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 2016, at 15,966,580 jobs. Wyoming had the lowest, at 276,120 jobs. The median was 1,869,650 jobs and the figure for the United States was 140,400,040 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest15,966,580California
Lowest276,120Wyoming
Median1,869,65051 states
United States140,400,040History

Map of states, 2016

Alabama: 1,912,990 jobsAlaska: 323,500 jobsArizona: 2,652,990 jobsArkansas: 1,191,320 jobsCalifornia: 15,966,580 jobsColorado: 2,507,680 jobsConnecticut: 1,666,280 jobsDelaware: 440,760 jobsDistrict of Columbia: 702,380 jobsFlorida: 8,222,030 jobsGeorgia: 4,214,410 jobsHawaii: 632,120 jobsIdaho: 663,490 jobsIllinois: 5,903,820 jobsIndiana: 2,991,260 jobsIowa: 1,534,910 jobsKansas: 1,374,180 jobsKentucky: 1,869,650 jobsLouisiana: 1,922,170 jobsMaine: 596,390 jobsMaryland: 2,640,900 jobsMassachusetts: 3,459,910 jobsMichigan: 4,212,090 jobsMinnesota: 2,810,400 jobsMississippi: 1,117,280 jobsMissouri: 2,757,850 jobsMontana: 454,740 jobsNebraska: 968,000 jobsNevada: 1,270,930 jobsNew Hampshire: 645,050 jobsNew Jersey: 3,955,350 jobsNew Mexico: 805,440 jobsNew York: 9,097,650 jobsNorth Carolina: 4,231,020 jobsNorth Dakota: 425,200 jobsOhio: 5,337,890 jobsOklahoma: 1,586,890 jobsOregon: 1,790,940 jobsPennsylvania: 5,747,020 jobsRhode Island: 475,190 jobsSouth Carolina: 1,979,820 jobsSouth Dakota: 417,520 jobsTennessee: 2,893,040 jobsTexas: 11,745,250 jobsUtah: 1,374,900 jobsVermont: 304,670 jobsVirginia: 3,760,550 jobsWashington: 3,067,110 jobsWest Virginia: 697,440 jobsWisconsin: 2,805,010 jobsWyoming: 276,120 jobs
  • Under 600K
  • 600K to 1.2M
  • 1.2M to 1.9M
  • 1.9M to 2.8M
  • 2.8M to 4.2M
  • 4.2M and over
jobs, 2016. 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, 2016

California: 15,966,580 jobsCalifornia15,966,580Texas: 11,745,250 jobsTexas11,745,250New York: 9,097,650 jobsNew York9,097,650Florida: 8,222,030 jobsFlorida8,222,030Illinois: 5,903,820 jobsIllinois5,903,820Pennsylvania: 5,747,020 jobsPennsylvania5,747,020Ohio: 5,337,890 jobsOhio5,337,890North Carolina: 4,231,020 jobsNorth Carolina4,231,020Georgia: 4,214,410 jobsGeorgia4,214,410Michigan: 4,212,090 jobsMichigan4,212,090New Jersey: 3,955,350 jobsNew Jersey3,955,350Virginia: 3,760,550 jobsVirginia3,760,550Massachusetts: 3,459,910 jobsMassachusetts3,459,910Washington: 3,067,110 jobsWashington3,067,110Indiana: 2,991,260 jobsIndiana2,991,260Tennessee: 2,893,040 jobsTennessee2,893,040Minnesota: 2,810,400 jobsMinnesota2,810,400Wisconsin: 2,805,010 jobsWisconsin2,805,010Missouri: 2,757,850 jobsMissouri2,757,850Arizona: 2,652,990 jobsArizona2,652,990Maryland: 2,640,900 jobsMaryland2,640,900Colorado: 2,507,680 jobsColorado2,507,680South Carolina: 1,979,820 jobsSouth Carolina1,979,820Louisiana: 1,922,170 jobsLouisiana1,922,170Alabama: 1,912,990 jobsAlabama1,912,990Kentucky: 1,869,650 jobsKentucky1,869,650Oregon: 1,790,940 jobsOregon1,790,940Connecticut: 1,666,280 jobsConnecticut1,666,280Oklahoma: 1,586,890 jobsOklahoma1,586,890Iowa: 1,534,910 jobsIowa1,534,910Utah: 1,374,900 jobsUtah1,374,900Kansas: 1,374,180 jobsKansas1,374,180Nevada: 1,270,930 jobsNevada1,270,930Arkansas: 1,191,320 jobsArkansas1,191,320Mississippi: 1,117,280 jobsMississippi1,117,280Nebraska: 968,000 jobsNebraska968,000New Mexico: 805,440 jobsNew Mexico805,440District of Columbia: 702,380 jobsDistrict of Columbia702,380West Virginia: 697,440 jobsWest Virginia697,440Idaho: 663,490 jobsIdaho663,490New Hampshire: 645,050 jobsNew Hampshire645,050Hawaii: 632,120 jobsHawaii632,120Maine: 596,390 jobsMaine596,390Rhode Island: 475,190 jobsRhode Island475,190Montana: 454,740 jobsMontana454,740Delaware: 440,760 jobsDelaware440,760North Dakota: 425,200 jobsNorth Dakota425,200South Dakota: 417,520 jobsSouth Dakota417,520Alaska: 323,500 jobsAlaska323,500Vermont: 304,670 jobsVermont304,670Wyoming: 276,120 jobsWyoming276,120California: 15,966,580 jobsCalifornia15,966,580Texas: 11,745,250 jobsTexas11,745,250New York: 9,097,650 jobsNew York9,097,650Florida: 8,222,030 jobsFlorida8,222,030Illinois: 5,903,820 jobsIllinois5,903,820Pennsylvania: 5,747,020 jobsPennsylvania5,747,020Ohio: 5,337,890 jobsOhio5,337,890North Carolina: 4,231,020 jobsNorth Carolina4,231,020Georgia: 4,214,410 jobsGeorgia4,214,410Michigan: 4,212,090 jobsMichigan4,212,090New Jersey: 3,955,350 jobsNew Jersey3,955,350Virginia: 3,760,550 jobsVirginia3,760,550Massachusetts: 3,459,910 jobsMassachusetts3,459,910Washington: 3,067,110 jobsWashington3,067,110Indiana: 2,991,260 jobsIndiana2,991,260Tennessee: 2,893,040 jobsTennessee2,893,040Minnesota: 2,810,400 jobsMinnesota2,810,400Wisconsin: 2,805,010 jobsWisconsin2,805,010Missouri: 2,757,850 jobsMissouri2,757,850Arizona: 2,652,990 jobsArizona2,652,990Maryland: 2,640,900 jobsMaryland2,640,900Colorado: 2,507,680 jobsColorado2,507,680South Carolina: 1,979,820 jobsSouth Carolina1,979,820Louisiana: 1,922,170 jobsLouisiana1,922,170Alabama: 1,912,990 jobsAlabama1,912,990Kentucky: 1,869,650 jobsKentucky1,869,650Oregon: 1,790,940 jobsOregon1,790,940Connecticut: 1,666,280 jobsConnecticut1,666,280Oklahoma: 1,586,890 jobsOklahoma1,586,890Iowa: 1,534,910 jobsIowa1,534,910Utah: 1,374,900 jobsUtah1,374,900Kansas: 1,374,180 jobsKansas1,374,180Nevada: 1,270,930 jobsNevada1,270,930Arkansas: 1,191,320 jobsArkansas1,191,320Mississippi: 1,117,280 jobsMississippi1,117,280Nebraska: 968,000 jobsNebraska968,000New Mexico: 805,440 jobsNew Mexico805,440District of Columbia: 702,380 jobsDistrict of Columbia702,380West Virginia: 697,440 jobsWest Virginia697,440Idaho: 663,490 jobsIdaho663,490New Hampshire: 645,050 jobsNew Hampshire645,050Hawaii: 632,120 jobsHawaii632,120Maine: 596,390 jobsMaine596,390Rhode Island: 475,190 jobsRhode Island475,190Montana: 454,740 jobsMontana454,740Delaware: 440,760 jobsDelaware440,760North Dakota: 425,200 jobsNorth Dakota425,200South Dakota: 417,520 jobsSouth Dakota417,520Alaska: 323,500 jobsAlaska323,500Vermont: 304,670 jobsVermont304,670Wyoming: 276,120 jobsWyoming276,120
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

RankStates2016
jobs		Change on 2015
1California15,966,580+3%
2Texas11,745,250+1.5%
3New York9,097,650+1.3%
4Florida8,222,030+3.7%
5Illinois5,903,820+0.9%
6Pennsylvania5,747,020+0.7%
7Ohio5,337,890+1.1%
8North Carolina4,231,020+2.6%
9Georgia4,214,410+2.6%
10Michigan4,212,090+1.6%
11New Jersey3,955,350+1.2%
12Virginia3,760,550+2.1%
13Massachusetts3,459,910+1.9%
14Washington3,067,110+2.8%
15Indiana2,991,260+1.5%
16Tennessee2,893,040+2.8%
17Minnesota2,810,400+1.4%
18Wisconsin2,805,010+1.2%
19Missouri2,757,850+1.7%
20Arizona2,652,990+2.5%
21Maryland2,640,900+1.7%
22Colorado2,507,680+2.3%
23South Carolina1,979,820+2.7%
24Louisiana1,922,170-0.9%
25Alabama1,912,990+1.6%
26Kentucky1,869,650+1.7%
27Oregon1,790,940+3.2%
28Connecticut1,666,280+0.4%
29Oklahoma1,586,890-0.6%
30Iowa1,534,910+0.5%
31Utah1,374,900+3.8%
32Kansas1,374,180+0.2%
33Nevada1,270,930+3.1%
34Arkansas1,191,320+1.3%
35Mississippi1,117,280+1%
36Nebraska968,000+1.5%
37New Mexico805,440+0.9%
38District of Columbia702,380+3.9%
39West Virginia697,440-1.4%
40Idaho663,490+3.2%
41New Hampshire645,050+1.5%
42Hawaii632,120+2%
43Maine596,390+0.8%
44Rhode Island475,190+0.8%
45Montana454,740+1.7%
46Delaware440,760+1.6%
47North Dakota425,200-5.1%
48South Dakota417,520+1%
49Alaska323,500-1.1%
50Vermont304,670+0.4%
51Wyoming276,120-2.7%

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/oesm16st.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), 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16st.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), 2016. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 15 May 2026, https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16st.zip. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wage-and-salary-jobs/us-states?period=2016. 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), 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16st.zip. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wage-and-salary-jobs/us-states?period=2016.

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), 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16st.zip, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/wage-and-salary-jobs/us-states?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_states_by_wage_2016,
  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), 2016}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16st.zip},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wage-and-salary-jobs/us-states?period=2016. 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/oesm16st.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), 2016
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/15
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16st.zip
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/wage-and-salary-jobs/us-states?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wage-and-salary-jobs/us-states?period=2016.
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/oesm16st.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

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

California, with 15,966,580 jobs in 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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

Wyoming, with 276,120 jobs in 2016.

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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