Just two years after the COVID-19 pandemic sent the U.S. jobless rate soaring to an all-time high of 14.7% in April 2020, the job market has largely recovered. As of April 2022, the unemployment rate stood at a historically low 3.6% nationwide – and in many states, the unemployment rate now stands at its lowest level in history.
Using unemployment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 24/7 Wall St. identified the states where unemployment is at an all-time low. In each of the 17 states on this list, the unemployment rate as of April 2022 is at its lowest point since record keeping in the state began.
The states on this list are spread across the country, though none are in the Northeast. Notably, all but two – Alabama and West Virginia – reported all-time high jobless rates in either April or May of 2020, highlighting their job market’s rapid recovery.
Though they do not rank on this list, two additional states reported all-time low jobless rates earlier this year; Arkansas, at 3.1% in February and March, and Oklahoma at 2.6% in February. The April unemployment rate in each of those states is only one-tenth of a percentage point higher than the all-time low. Here is a look at the April jobless rate in each of the 50 states.
Some experts, including Will Dudley, the former president of the New York Federal Reserve Bank, say that the U.S. labor market is the tightest it has ever been. Indeed, there are an average of about two job openings for every out-of-work job seeker nationwide. Under these conditions, employers are raising wages to hold on to their workforce and attract new talent. Here is a look at the states with the most job openings.
Click here to see the states where the unemployment rate is at an all time low
Alabama
> April 2022 unemployment: 2.8% (63,208 people)
> 1-mo. change in unemployment: -0.1 pct. points
> 1-yr. change in unemployment: -0.8 pct. points
> Total labor force: 2,276,397
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Alaska
> April 2022 unemployment: 4.9% (17,593 people)
> 1-mo. change in unemployment: None
> 1-yr. change in unemployment: -2.1 pct. points
> Total labor force: 361,971
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Arizona
> April 2022 unemployment: 3.2% (115,033 people)
> 1-mo. change in unemployment: -0.1 pct. points
> 1-yr. change in unemployment: -2.4 pct. points
> Total labor force: 3,556,972
Georgia
> April 2022 unemployment: 3.1% (160,885 people)
> 1-mo. change in unemployment: None
> 1-yr. change in unemployment: -1.2 pct. points
> Total labor force: 5,267,469
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Idaho
> April 2022 unemployment: 2.6% (24,070 people)
> 1-mo. change in unemployment: -0.1 pct. points
> 1-yr. change in unemployment: -1.2 pct. points
> Total labor force: 937,023
Indiana
> April 2022 unemployment: 2.2% (72,191 people)
> 1-mo. change in unemployment: None
> 1-yr. change in unemployment: -1.9 pct. points
> Total labor force: 3,347,813
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Kansas
> April 2022 unemployment: 2.4% (35,374 people)
> 1-mo. change in unemployment: None
> 1-yr. change in unemployment: -1.1 pct. points
> Total labor force: 1,501,789
Kentucky
> April 2022 unemployment: 3.9% (79,794 people)
> 1-mo. change in unemployment: -0.1 pct. points
> 1-yr. change in unemployment: -0.8 pct. points
> Total labor force: 2,062,821
Minnesota
> April 2022 unemployment: 2.2% (67,631 people)
> 1-mo. change in unemployment: -0.3 pct. points
> 1-yr. change in unemployment: -1.3 pct. points
> Total labor force: 3,080,119
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Mississippi
> April 2022 unemployment: 4.1% (51,658 people)
> 1-mo. change in unemployment: -0.1 pct. points
> 1-yr. change in unemployment: -2.1 pct. points
> Total labor force: 1,264,209
Montana
> April 2022 unemployment: 2.3% (13,133 people)
> 1-mo. change in unemployment: None
> 1-yr. change in unemployment: -1.3 pct. points
> Total labor force: 560,706
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Nebraska
> April 2022 unemployment: 1.9% (20,414 people)
> 1-mo. change in unemployment: -0.1 pct. points
> 1-yr. change in unemployment: -0.7 pct. points
> Total labor force: 1,060,739
South Dakota
> April 2022 unemployment: 2.3% (11,046 people)
> 1-mo. change in unemployment: -0.2 pct. points
> 1-yr. change in unemployment: -0.9 pct. points
> Total labor force: 473,842
Tennessee
> April 2022 unemployment: 3.2% (109,601 people)
> 1-mo. change in unemployment: None
> 1-yr. change in unemployment: -1.6 pct. points
> Total labor force: 3,388,426
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Utah
> April 2022 unemployment: 1.9% (33,258 people)
> 1-mo. change in unemployment: -0.1 pct. points
> 1-yr. change in unemployment: -1.0 pct. points
> Total labor force: 1,714,461
West Virginia
> April 2022 unemployment: 3.6% (28,424 people)
> 1-mo. change in unemployment: -0.1 pct. points
> 1-yr. change in unemployment: -1.9 pct. points
> Total labor force: 794,603
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Wisconsin
> April 2022 unemployment: 2.8% (89,247 people)
> 1-mo. change in unemployment: None
> 1-yr. change in unemployment: -1.5 pct. points
> Total labor force: 3,147,294
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