States with the most job openings in July

The number of jobs employers have indicated they’re hiring for is ticking downward each month, a trend that continued in July, according to the latest figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

There were 8.8 million open jobs nationwide in July, down nearly 4% from the previous month. Though job openings are down from peaks in early 2022, they remain much higher than in any previous decade in recent history. Compared to July 2019, for example, the most recent monthly job openings were up by nearly 1.8 million.

The national job openings rate was 5.3% in July—meaning around 1 in 20 of all jobs in the economy are unfilled positions. Industries such as health care and hospitality are experiencing even higher job-opening rates as they struggle to recruit and retain employees.

Labor market trends vary by locale. To get a more complete view, Stacker used Bureau of Labor Statistics data to rank states by their job opening rates in July, using the number of job openings as a tiebreaker when needed. BLS calculates job opening rates as the number of job openings per total jobs—filled or open—in a state. July estimates are preliminary.

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#51. New York

– Job opening rate: 4.5%
– Number of job openings: 456,000

Canva

#50. Hawaii

– Job opening rate: 4.6%
– Number of job openings: 31,000

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#49. Iowa

– Job opening rate: 4.7%
– Number of job openings: 78,000

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#47. Michigan

– Job opening rate: 4.7%
– Number of job openings: 218,000

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#48. Washington

– Job opening rate: 4.7%
– Number of job openings: 181,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#46. Indiana

– Job opening rate: 4.8%
– Number of job openings: 165,000

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#44. California

– Job opening rate: 5.0%
– Number of job openings: 962,000

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#45. Nebraska

– Job opening rate: 5.0%
– Number of job openings: 55,000

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#42. Washington D.C.

– Job opening rate: 5.1%
– Number of job openings: 42,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#40. Oregon

– Job opening rate: 5.1%
– Number of job openings: 108,000

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#43. South Dakota

– Job opening rate: 5.1%
– Number of job openings: 25,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#39. Texas

– Job opening rate: 5.1%
– Number of job openings: 745,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#41. Utah

– Job opening rate: 5.1%
– Number of job openings: 93,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#38. Connecticut

– Job opening rate: 5.2%
– Number of job openings: 92,000

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#36. Pennsylvania

– Job opening rate: 5.2%
– Number of job openings: 340,000

Mihai_Andritoiu // Shutterstock

#37. Wisconsin

– Job opening rate: 5.2%
– Number of job openings: 164,000

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#32. Florida

– Job opening rate: 5.3%
– Number of job openings: 552,000

Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock

#35. Kansas

– Job opening rate: 5.3%
– Number of job openings: 81,000

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#34. Kentucky

– Job opening rate: 5.3%
– Number of job openings: 112,000

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#33. Missouri

– Job opening rate: 5.3%
– Number of job openings: 167,000

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#29. Illinois

– Job opening rate: 5.4%
– Number of job openings: 348,000

Canva

#30. Ohio

– Job opening rate: 5.4%
– Number of job openings: 321,000

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#31. Tennessee

– Job opening rate: 5.4%
– Number of job openings: 190,000

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#26. Alabama

– Job opening rate: 5.5%
– Number of job openings: 126,000

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#27. Nevada

– Job opening rate: 5.5%
– Number of job openings: 91,000

Mihai_Andritoiu // Shutterstock

#25. New Jersey

– Job opening rate: 5.5%
– Number of job openings: 251,000

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#28. Vermont

– Job opening rate: 5.5%
– Number of job openings: 18,000

Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock

#24. North Dakota

– Job opening rate: 5.6%
– Number of job openings: 26,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#23. Virginia

– Job opening rate: 5.6%
– Number of job openings: 245,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#18. Arizona

– Job opening rate: 5.7%
– Number of job openings: 191,000

Canva

#21. Arkansas

– Job opening rate: 5.7%
– Number of job openings: 82,000

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#19. Louisiana

– Job opening rate: 5.7%
– Number of job openings: 119,000

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#17. North Carolina

– Job opening rate: 5.7%
– Number of job openings: 300,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#20. Oklahoma

– Job opening rate: 5.7%
– Number of job openings: 105,000

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#22. Rhode Island

– Job opening rate: 5.7%
– Number of job openings: 30,000

Canva

#14. Colorado

– Job opening rate: 5.8%
– Number of job openings: 179,000

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#15. Maryland

– Job opening rate: 5.8%
– Number of job openings: 169,000

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#16. Wyoming

– Job opening rate: 5.8%
– Number of job openings: 18,000

Canva

#12. Georgia

– Job opening rate: 6.0%
– Number of job openings: 311,000

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#13. Massachusetts

– Job opening rate: 6.0%
– Number of job openings: 242,000

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#11. Idaho

– Job opening rate: 6.1%
– Number of job openings: 55,000

Mihai_Andritoiu // Shutterstock

#10. Montana

– Job opening rate: 6.2%
– Number of job openings: 34,000

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#9. Maine

– Job opening rate: 6.3%
– Number of job openings: 43,000

Canva

#7. Minnesota

– Job opening rate: 6.3%
– Number of job openings: 201,000

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#8. New Mexico

– Job opening rate: 6.3%
– Number of job openings: 59,000

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#6. Delaware

– Job opening rate: 6.4%
– Number of job openings: 33,000

Canva

#5. Mississippi

– Job opening rate: 6.4%
– Number of job openings: 80,000

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#4. New Hampshire

– Job opening rate: 6.6%
– Number of job openings: 49,000

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#3. South Carolina

– Job opening rate: 6.8%
– Number of job openings: 167,000

Canva

#2. Alaska

– Job opening rate: 6.9%
– Number of job openings: 24,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#1. West Virginia

– Job opening rate: 6.9%
– Number of job openings: 52,000

Data reporting by Paxtyn Merten.