan: 4,146,600 jobsMinnesota: 2,772,240 jobsMississippi: 1,106,550 jobsMissouri: 2,712,240 jobsMontana: 447,180 jobsNebraska: 953,710 jobsNevada: 1,232,800 jobsNew Hampshire: 635,360 jobsNew Jersey: 3,906,800 jobsNew Mexico: 798,150 jobsNew York: 8,984,890 jobsNorth Carolina: 4,125,070 jobsNorth Dakota: 447,820 jobsOhio: 5,280,850 jobsOklahoma: 1,597,130 jobsOregon: 1,735,220 jobsPennsylvania: 5,709,480 jobsRhode Island: 471,290 jobsSouth Carolina: 1,928,140 jobsSouth Dakota: 413,260 jobsTennessee: 2,814,230 jobsTexas: 11,572,540 jobsUtah: 1,324,460 jobsVermont: 303,550 jobsVirginia: 3,682,450 jobsWashington: 2,983,930 jobsWest Virginia: 707,000 jobsWisconsin: 2,771,600 jobsWyoming: 283,830 jobs
  • Under 600K
  • 600K to 1.2M
  • 1.2M to 1.8M
  • 1.8M to 2.8M
  • 2.8M to 4.1M
  • 4.1M and over
jobs, 2015. Source: BLS, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May estimates, state cross-industry file: employment, all occupations (00-0000). Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2015

California: 15,496,600 jobsCalifornia15,496,600Texas: 11,572,540 jobsTexas11,572,540New York: 8,984,890 jobsNew York8,984,890Florida: 7,925,300 jobsFlorida7,925,300Illinois: 5,852,710 jobsIllinois5,852,710Pennsylvania: 5,709,480 jobsPennsylvania5,709,480Ohio: 5,280,850 jobsOhio5,280,850Michigan: 4,146,600 jobsMichigan4,146,600North Carolina: 4,125,070 jobsNorth Carolina4,125,070Georgia: 4,107,960 jobsGeorgia4,107,960New Jersey: 3,906,800 jobsNew Jersey3,906,800Virginia: 3,682,450 jobsVirginia3,682,450Massachusetts: 3,396,840 jobsMassachusetts3,396,840Washington: 2,983,930 jobsWashington2,983,930Indiana: 2,947,380 jobsIndiana2,947,380Tennessee: 2,814,230 jobsTennessee2,814,230Minnesota: 2,772,240 jobsMinnesota2,772,240Wisconsin: 2,771,600 jobsWisconsin2,771,600Missouri: 2,712,240 jobsMissouri2,712,240Maryland: 2,596,630 jobsMaryland2,596,630Arizona: 2,587,070 jobsArizona2,587,070Colorado: 2,451,490 jobsColorado2,451,490Louisiana: 1,939,300 jobsLouisiana1,939,300South Carolina: 1,928,140 jobsSouth Carolina1,928,140Alabama: 1,883,310 jobsAlabama1,883,310Kentucky: 1,838,220 jobsKentucky1,838,220Oregon: 1,735,220 jobsOregon1,735,220Connecticut: 1,659,430 jobsConnecticut1,659,430Oklahoma: 1,597,130 jobsOklahoma1,597,130Iowa: 1,526,950 jobsIowa1,526,950Kansas: 1,371,630 jobsKansas1,371,630Utah: 1,324,460 jobsUtah1,324,460Nevada: 1,232,800 jobsNevada1,232,800Arkansas: 1,176,130 jobsArkansas1,176,130Mississippi: 1,106,550 jobsMississippi1,106,550Nebraska: 953,710 jobsNebraska953,710New Mexico: 798,150 jobsNew Mexico798,150West Virginia: 707,000 jobsWest Virginia707,000District of Columbia: 676,060 jobsDistrict of Columbia676,060Idaho: 642,700 jobsIdaho642,700New Hampshire: 635,360 jobsNew Hampshire635,360Hawaii: 619,960 jobsHawaii619,960Maine: 591,520 jobsMaine591,520Rhode Island: 471,290 jobsRhode Island471,290North Dakota: 447,820 jobsNorth Dakota447,820Montana: 447,180 jobsMontana447,180Delaware: 433,840 jobsDelaware433,840South Dakota: 413,260 jobsSouth Dakota413,260Alaska: 327,250 jobsAlaska327,250Vermont: 303,550 jobsVermont303,550Wyoming: 283,830 jobsWyoming283,830California: 15,496,600 jobsCalifornia15,496,600Texas: 11,572,540 jobsTexas11,572,540New York: 8,984,890 jobsNew York8,984,890Florida: 7,925,300 jobsFlorida7,925,300Illinois: 5,852,710 jobsIllinois5,852,710Pennsylvania: 5,709,480 jobsPennsylvania5,709,480Ohio: 5,280,850 jobsOhio5,280,850Michigan: 4,146,600 jobsMichigan4,146,600North Carolina: 4,125,070 jobsNorth Carolina4,125,070Georgia: 4,107,960 jobsGeorgia4,107,960New Jersey: 3,906,800 jobsNew Jersey3,906,800Virginia: 3,682,450 jobsVirginia3,682,450Massachusetts: 3,396,840 jobsMassachusetts3,396,840Washington: 2,983,930 jobsWashington2,983,930Indiana: 2,947,380 jobsIndiana2,947,380Tennessee: 2,814,230 jobsTennessee2,814,230Minnesota: 2,772,240 jobsMinnesota2,772,240Wisconsin: 2,771,600 jobsWisconsin2,771,600Missouri: 2,712,240 jobsMissouri2,712,240Maryland: 2,596,630 jobsMaryland2,596,630Arizona: 2,587,070 jobsArizona2,587,070Colorado: 2,451,490 jobsColorado2,451,490Louisiana: 1,939,300 jobsLouisiana1,939,300South Carolina: 1,928,140 jobsSouth Carolina1,928,140Alabama: 1,883,310 jobsAlabama1,883,310Kentucky: 1,838,220 jobsKentucky1,838,220Oregon: 1,735,220 jobsOregon1,735,220Connecticut: 1,659,430 jobsConnecticut1,659,430Oklahoma: 1,597,130 jobsOklahoma1,597,130Iowa: 1,526,950 jobsIowa1,526,950Kansas: 1,371,630 jobsKansas1,371,630Utah: 1,324,460 jobsUtah1,324,460Nevada: 1,232,800 jobsNevada1,232,800Arkansas: 1,176,130 jobsArkansas1,176,130Mississippi: 1,106,550 jobsMississippi1,106,550Nebraska: 953,710 jobsNebraska953,710New Mexico: 798,150 jobsNew Mexico798,150West Virginia: 707,000 jobsWest Virginia707,000District of Columbia: 676,060 jobsDistrict of Columbia676,060Idaho: 642,700 jobsIdaho642,700New Hampshire: 635,360 jobsNew Hampshire635,360Hawaii: 619,960 jobsHawaii619,960Maine: 591,520 jobsMaine591,520Rhode Island: 471,290 jobsRhode Island471,290North Dakota: 447,820 jobsNorth Dakota447,820Montana: 447,180 jobsMontana447,180Delaware: 433,840 jobsDelaware433,840South Dakota: 413,260 jobsSouth Dakota413,260Alaska: 327,250 jobsAlaska327,250Vermont: 303,550 jobsVermont303,550Wyoming: 283,830 jobsWyoming283,830
jobs. Source: BLS, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May estimates, state cross-industry file: employment, all occupations (00-0000). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankStates2015
jobs		Change on 2014
1California15,496,600+2.5%
2Texas11,572,540+3.1%
3New York8,984,890+2%
4Florida7,925,300+3.4%
5Illinois5,852,710+1.5%
6Pennsylvania5,709,480+1%
7Ohio5,280,850+1.5%
8Michigan4,146,600+1.8%
9North Carolina4,125,070+2.3%
10Georgia4,107,960+3.1%
11New Jersey3,906,800+1%
12Virginia3,682,450+0.9%
13Massachusetts3,396,840+2.2%
14Washington2,983,930+3%
15Indiana2,947,380+1.5%
16Tennessee2,814,230+2.4%
17Minnesota2,772,240+1.5%
18Wisconsin2,771,600+1.6%
19Missouri2,712,240+1.4%
20Maryland2,596,630+1.5%
21Arizona2,587,070+2.4%
22Colorado2,451,490+3.5%
23Louisiana1,939,300+1.2%
24South Carolina1,928,140+2.8%
25Alabama1,883,310+1.4%
26Kentucky1,838,220+1.7%
27Oregon1,735,220+3.1%
28Connecticut1,659,430+0.8%
29Oklahoma1,597,130+1.3%
30Iowa1,526,950+0.9%
31Kansas1,371,630+0.9%
32Utah1,324,460+3.4%
33Nevada1,232,800+3.6%
34Arkansas1,176,130+1.5%
35Mississippi1,106,550+1.1%
36Nebraska953,710+1.1%
37New Mexico798,150+1.3%
38West Virginia707,000-0.1%
39District of Columbia676,060+0.2%
40Idaho642,700+2.3%
41New Hampshire635,360+1.3%
42Hawaii619,960+1.2%
43Maine591,520+0.9%
44Rhode Island471,290+1.6%
45North Dakota447,820+1.7%
46Montana447,180+0.9%
47Delaware433,840+2.2%
48South Dakota413,260+1%
49Alaska327,250+0.7%
50Vermont303,550+0.8%
51Wyoming283,830+0.4%

Other periods

About this ranking

Number of wage and salary jobs in nonfarm establishments, all occupations, in May of each year, from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Full-time and part-time jobs count the same.

Counts jobs, not people: someone with two jobs counts twice. Excludes the self-employed, owners and partners of unincorporated firms, farm workers, private household workers and unpaid family workers. It is the base of the OEWS wage estimates, not a monthly payroll count.

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. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May estimates, state cross-industry file: employment, all occupations (00-0000). https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15st.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

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APA 7

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May estimates, state cross-industry file: employment, all occupations (00-0000) (US states by wage and salary jobs (OEWS), 2015) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15st.zip

MLA 9

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May estimates, state cross-industry file: employment, all occupations (00-0000), US states by wage and salary jobs (OEWS), 2015. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 15 May 2026, https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15st.zip. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wage-and-salary-jobs/us-states?period=2015. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May estimates, state cross-industry file: employment, all occupations (00-0000). US states by wage and salary jobs (OEWS), 2015. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15st.zip. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wage-and-salary-jobs/us-states?period=2015.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May estimates, state cross-industry file: employment, all occupations (00-0000), US states by wage and salary jobs (OEWS), 2015 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15st.zip, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/wage-and-salary-jobs/us-states?period=2015 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_states_by_wage_2015,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May estimates, state cross-industry file: employment, all occupations (00-0000): US states by wage and salary jobs (OEWS), 2015}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15st.zip},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wage-and-salary-jobs/us-states?period=2015. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May estimates, state cross-industry file: employment, all occupations (00-0000). https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15st.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May estimates, state cross-industry file: employment, all occupations (00-0000): US states by wage and salary jobs (OEWS), 2015
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/15
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15st.zip
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/wage-and-salary-jobs/us-states?period=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wage-and-salary-jobs/us-states?period=2015.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May estimates, state cross-industry file: employment, all occupations (00-0000). https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15st.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which state has the highest wage and salary jobs (OEWS)?

California, with 15,496,600 jobs in 2015, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which state has the lowest wage and salary jobs (OEWS)?

Wyoming, with 283,830 jobs in 2015.

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, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May estimates, state cross-industry file: employment, all occupations (00-0000). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

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