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Business & Economy

States with the most job openings in February

Written by:
Paxtyn Merten
January 24, 2024
Updated on April 18, 2024
BreizhAtao // Shutterstock

States with the most job openings in February

There were about 8.8 million open jobs in the U.S. at the end of February, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

Though job openings are down from their peaks in early 2022, they remain much higher than in any previous decade in recent history. Compared to February 2020, for example, the most recent monthly job openings were up by about 1.8 million.

The national job openings rate was 5.3% in February—meaning around 5 in 100 jobs in the economy are unfilled. Rates were high in the leisure and hospitality sector as entertainment, accommodation, food services, and recreation establishments have begun to staff up for the busy summer season. Industries such as health care and professional/business services have also experienced high job-opening rates for months as they struggle to recruit and retain employees. Many companies with job openings report having few or no qualified applicants.

Labor market trends vary widely by locale, with job-opening rates ranging from 4.3% to 7.2% 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 February, 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. February estimates are preliminary.

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Marek Masik // Shutterstock

#51. California

- Job opening rate: 4.3%
- Number of job openings: 806,000

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f11photo // Shutterstock

#50. Washington DC

- Job opening rate: 4.6%
- Number of job openings: 37,000

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Mihai_Andritoiu // Shutterstock

#49. New Jersey

- Job opening rate: 4.6%
- Number of job openings: 211,000

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Canva

#48. Hawaii

- Job opening rate: 4.7%
- Number of job openings: 31,000

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Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#47. Connecticut

- Job opening rate: 4.8%
- Number of job openings: 86,000

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Agnieszka Gaul // Shutterstock

#46. Washington

- Job opening rate: 4.8%
- Number of job openings: 183,000

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Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock

#45. Iowa

- Job opening rate: 4.9%
- Number of job openings: 83,000

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Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

#44. New York

- Job opening rate: 4.9%
- Number of job openings: 501,000

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Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#43. Michigan

- Job opening rate: 5%
- Number of job openings: 237,000

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Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#42. Texas

- Job opening rate: 5%
- Number of job openings: 749,000

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randy andy // Shutterstock

#41. Nevada

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

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Canva

#40. Ohio

- Job opening rate: 5.1%
- Number of job openings: 303,000

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Albert Pego // Shutterstock

#39. Vermont

- Job opening rate: 5.2%
- Number of job openings: 17,000

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Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#38. New Hampshire

- Job opening rate: 5.2%
- Number of job openings: 39,000

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Canva

#37. Arkansas

- Job opening rate: 5.2%
- Number of job openings: 75,000

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Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#35. Arizona

- Job opening rate: 5.2%
- Number of job openings: 178,000

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Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#35. Indiana

- Job opening rate: 5.2%
- Number of job openings: 178,000

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Katherine Welles // Shutterstock

#34. Nebraska

- Job opening rate: 5.3%
- Number of job openings: 59,000

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Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#33. Utah

- Job opening rate: 5.3%
- Number of job openings: 97,000

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Rotorhead 30A Productions // Shutterstock

#32. Kentucky

- Job opening rate: 5.3%
- Number of job openings: 114,000

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Mihai_Andritoiu // Shutterstock

#31. Wisconsin

- Job opening rate: 5.3%
- Number of job openings: 171,000

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Kevin Ruck // Shutterstock

#30. Tennessee

- Job opening rate: 5.3%
- Number of job openings: 184,000

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Mia2you // Shutterstock

#29. Florida

- Job opening rate: 5.3%
- Number of job openings: 557,000

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Sharkshock // Shutterstock

#28. North Carolina

- Job opening rate: 5.4%
- Number of job openings: 284,000

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Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock

#27. Kansas

- Job opening rate: 5.5%
- Number of job openings: 84,000

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Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#26. Oregon

- Job opening rate: 5.5%
- Number of job openings: 114,000

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Kevin Ruck // Shutterstock

#25. Alabama

- Job opening rate: 5.5%
- Number of job openings: 127,000

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Canva

#24. Minnesota

- Job opening rate: 5.5%
- Number of job openings: 175,000

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Canva

#23. Georgia

- Job opening rate: 5.5%
- Number of job openings: 290,000

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Joseph Sohm // Shutterstock

#22. Maine

- Job opening rate: 5.6%
- Number of job openings: 39,000

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Charles Knowles // Shutterstock

#21. Idaho

- Job opening rate: 5.6%
- Number of job openings: 51,000

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TommyBrison // Shutterstock

#20. Missouri

- Job opening rate: 5.6%
- Number of job openings: 180,000

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Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#19. Massachusetts

- Job opening rate: 5.6%
- Number of job openings: 222,000

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Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#18. West Virginia

- Job opening rate: 5.7%
- Number of job openings: 44,000

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LBill45 // Shutterstock

#17. Wyoming

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

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Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock

#16. North Dakota

- Job opening rate: 5.8%
- Number of job openings: 27,000

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JohnDSmith // Shutterstock

#15. South Dakota

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

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ESB Professional // Shutterstock

#14. Pennsylvania

- Job opening rate: 5.8%
- Number of job openings: 379,000

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Canva

#13. Mississippi

- Job opening rate: 5.9%
- Number of job openings: 74,000

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Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#12. Illinois

- Job opening rate: 5.9%
- Number of job openings: 386,000

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Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#11. Virginia

- Job opening rate: 6%
- Number of job openings: 267,000

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George Wirt // Shutterstock

#10. Rhode Island

- Job opening rate: 6.1%
- Number of job openings: 33,000

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Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#9. Louisiana

- Job opening rate: 6.1%
- Number of job openings: 127,000

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Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#8. Oklahoma

- Job opening rate: 6.2%
- Number of job openings: 118,000

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Real Window Creative // Shutterstock

#7. Delaware

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

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Canva

#6. Colorado

- Job opening rate: 6.3%
- Number of job openings: 200,000

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Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#5. New Mexico

- Job opening rate: 6.4%
- Number of job openings: 60,000

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f11photo // Shutterstock

#4. South Carolina

- Job opening rate: 6.4%
- Number of job openings: 162,000

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Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#3. Maryland

- Job opening rate: 6.4%
- Number of job openings: 188,000

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Mihai_Andritoiu // Shutterstock

#2. Montana

- Job opening rate: 6.7%
- Number of job openings: 38,000

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Canva

#1. Alaska

- Job opening rate: 7.2%
- Number of job openings: 26,000

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