Jobs

These States Lost the Most Workers During the Pandemic, Led by California

Douglas A. McIntyre

Published: March 26, 2024 7:15 am

According to a new analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, which covered job losses and gains by state since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, California lost 410,408 workers during the period. That was down to a statewide total of 18,321,857, and it puts it first in losses among all states. (See why for almost 50 years California’s unemployment rate has been worse than the U.S. average.)

In a Bloomberg study of the number of jobs by state in February 2020 and February 2024, New York was second in jobs lost, down 159,301 to 9,318,135. Maryland was the only other state to lose over 100,000 workers during the period, down 137,797 to 3,114,936.

Much of the losses for New York and California came in just two cities. Bloomberg reports, “In Los Angeles County alone, the number of employed has fallen 266,500 over the past four years, and in New York City, it’s down nearly 133,000.”

The early part of the pandemic was a brutal blow to the U.S. workforce. In February 2020, the national unemployment rate was 3.5%, close to the lowest rate in 50 years. In April, it soared to 14.8%. It dropped below 4% again by December 2021. It has been at or below 4% since January 2022.

The following states have lost the most employees since the start of the pandemic (data from BLS and Bloomberg):

• California (18,321,857)
• New York (9,318,135)
• Maryland (3,114,936)
• Illinois (6,168,473)
• Ohio (5,582,431)
• Massachusetts (3,638,482)
• Kentucky (1,936,064)
• Connecticut (1,820,301)
• Iowa (1,650,719)
• Hawaii (653,503)