A new study has revealed which states are offering the most (and the fewest) job opportunities. This comes from data compiled by customer AI service platform Podium AI.
By analysing the latest data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the research shows big differences across the country, with some states struggling to keep up with demand for workers while others are seeing much lower rates of vacancies.
The national job opening rate stands at 4.4%, equal to about 7.4 million available positions. But the picture varies widely from state to state, showing how uneven employment opportunities are across America.
Top 10 states with the highest job opening rates
| Rank | State | Rate of job openings | Number of job openings (thousands) | Job opening rate compared to the national average |
| 1 | West Virginia | 6% | 46 | 36% |
| =2 | Maine | 5.6% | 39 | 27% |
| =2 | North Carolina | 5.6% | 301 | 27% |
| =2 | South Carolina | 5.6% | 143 | 27% |
| =3 | Georgia | 5.4% | 286 | 23% |
| =3 | Montana | 5.4% | 30 | 23% |
| =3 | Oklahoma | 5.4% | 102 | 23% |
| =3 | Virginia | 5.4% | 246 | 23% |
| 4 | Arkansas | 5.3% | 78 | 20% |
| =5 | Mississippi | 5.1% | 64 | 16% |
| =5 | New Hampshire | 5.1% | 38 | 16% |
| =5 | New Mexico | 5.1% | 49 | 16% |
| =5 | Tennessee | 5.1% | 183 | 16% |
| =5 | Vermont | 5.1% | 17 | 16% |
| =6 | Alaska | 5% | 18 | 14% |
| =6 | New York | 5% | 522 | 14% |
| =6 | Rhode Island | 5% | 27 | 14% |
| =7 | Alabama | 4.9% | 115 | 11% |
| =7 | Louisiana | 4.9% | 104 | 11% |
| =7 | Minnesota | 4.9% | 157 | 11% |
| =8 | Kentucky | 4.8% | 105 | 9% |
| =8 | Maryland | 4.8% | 142 | 9% |
| =8 | Wyoming | 4.8% | 15 | 9% |
| 9 | Massachusetts | 4.7% | 183 | 7% |
| 10 | Idaho | 4.6% | 43 | 5% |
As shown from the table above, West Virginia comes out on top with a job opening rate of 6% – 36% above the national average. That equals roughly 46,000 open positions, giving the state the highest rate in the country despite its relatively small population.
Three states share second place, each posting a job opening rate of 5.6%, which is 27% above the national average. Maine currently has 39,000 openings, North Carolina has a much larger 301,000, and South Carolina sits in between with 143,000 jobs waiting to be filled.
Four states share third place, each with a job opening rate of 5.4% – 23% higher than the national average. Georgia tops the group with 286,000 openings, followed by Virginia with 246,000. Oklahoma adds 102,000, and Montana, though much smaller, still has 30,000 vacancies.
In fourth is Arkansas, where the job opening rate sits at 5.3%. Employers there are looking to fill roughly 78,000 positions.
Five states share fifth place, each recording a 5.1% job opening rate – 16% above the national benchmark. The totals range from 183,000 openings in Tennessee to just 17,000 in Vermont, with Mississippi (64,000), New Hampshire (38,000) and New Mexico (49,000) sitting in between.
Three states share sixth place, each posting a job opening rate of 5.0% – 14% above the national average. New York stands out with 522,000 job openings, the third-highest total in the country. Rhode Island comes in with a much smaller 27,000 openings, while Alaska has just 18,000 – a clear sign of their smaller workforces.
Next are Alabama, Louisiana, and Minnesota, all with a job opening rate of 4.9%, which is 11% above the national average. Minnesota leads this trio with roughly 157,000 vacancies, followed by Alabama at 115,000 andLouisiana with 104,000.
In eighth place are Kentucky, Maryland, and Wyoming, all recording a rate of 4.8%, which is 9% above average. Maryland leads this trio with 142,000 openings, Kentucky shows 105,000, and Wyoming – the smallest state here – lists just 15,000 jobs.
Massachusetts lands in ninth place with a 4.7% job opening rate, sitting 7% higher than the national figure. Employers in the state are currently looking to fill around 183,000 positions.
Idaho rounds out the top ten with a rate of 4.6% – 5% above the national average. That translates to about 43,000 open jobs across the state.
The five states with the lowest job opening rates
| Rank | State | Rate of job openings | Number of job openings (thousands) | Job opening rate compared to the national average |
| 1 | Washington | 3.7% | 142 | -16% |
| =2 | Hawaii | 3.8% | 26 | -14% |
| =2 | California | 3.8% | 702 | -14% |
| =3 | Texas | 3.9% | 575 | -11% |
| =3 | South Dakota | 3.9% | 19 | -11% |
| =3 | Pennsylvania | 3.9% | 251 | -11% |
| =3 | Indiana | 3.9% | 135 | -11% |
| =4 | Nebraska | 4% | 45 | -9% |
| =4 | Michigan | 4% | 188 | -9% |
| =4 | Iowa | 4% | 66 | -9% |
| =5 | Wisconsin | 4.1% | 129 | -7% |
| =5 | Nevada | 4.1% | 67 | -7% |
On the other hand, several states show significantly lower job opening rates. Washington has the lowest job opening rate in the country at 3.7%, 16% below the national average. Despite this lower rate, the state still has 142,000 job openings.
Both Hawaii and California record a 3.8% job opening rate, placing them 14% below the national average. Hawaii currently has around 26,000 open jobs, while California, despite its lower rate, leads the nation in absolute terms with 702,000 openings.
The reason comes down to population size – with such large workforces, even hundreds of thousands of vacancies only make up a small share of total jobs, pulling these states below the national average.
