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 2017, at 16,695,010 jobs. Wyoming had the lowest, at 267,980 jobs. The median was 1,876,430 jobs and the figure for the United States was 142,549,250 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest16,695,010California
Lowest267,980Wyoming
Median1,876,43051 states
United States142,549,250History

Map of states, 2017

Alabama: 1,922,570 jobsAlaska: 318,170 jobsArizona: 2,704,050 jobsArkansas: 1,200,130 jobsCalifornia: 16,695,010 jobsColorado: 2,555,300 jobsConnecticut: 1,654,420 jobsDelaware: 442,690 jobsDistrict of Columbia: 708,220 jobsFlorida: 8,419,030 jobsGeorgia: 4,303,530 jobsHawaii: 632,990 jobsIdaho: 685,630 jobsIllinois: 5,927,860 jobsIndiana: 3,018,490 jobsIowa: 1,535,460 jobsKansas: 1,369,110 jobsKentucky: 1,876,430 jobsLouisiana: 1,902,060 jobsMaine: 599,180 jobsMaryland: 2,664,330 jobsMassachusetts: 3,528,070 jobsMichigan: 4,276,040 jobsMinnesota: 2,838,270 jobsMississippi: 1,119,470 jobsMissouri: 2,788,680 jobsMontana: 460,740 jobsNebraska: 970,230 jobsNevada: 1,310,220 jobsNew Hampshire: 649,950 jobsNew Jersey: 4,007,470 jobsNew Mexico: 801,080 jobsNew York: 9,207,870 jobsNorth Carolina: 4,298,390 jobsNorth Dakota: 416,670 jobsOhio: 5,370,640 jobsOklahoma: 1,573,000 jobsOregon: 1,830,790 jobsPennsylvania: 5,781,610 jobsRhode Island: 475,910 jobsSouth Carolina: 2,009,460 jobsSouth Dakota: 419,470 jobsTennessee: 2,915,750 jobsTexas: 11,890,880 jobsUtah: 1,410,670 jobsVermont: 305,110 jobsVirginia: 3,789,910 jobsWashington: 3,186,610 jobsWest Virginia: 688,530 jobsWisconsin: 2,825,170 jobsWyoming: 267,980 jobs
  • Under 600K
  • 600K to 1.2M
  • 1.2M to 1.9M
  • 1.9M to 2.8M
  • 2.8M to 4.3M
  • 4.3M and over
jobs, 2017. 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, 2017

California: 16,695,010 jobsCalifornia16,695,010Texas: 11,890,880 jobsTexas11,890,880New York: 9,207,870 jobsNew York9,207,870Florida: 8,419,030 jobsFlorida8,419,030Illinois: 5,927,860 jobsIllinois5,927,860Pennsylvania: 5,781,610 jobsPennsylvania5,781,610Ohio: 5,370,640 jobsOhio5,370,640Georgia: 4,303,530 jobsGeorgia4,303,530North Carolina: 4,298,390 jobsNorth Carolina4,298,390Michigan: 4,276,040 jobsMichigan4,276,040New Jersey: 4,007,470 jobsNew Jersey4,007,470Virginia: 3,789,910 jobsVirginia3,789,910Massachusetts: 3,528,070 jobsMassachusetts3,528,070Washington: 3,186,610 jobsWashington3,186,610Indiana: 3,018,490 jobsIndiana3,018,490Tennessee: 2,915,750 jobsTennessee2,915,750Minnesota: 2,838,270 jobsMinnesota2,838,270Wisconsin: 2,825,170 jobsWisconsin2,825,170Missouri: 2,788,680 jobsMissouri2,788,680Arizona: 2,704,050 jobsArizona2,704,050Maryland: 2,664,330 jobsMaryland2,664,330Colorado: 2,555,300 jobsColorado2,555,300South Carolina: 2,009,460 jobsSouth Carolina2,009,460Alabama: 1,922,570 jobsAlabama1,922,570Louisiana: 1,902,060 jobsLouisiana1,902,060Kentucky: 1,876,430 jobsKentucky1,876,430Oregon: 1,830,790 jobsOregon1,830,790Connecticut: 1,654,420 jobsConnecticut1,654,420Oklahoma: 1,573,000 jobsOklahoma1,573,000Iowa: 1,535,460 jobsIowa1,535,460Utah: 1,410,670 jobsUtah1,410,670Kansas: 1,369,110 jobsKansas1,369,110Nevada: 1,310,220 jobsNevada1,310,220Arkansas: 1,200,130 jobsArkansas1,200,130Mississippi: 1,119,470 jobsMississippi1,119,470Nebraska: 970,230 jobsNebraska970,230New Mexico: 801,080 jobsNew Mexico801,080District of Columbia: 708,220 jobsDistrict of Columbia708,220West Virginia: 688,530 jobsWest Virginia688,530Idaho: 685,630 jobsIdaho685,630New Hampshire: 649,950 jobsNew Hampshire649,950Hawaii: 632,990 jobsHawaii632,990Maine: 599,180 jobsMaine599,180Rhode Island: 475,910 jobsRhode Island475,910Montana: 460,740 jobsMontana460,740Delaware: 442,690 jobsDelaware442,690South Dakota: 419,470 jobsSouth Dakota419,470North Dakota: 416,670 jobsNorth Dakota416,670Alaska: 318,170 jobsAlaska318,170Vermont: 305,110 jobsVermont305,110Wyoming: 267,980 jobsWyoming267,980California: 16,695,010 jobsCalifornia16,695,010Texas: 11,890,880 jobsTexas11,890,880New York: 9,207,870 jobsNew York9,207,870Florida: 8,419,030 jobsFlorida8,419,030Illinois: 5,927,860 jobsIllinois5,927,860Pennsylvania: 5,781,610 jobsPennsylvania5,781,610Ohio: 5,370,640 jobsOhio5,370,640Georgia: 4,303,530 jobsGeorgia4,303,530North Carolina: 4,298,390 jobsNorth Carolina4,298,390Michigan: 4,276,040 jobsMichigan4,276,040New Jersey: 4,007,470 jobsNew Jersey4,007,470Virginia: 3,789,910 jobsVirginia3,789,910Massachusetts: 3,528,070 jobsMassachusetts3,528,070Washington: 3,186,610 jobsWashington3,186,610Indiana: 3,018,490 jobsIndiana3,018,490Tennessee: 2,915,750 jobsTennessee2,915,750Minnesota: 2,838,270 jobsMinnesota2,838,270Wisconsin: 2,825,170 jobsWisconsin2,825,170Missouri: 2,788,680 jobsMissouri2,788,680Arizona: 2,704,050 jobsArizona2,704,050Maryland: 2,664,330 jobsMaryland2,664,330Colorado: 2,555,300 jobsColorado2,555,300South Carolina: 2,009,460 jobsSouth Carolina2,009,460Alabama: 1,922,570 jobsAlabama1,922,570Louisiana: 1,902,060 jobsLouisiana1,902,060Kentucky: 1,876,430 jobsKentucky1,876,430Oregon: 1,830,790 jobsOregon1,830,790Connecticut: 1,654,420 jobsConnecticut1,654,420Oklahoma: 1,573,000 jobsOklahoma1,573,000Iowa: 1,535,460 jobsIowa1,535,460Utah: 1,410,670 jobsUtah1,410,670Kansas: 1,369,110 jobsKansas1,369,110Nevada: 1,310,220 jobsNevada1,310,220Arkansas: 1,200,130 jobsArkansas1,200,130Mississippi: 1,119,470 jobsMississippi1,119,470Nebraska: 970,230 jobsNebraska970,230New Mexico: 801,080 jobsNew Mexico801,080District of Columbia: 708,220 jobsDistrict of Columbia708,220West Virginia: 688,530 jobsWest Virginia688,530Idaho: 685,630 jobsIdaho685,630New Hampshire: 649,950 jobsNew Hampshire649,950Hawaii: 632,990 jobsHawaii632,990Maine: 599,180 jobsMaine599,180Rhode Island: 475,910 jobsRhode Island475,910Montana: 460,740 jobsMontana460,740Delaware: 442,690 jobsDelaware442,690South Dakota: 419,470 jobsSouth Dakota419,470North Dakota: 416,670 jobsNorth Dakota416,670Alaska: 318,170 jobsAlaska318,170Vermont: 305,110 jobsVermont305,110Wyoming: 267,980 jobsWyoming267,980
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

RankStates2017
jobs		Change on 2016
1California16,695,010+4.6%
2Texas11,890,880+1.2%
3New York9,207,870+1.2%
4Florida8,419,030+2.4%
5Illinois5,927,860+0.4%
6Pennsylvania5,781,610+0.6%
7Ohio5,370,640+0.6%
8Georgia4,303,530+2.1%
9North Carolina4,298,390+1.6%
10Michigan4,276,040+1.5%
11New Jersey4,007,470+1.3%
12Virginia3,789,910+0.8%
13Massachusetts3,528,070+2%
14Washington3,186,610+3.9%
15Indiana3,018,490+0.9%
16Tennessee2,915,750+0.8%
17Minnesota2,838,270+1%
18Wisconsin2,825,170+0.7%
19Missouri2,788,680+1.1%
20Arizona2,704,050+1.9%
21Maryland2,664,330+0.9%
22Colorado2,555,300+1.9%
23South Carolina2,009,460+1.5%
24Alabama1,922,570+0.5%
25Louisiana1,902,060-1%
26Kentucky1,876,430+0.4%
27Oregon1,830,790+2.2%
28Connecticut1,654,420-0.7%
29Oklahoma1,573,000-0.9%
30Iowa1,535,4600%
31Utah1,410,670+2.6%
32Kansas1,369,110-0.4%
33Nevada1,310,220+3.1%
34Arkansas1,200,130+0.7%
35Mississippi1,119,470+0.2%
36Nebraska970,230+0.2%
37New Mexico801,080-0.5%
38District of Columbia708,220+0.8%
39West Virginia688,530-1.3%
40Idaho685,630+3.3%
41New Hampshire649,950+0.8%
42Hawaii632,990+0.1%
43Maine599,180+0.5%
44Rhode Island475,910+0.2%
45Montana460,740+1.3%
46Delaware442,690+0.4%
47South Dakota419,470+0.5%
48North Dakota416,670-2%
49Alaska318,170-1.6%
50Vermont305,110+0.1%
51Wyoming267,980-2.9%

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/oesm17st.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), 2017) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17st.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), 2017. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 15 May 2026, https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17st.zip. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wage-and-salary-jobs/us-states?period=2017. 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), 2017. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17st.zip. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wage-and-salary-jobs/us-states?period=2017.

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), 2017 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17st.zip, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/wage-and-salary-jobs/us-states?period=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_states_by_wage_2017,
  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), 2017}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17st.zip},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wage-and-salary-jobs/us-states?period=2017. 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/oesm17st.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), 2017
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/15
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17st.zip
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/wage-and-salary-jobs/us-states?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wage-and-salary-jobs/us-states?period=2017.
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/oesm17st.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

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

California, with 16,695,010 jobs in 2017, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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

Wyoming, with 267,980 jobs in 2017.

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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