Best States For Job Seekers: New Hampshire The Top Place To Find Work

 

In today’s competitive job market, finding the right location to start or grow your career is crucial. A new study by WalletHub analyzing over 30 key indicators of job market strength and economic health has identified the best (and worst) states for job seekers.

Leading the pack is New Hampshire, which boasts the country’s third-lowest unemployment rate at just 2%. The Granite State also offers the third-most job opportunities per capita and has seen employment grow by around 1.7% annually — the 7th highest rate nationwide.

“Living in one of the best states for jobs can provide stable conditions for the long-term, helping you ride out the fluctuations that the economy will experience,” explains WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo in a media release. “The best states for jobs make it easier for residents to find and retain jobs, and employers in these states also offer very competitive compensation and benefits.”

Vermont clinches the #2 spot, with a similar 2% unemployment rate and the highest average annual job growth in the country. Residents also enjoy short commutes of just 23 minutes on average, the 14th shortest nationwide.

Rounding out the top three is Minnesota, where the typical worker earns over $82,000 per year after adjusting for cost of living — the 3rd highest average annual income nationally. Minnesota also has the 9th highest share of workers with private health insurance.

Other standout states in the top 10 include Massachusetts (4th), North Dakota (5th), and Virginia (6th) – all of which rank among the best for both job market strength and economic indicators.

Source: WalletHub

On the other end of the spectrum, the study identified the 10 worst states for jobs, led by West Virginia, Louisiana, and Indiana. These states tend to struggle with higher unemployment, fewer job opportunities, and lower wages.

One of the biggest states at the bottom of the list is New York, which finished 41st in the WalletHub report. While the Big Apple may be home to Wall Street and countless businesses, large and small, a struggling New York was only 43rd in terms of job market strength and 28th in terms of its overall economic environment.

Best States to Find a Job

Overall Rank	State	Total Score	Job Market Rank	Economic Environment Rank
1	New Hampshire	65.99	1	9
2	Vermont	64.97	2	15
3	Minnesota	63.14	8	3
4	Massachusetts	62.70	5	22
5	North Dakota	62.28	9	6
6	Virginia	61.47	6	16
7	Maine	61.34	3	33
8	Rhode Island	61.22	13	4
9	South Dakota	60.74	11	11
10	Maryland	60.25	4	36
11	Wisconsin	60.05	7	20
12	Connecticut	58.15	21	10
13	Missouri	57.96	16	19
14	Washington	57.36	44	1
15	Nebraska	57.23	18	24
16	Texas	56.75	27	7
17	Michigan	56.28	22	21
18	Colorado	55.94	30	8
19	Arizona	55.81	19	29
20	Tennessee	54.91	32	14
21	Illinois	54.89	24	30
22	Utah	54.83	37	5
23	South Carolina	54.75	17	34
24	New Jersey	54.46	42	2
25	Georgia	54.38	12	39
26	Delaware	54.37	26	27
27	Florida	54.12	34	12
28	Iowa	53.76	29	25
29	Pennsylvania	52.02	10	45
30	Nevada	51.82	38	23
31	Ohio	51.41	33	31
32	North Carolina	51.03	25	38
33	Hawaii	50.97	23	44
34	California	50.81	41	18
35	Oregon	50.77	14	47
36	New Mexico	50.54	45	13
37	Kansas	50.14	36	32
38	Alabama	49.95	15	48
39	Arkansas	49.26	28	43
40	Mississippi	49.16	20	46
41	New York	48.82	43	28
42	Idaho	48.40	35	40
43	Wyoming	48.35	47	17
44	Oklahoma	47.69	40	35
45	Montana	46.97	39	41
46	Alaska	45.81	49	26
47	Kentucky	45.61	31	49
48	Indiana	45.10	46	37
49	Louisiana	42.56	48	42
50	West Virginia	37.71	50	50

Note: Except “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that state, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.

Some jobs face bigger threats from automation

Whether you’re just starting your career or looking to make a change, considering the job market and economic conditions of different states can make all the difference in finding the right fit. The top-ranked states offer the most promising paths for job seekers to thrive.

However, there are some other factors job seekers might want to consider, including how automation may affect their career outlook in the years to come.

“Right now, most of the jobs that are most threatened seem to be those that are easy to automate. For example, service workers (e.g. cashiers in grocery stores, servers, etc.) and manufacturing jobs where some routine tasks can be done by machines. That will change as AI becomes more sophisticated and can start to take on more and more complex tasks. We even see AI starting to do tasks such as scheduling, basic intake information and note taking for health care professionals, etc,” says Saba Rasheed Ali, PhD, a professor and Associate Dean for Research at the University of Iowa.