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Best and Worst States to Find a Job Right Now

2 min read

Nov 5, 2025 10:06:31 AM

If you’re job hunting, where you live still matters. Drawing on the latest state data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we’ve identified the 10 easiest and 10 toughest places to land work today. South Dakota leads, while California and Nevada lag for job seekers, underscoring how uneven the labor market remains across the country.

Job opportunities visualized through a map of contrasting landscapes

How We Ranked

We used seasonally adjusted state unemployment rates from July 2025 as a straightforward, apples‑to‑apples gauge of how hard it is to find a job. Lower unemployment generally signals more opportunities and faster hiring; higher unemployment suggests a tougher search. For added context, we reference recent trends in job openings, which speak to demand for workers.

The 10 Best States

Based on July 2025 unemployment rates, the most favorable markets were: South Dakota (1.9%), North Dakota (2.5%), Vermont (2.6%), Hawaii (2.7%), Montana (2.8%), Nebraska (3.0%), Alabama (3.0%), New Hampshire (3.1%), Oklahoma (3.1%), and Wisconsin (3.1%). These figures reflect broad strength across the Upper Plains and Northern New England, while Hawaii and Montana continue to post notably low joblessness. South Dakota’s sub‑2% rate is the nation’s standout.

The 10 Toughest States

Excluding the District of Columbia, which posted the nation’s highest rate, California (5.5%) and Nevada (5.4%) were the most challenging among states in July. Rounding out the 10 were Michigan (5.3%), Ohio (5.0%), Oregon (5.0%), Kentucky (4.9%), New Jersey (4.9%), Massachusetts (4.8%), Rhode Island (4.8%), and Alaska (4.8%). These higher readings often track sectors facing headwinds—manufacturing in parts of the Midwest and tech or tourism exposure on the coasts.

The Bigger Picture

Nationally, conditions have cooled from the red‑hot recovery years. Job openings have drifted lower from their 2022 peak and, in mid‑2025, slipped again on a month‑to‑month basis, signaling more moderate hiring appetite. Still, many states in the Plains and Mountain West retain tight markets, and some—such as Alaska and Georgia—continue to show relatively elevated job‑openings rates even as the national trend eases. D.C. recorded a 6.0% jobless rate in July 2025, the highest in the country, though it is not a state and is excluded from the lists above.

Methodological note: unemployment rates are one useful lens. Other factors—industry mix, wage trends, migration flows, and job openings per unemployed worker—can change the on‑the‑ground experience. But the latest BLS readings provide a clear, comparable snapshot of where it’s easiest or hardest to get hired right now.