States with the most job openings in September

Published 9:30 pm Tuesday, November 21, 2023

States with the most job openings in September

Job openings across the U.S. remained relatively consistent in September, the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows.

At the end of the month, there were about 9.6 million open jobs nationwide. Though job openings are down from peaks in early 2022, they remain much higher than in any previous decade in recent history. Compared to September 2019, for example, the most recent monthly job openings were up by about 2.4 million.

The national job openings rate was 5.7% in September—meaning around 6 in 100 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. Health care employees face rampant burnout, while hospitality employees have been in short supply after the Great Resignation drove many to pursue higher-paying employment opportunities.

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Labor market trends vary widely by locale, with job-opening rates ranging from 4.5% to 8.5% in various states. To get a more complete view, Stacker used Bureau of Labor Statistics data to rank states by their job opening rates in September, 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. September estimates are preliminary.


Agnieszka Gaul // Shutterstock

#51. Washington

– Job opening rate: 4.5%
– Number of job openings: 171,000

Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

#50. New York

– Job opening rate: 4.6%
– Number of job openings: 468,000

Canva

#49. Hawaii

– Job opening rate: 4.8%
– Number of job openings: 32,000

Marek Masik // Shutterstock

#48. California

– Job opening rate: 4.8%
– Number of job openings: 911,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#47. Indiana

– Job opening rate: 5.0%
– Number of job openings: 172,000

Mihai_Andritoiu // Shutterstock

#46. New Jersey

– Job opening rate: 5.0%
– Number of job openings: 231,000

f11photo // Shutterstock

#45. Washington D.C.

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

Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock

#44. Iowa

– Job opening rate: 5.1%
– Number of job openings: 85,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#43. Michigan

– Job opening rate: 5.2%
– Number of job openings: 242,000

Katherine Welles // Shutterstock

#42. Nebraska

– Job opening rate: 5.5%
– Number of job openings: 61,000

Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock

#41. Kansas

– Job opening rate: 5.5%
– Number of job openings: 85,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#40. Oregon

– Job opening rate: 5.5%
– Number of job openings: 118,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#39. Texas

– Job opening rate: 5.5%
– Number of job openings: 811,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#38. Connecticut

– Job opening rate: 5.7%
– Number of job openings: 103,000

TommyBrison // Shutterstock

#37. Missouri

– Job opening rate: 5.7%
– Number of job openings: 182,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#36. Massachusetts

– Job opening rate: 5.7%
– Number of job openings: 229,000

JohnDSmith // Shutterstock

#35. South Dakota

– Job opening rate: 5.8%
– Number of job openings: 29,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#34. Utah

– Job opening rate: 5.8%
– Number of job openings: 106,000

Charles Knowles // Shutterstock

#33. Idaho

– Job opening rate: 5.9%
– Number of job openings: 54,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#32. Arizona

– Job opening rate: 5.9%
– Number of job openings: 198,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#31. Virginia

– Job opening rate: 5.9%
– Number of job openings: 263,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#30. Illinois

– Job opening rate: 5.9%
– Number of job openings: 384,000

Mia2you // Shutterstock

#29. Florida

– Job opening rate: 5.9%
– Number of job openings: 619,000

Canva

#28. Ohio

– Job opening rate: 6.0%
– Number of job openings: 363,000

Albert Pego // Shutterstock

#27. Vermont

– Job opening rate: 6.1%
– Number of job openings: 20,000

George Wirt // Shutterstock

#26. Rhode Island

– Job opening rate: 6.1%
– Number of job openings: 32,000

randy andy // Shutterstock

#25. Nevada

– Job opening rate: 6.1%
– Number of job openings: 101,000

Rotorhead 30A Productions // Shutterstock

#24. Kentucky

– Job opening rate: 6.1%
– Number of job openings: 133,000

ESB Professional // Shutterstock

#23. Pennsylvania

– Job opening rate: 6.1%
– Number of job openings: 401,000

Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock

#22. North Dakota

– Job opening rate: 6.2%
– Number of job openings: 29,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#21. New Hampshire

– Job opening rate: 6.2%
– Number of job openings: 46,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#20. New Mexico

– Job opening rate: 6.2%
– Number of job openings: 58,000

Canva

#19. Arkansas

– Job opening rate: 6.2%
– Number of job openings: 90,000

Kevin Ruck // Shutterstock

#18. Alabama

– Job opening rate: 6.2%
– Number of job openings: 143,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#17. Maryland

– Job opening rate: 6.2%
– Number of job openings: 184,000

Sharkshock // Shutterstock

#16. North Carolina

– Job opening rate: 6.2%
– Number of job openings: 329,000

Real Window Creative // Shutterstock

#15. Delaware

– Job opening rate: 6.3%
– Number of job openings: 33,000

Canva

#14. Colorado

– Job opening rate: 6.3%
– Number of job openings: 197,000

LBill45 // Shutterstock

#13. Wyoming

– Job opening rate: 6.4%
– Number of job openings: 20,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#12. Oklahoma

– Job opening rate: 6.4%
– Number of job openings: 118,000

Canva

#11. Minnesota

– Job opening rate: 6.4%
– Number of job openings: 206,000

Mihai_Andritoiu // Shutterstock

#10. Montana

– Job opening rate: 6.5%
– Number of job openings: 36,000

Joseph Sohm // Shutterstock

#9. Maine

– Job opening rate: 6.5%
– Number of job openings: 45,000

Canva

#8. Mississippi

– Job opening rate: 6.6%
– Number of job openings: 83,000

Canva

#7. Georgia

– Job opening rate: 6.7%
– Number of job openings: 354,000

f11photo // Shutterstock

#6. South Carolina

– Job opening rate: 6.9%
– Number of job openings: 172,000

Mihai_Andritoiu // Shutterstock

#5. Wisconsin

– Job opening rate: 6.9%
– Number of job openings: 223,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#4. Louisiana

– Job opening rate: 7.0%
– Number of job openings: 149,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#3. West Virginia

– Job opening rate: 7.3%
– Number of job openings: 56,000

Canva

#2. Alaska

– Job opening rate: 7.6%
– Number of job openings: 27,000

Kevin Ruck // Shutterstock

#1. Tennessee

– Job opening rate: 8.5%
– Number of job openings: 309,000

Data reporting by Paxtyn Merten.