Jobs Creation by State (2024)
Annual job creation numbers show that the growth in the number of jobs gained in the United States has fluctuated in recent years. In 2022, the latest year analyzed, 33.85 million jobs were added to the economy—a 3.17% decrease from the previous year.
What do the figures look like on a state and monthly level? Here are some monthly job creation statistics by state.
Jobs creation by state (May 2024): Top 10
|
State |
No. of jobs created in May 2024 (vs. April 2024) |
|
1. California |
43,700 |
|
2. Texas |
41,800 |
|
3. New York |
21,700 |
|
4. Ohio |
21,200 |
|
5. Pennsylvania |
19,800 |
|
6. New Jersey |
16,500 |
|
7. Washington |
16,000 |
|
8. North Carolina |
14,400 |
|
9. Illinois |
12,700 |
|
10. Colorado |
9,800 |
The latest report from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that California tops the chart ranking monthly job creation by state in May 2024. That month, there were 43,700 more jobs than the previous month.
California’s spot on this list of states ranked by job creation should come as no surprise as it is the state with the highest number of small businesses.
Texas is in second place, creating 41,800 jobs in May 2024. It ranks among the best states to start a business. This is followed by New York, with 21,700. Ohio and Pennsylvania round out the top five, with 21,200 and 19,800 jobs created, respectively.
New Jersey ranks sixth on this list of states ranked by job creation. In May 2024, it created 16,500 new jobs from the previous month. Washington and North Carolina follow, with around 15,000 new job creations each. Completing this top 10 list are Illinois and Colorado, with 12,700 and 9,800, respectively.
Incidentally, the majority of these top 10 states are among the 10 most populous states in the US.
States ranked by job creation (May 2024): bottom 10
|
State |
Net change in number of jobs in May 2024 (vs. April 2024) |
|
50. Minnesota |
-8,600 |
|
49. Louisiana |
-3,400 |
|
48. Arkansas |
-3,300 |
|
47. Wisconsin |
-1,500 |
|
46. Rhode Island |
-1,100 |
|
45. Delaware |
-800 |
|
44. Oklahoma |
-400 |
|
43. Iowa |
-200 |
|
42. Vermont |
-100 |
|
41. Maine |
+100 |
This list of job creation by state shows that the bottom 10 is topped by Minnesota. In May 2024, the Gopher State saw employment decrease by 8,600. This means there were 8,600 fewer jobs in May 2024 than in April 2024.
Louisiana and Arkansas rank next, with monthly decreases of 3,400 and 3,300, respectively. Wisconsin experienced a dip of 1,500 jobs while Rhode Island, the smallest US state in terms of size, lost 1,100 jobs. Delaware is next, after having lost 800 jobs from April to May 2024.
Oklahoma follows, with 400 jobs lost, just a fraction more than Iowa, which ranks next, with 200. Vermont is next, having seen employment fall by 100. Maine rounds out the bottom 10, with an addition of just 100 new positions in May 2024.
Together, with the exception of Maine, the total number of jobs lost by these states in May 2024 totaled 19,400.