In the past five years, the United States has added roughly 12.3 million jobs, an increase of 9.3%. Unemployment is currently close to an eight-year low.
The vast majority of states have added jobs between April 2011 and April 2016. In most cases, at least 100,000 positions were added. Delaware and Utah saw employment increase by 13% and 14.5% respectively, the fastest job growth in the country. However, even in this period of generally robust labor growth, employment actually declined in five states. West Virginia lost roughly 11,800 jobs over the last five years, a 1.6% decline.
A state’s labor force — the individuals who are either employed or are actively seeking work — tends to grow or decline roughly in parallel with jobs that are available. Not surprisingly, Utah and Delaware, the states which added the most jobs, also had the biggest increases in total labor force.
The relationship between employment and labor force is not one-to-one, however. Mississippi’s jobs declined by 0.6%, but its labor force shrank by more than 5%. Jobs increased by 13% in Nevada over five years, the third-largest increase. However, the state’s labor force expanded by just 4.4%, which was fourteenth in growth.
As Nevada’s jobs increased much faster than its labor force did, unemployment improved by 7.1 percentage points, the fastest improvement in the country during that time. In general, states where jobs grew the most tended to have the greatest improvements in unemployment, and vice versa.
To identify the states with the most and least job growth, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed states with the most significant changes in employment from April 2011 through April 2016. Unemployment rates, the size of the labor force, and employment levels are from the Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly survey of households jointly administered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and U.S. Census Bureau. Industry-specific growth rates for the same period are from the Current Employment Survey (CES), also from the BLS.
These are the states where employment is growing fastest, and where it isn’t growing at all.
5. Idaho
> 5-year employment growth: 12.1%
> April 2011 unemployment rate: 8.8% (18th highest)
> April 2016 unemployment rate: 3.6% (12th lowest)
> Industry contributing most to growth: Education and Health Services
4. South Carolina
> 5-year employment growth: 12.1%
> April 2011 unemployment rate: 10.0% (4th highest)
> April 2016 unemployment rate: 5.2% (12th highest)
> Industry contributing most to growth: Professional and Business Services
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3. Nevada
> 5-year employment growth: 13.0%
> April 2011 unemployment rate: 13.2% (the highest)
> April 2016 unemployment rate: 6.1% (4th highest)
> Industry contributing most to growth: Professional and Business Services
2. Delaware
> 5-year employment growth: 13.0%
> April 2011 unemployment rate: 7.5% (21st lowest)
> April 2016 unemployment rate: 4.0% (19th lowest)
> Industry contributing most to growth: Education and Health Services
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1. Utah
> 5-year employment growth: 14.5%
> April 2011 unemployment rate: 7.0% (15th lowest)
> April 2016 unemployment rate: 3.8% (15th lowest)
> Industry contributing most to growth: Professional and Business Services
5. Alaska
> Employment decline: -0.2%
> April 2011 unemployment rate: 7.9% (24th lowest)
> April 2016 unemployment rate: 6.9% (the highest)
> Industry contributing most to decline: Government
4. Mississippi
> Employment decline: -0.6%
> April 2011 unemployment rate: 9.3% (11th highest)
> April 2016 unemployment rate: 5.0% (15th highest)
> Industry contributing most to decline: Construction
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3. Vermont
> Employment decline: -0.8%
> April 2011 unemployment rate: 6.0% (7th lowest)
> April 2016 unemployment rate: 3.0% (4th lowest)
> Industry contributing most to decline: Durable Goods
2. Wyoming
> Employment decline: -1.5%
> April 2011 unemployment rate: 6.2% (9th lowest)
> April 2016 unemployment rate: 5.7% (7th highest)
> Industry contributing most to decline: Other Services
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1. West Virginia
> Employment decline: -1.6%
> April 2011 unemployment rate: 8.0% (25th lowest)
> April 2016 unemployment rate: 6.2% (2nd highest)
> Industry contributing most to decline: Manufacturing
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