Best States to Find a Job

During the pandemic, the unemployment rate increased by 308% in the U.S., reaching one of its highest points in history with a rate of 14.70% in April 2020. Now, after three years, we can say that things are getting back to normal, as the most recent reported unemployment rate matches pre-pandemic figures, reaching 3.6% in February 2023, the same level as December 2019. This positive employment trend is largely due to increased economic activity, which has created many employment opportunities across the country.

To determine which states offer the best employment opportunities in the U.S, Scholaroo data team analyzed the 50 states through 5 key categories of employment and opportunities – Job Market, Affordability, State Economy, Quality of Life, and Business Friendliness- and 43 metrics ranging from employment opportunities, labor force participation, and unemployment rate.

Want to find out why Colorado, Vermont, and Texas are the top three in our ranking? We invite you to see our results!

FAQs

Methodology

Our data study will use a mathematical model to create a final ranking out of 43 unique factors. These factors will be grouped into 5 main categories each of which will have 5+ topics.

1. Affordability

2. Job Market

3. State Economy

4. Quality of Life

5. Business Friendliness

Affordability (14 Points)

Cost of living: Half Weight (0.93 points)

Note: This metric represents an Index of the average cost of living that accounts for grocery, housing, utilities, transportation, health, and miscellaneous costs in 2021.

Income Taxes: Regular Weight (1.87 points)

Note: This metric represents the rate of income taxes payable by a single filer.

Median Annual Income: Doble Weight (3.73 points)

Note: This metric shows the average income that a person has in one year.

Rent Cost: Regular Weight (1.87 points)

Note: This shows the average cost of renting an apartment.

Home value: Regular Weight (1.87 points)

Note: This metric shows the value of buying a home.

Cost of healthcare: Regular Weight (1.87 points)

Note: This metric shows the average cost of healthcare in a state.

Personal Consumption Expenditures: Regular Weight (1.87 points)

Note: This metric represents the growth in consumer spending, including expenditures on food services and accommodations, and health care per capita.

Job Market (28 points)

Job opportunities: Doble Weight (4.48 points)

Note: This metric represents the total number of jobs available per capita.

Rate of people working from home: Regular Weight (2.24 points)

Note: This metric shows the rate of people working from home.

Rate of internships available: Half Weight (1.12 points)

Note: This metric represents the number of Internships/Apprentice Trainee jobs available per state

Unemployment benefits: Doble Weight (4.48 points)

Note: This metric represents the benefits of unemployment per state.

Labor Force Participation: Regular Weight (2.24 points)

Note: This metric represents the percentage of people in a state over 18 who are active in the labor force.

Average of hours worked per week: Half Weight (1.12 points)

Note: The average of hours worked in one week.

Management Occupations: Half Weight (1.12 points)

Note: This metric represents the number of positions for this industry per 1,000 jobs.

Business and Financial Operations Occupations: Half Weight (1.12 points)

Note: This metric represents the number of positions for this industry per 1,000 jobs.

Architecture and Engineering Occupations: Half Weight (1.12 points)

Note: This metric represents the number of positions for this industry per 1,000 jobs.

Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations: Half Weight (1.12 points)

Note: This metric represents the number of positions for this industry per 1,000 jobs.

Community and Social Service Occupations: Half Weight (1.12 points)

Note: This metric represents the number of positions for this industry per 1,000 jobs.

Legal Occupations: Half Weight (1.12 points)

Note: This metric represents the number of positions for this industry per 1,000 jobs.

Educational Instruction and Library Occupations: Half Weight (1.12 points)

Note: This metric represents the number of positions for this industry per 1,000 jobs.

Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations: Half Weight (1.12 points)

Note: This metric represents the number of positions for this industry per 1,000 jobs.

Protective Service Occupations: Half Weight (1.12 points)

Note: This metric represents the number of positions for this industry per 1,000 jobs.

Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations: Half Weight (1.12 points)

Note: This metric represents the number of positions for this industry per 1,000 jobs.

Sales and Related Occupations: Half Weight (1.12 points)

Note: This metric represents the number of positions for this industry per 1,000 jobs.

State Economy (25 points)

Change in GDP: Half Weight (2.78 points)

Note: The gross domestic product and how increases from one year to another.

Government debt per capita: Regular Weight (5.56 points)

Note: This metric represents the average amount of government debt per capita per state.

Poverty rate: Half Weight  (2.78 points)

Note: This metric represents the percentage of people, per 100 000, whose earnings are below the poverty level within the space of 12 months.

Change in salary income: Double Weight (11.11 points) 

Note: This metric represents the increase rate that the salary has per state, from 2022 Q2 to 2022 Q3. 

Unemployment rate: Half Weight (2.78 points)

Note: This metric represents the percentage of the labor force classified as unemployed.

Quality of life (13 points)

Average Commute time: Regular Weight (2.17 points)

Note: This metric represents the percentage of the population whose work commute last longer than 30 minutes to work each day.

Safety: Half Weight (1.08 points)

Note: This metric represents the rate of property crimes, homicides, burglary, and robbery rates per 100 000 people.

State parks: Half Weight (1.08 points)

Note: The number of public parks per capita.

Weather mildness: Regular Weight (2.17 points)

Note: This metric shows the change in the weather from the lowest to the highest.

Hospitals available: Regular Weight (2.17 points)

Note: This metric shows the number of hospitals available per capita.

LGTBQI equality: Half Weight (1.08 points)

Note: This metric shows the overall policy tallies per state.

Gender Pay Gap: Regular Weight (2.17 points)

Note: This metric represents the percentage of the difference between the median earnings of men and women.

Broadband internet speed: Half Weight (1.08 points)

Note: This metric represents the average speed of a broadband internet connection in 2021

Business Friendliness (20 points)

Foreign direct investments: Half Weight (1.43 points)

Note: This metric represents the number of jobs occupied per 100 000 people.

Business taxes: Double Weight (5.71 points)

Note: This metric represents the corporate income tax rate in 2021.

Small business incentives or tax breaks: Double Weight (5.71 points)

Note: This metric represents the number of available incentive programs for small businesses per state in 2021.

Growth in new business created: Regular Weight (2.86 points)

Note: This metric represents a change in new business created between September 2020 and September 2021.

Venture capital investments: Regular Weight (2.86 points)

Note: This metric represents the amount of venture capital disbursed per state per capita in 2019.

Self-employment: Half Weight (1.43 points)

Note: This metric represents the rate of people having their own businesses.