The 10 best—and 10 worst—states to find a job right now

Where is the job hunt hottest—and where is it cooling? Using the latest comparable state data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), we ranked states by their seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for July 2025 (published August 28, 2025), a timely proxy for how easy it is to land work. We note the District of Columbia separately because it is not a state.

The 10 best states for finding a job (lowest unemployment, July 2025)

• South Dakota — 1.9%
• North Dakota — 2.5%
• Vermont — 2.6%
• Hawaii — 2.7%
• Montana — 2.8%
• Alabama — 3.0%
• Nebraska — 3.0%
• New Hampshire — 3.1%
• Oklahoma — 3.1%
• Wisconsin — 3.1%

(BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, July 2025.)

The 10 hardest states for job seekers (highest unemployment, July 2025)

• California — 5.5%
• Nevada — 5.4%
• Michigan — 5.3%
• Ohio — 5.0%
• Oregon — 5.0%
• New Jersey — 4.9%
• Kentucky — 4.9%
• Massachusetts — 4.8%
• Rhode Island — 4.8%
• Alaska — 4.8%

Note: The District of Columbia posted the highest overall rate at 6.0%, but is excluded from the state list.

Why this matters now

Unemployment rates reflect how tight or slack a state’s labor market is. Job openings add another lens: BLS state JOLTS data show the national openings rate at 4.3% in July 2025. Some states with low unemployment also post elevated openings rates—e.g., Georgia at 5.2% and Alaska at 5.3%—suggesting relatively more vacancies per worker. By contrast, large, higher-unemployment states like California show a 4.0% openings rate, while the District of Columbia is lower at 3.4%, aligning with tougher searches there. Together, low unemployment and higher openings generally signal an easier job hunt, and the reverse points to stiffer competition.

Methodology and dates

We used BLS seasonally adjusted state unemployment rates for July 2025 (released August 19–28, 2025, across LAUS and BLS Economics Daily publications) to identify the 10 lowest and 10 highest. Ties were resolved by cutoff (≤3.1% for the best list). For context on labor demand, we referenced the BLS State Job Openings and Labor Turnover (JOLTS) release for July 2025 (published September 17, 2025 per BLS calendar). Always check the latest BLS monthly update for changes.

Sources

• Original: Business Insider
• BLS Economics Daily: State unemployment rates, July 2025 (posted August 28, 2025). bls.gov
• BLS LAUS News Release: State Employment and Unemployment — July 2025 (released August 19, 2025). bls.gov
• BLS State JOLTS: Job openings by state, July 2025 (rate table). bls.gov
• BLS Release Calendar (confirms Sept. 17, 2025 State JOLTS; Oct. 21, 2025 LAUS). bls.gov