States with the Highest Hires Rate

Compiled by PlainLabor · August 17, 2026

States ranked by 3-month average hires rate (minimum 20K average hires).

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, Alaska leads on the 3-month average hires rate at 6.6% (about 22K average hires) , against a cohort median of 3.3% (+3.3 pp vs median). Only states with at least 20K average hires in the window appear here ; window ends Dec 2025. Even above that floor, state JOLTS estimates are volatile, so treat the #1 spot as directional rather than definitive.

Alaska hires rate versus the 3-month cohort median among states that clear the 20K hires floor

What This Ranking Tells Us

The hires rate measures new payroll additions as a percentage of employment. High hiring can reflect expansion or replacement of churn. This page ranks the 3-month average among states with at least 20K average hires so small-state noise is less likely to own #1.

Rates come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), state-level series. State totals are typically not seasonally adjusted and carry larger sampling variability than the national release. Differences smaller than roughly ±0.3 percentage points at the state level should be treated as statistically indistinguishable. See our methodology page and the BLS JOLTS state data issues notice.

Bar length shows each state's hires rate as a share of the largest value on this list, hover or focus a bar for the exact share and rank.

#	State	Hires Rate	Avg hires (K)
1	Alaska AK	6.6%	22
2	Montana MT	4.6%	24
3	Idaho ID	4.1%	36
4	South Carolina SC	4.0%	95
5	Illinois IL	3.9%	238
6	Rhode Island RI	3.9%	20
7	Indiana IN	3.8%	125
8	Louisiana LA	3.8%	76
9	Mississippi MS	3.8%	45
10	West Virginia WV	3.8%	27
11	Michigan MI	3.7%	164
12	Nevada NV	3.6%	58
13	Tennessee TN	3.6%	121
14	Arizona AZ	3.5%	113
15	Arkansas AR	3.5%	46
16	New York NY	3.5%	343
17	Utah UT	3.5%	61
18	Maine ME	3.4%	23
19	New Mexico NM	3.4%	30
20	Oklahoma OK	3.4%	61
21	Oregon OR	3.4%	67
22	Texas TX	3.4%	481
23	Colorado CO	3.3%	97
24	Kansas KS	3.3%	48
25	Kentucky KY	3.3%	66
26	New Hampshire NH	3.3%	23
27	Virginia VA	3.3%	140
28	Connecticut CT	3.2%	55
29	North Carolina NC	3.2%	162
30	Wisconsin WI	3.2%	98
31	Hawaii HI	3.1%	20
32	Iowa IA	3.1%	49
33	New Jersey NJ	3.1%	137
34	Ohio OH	3.1%	178
35	California CA	3.0%	549
36	Florida FL	3.0%	300
37	Georgia GA	3.0%	149
38	Missouri MO	3.0%	91
39	Nebraska NE	3.0%	32
40	Alabama AL	2.9%	64
41	Maryland MD	2.9%	81
42	Minnesota MN	2.8%	86
43	Washington WA	2.7%	100
44	Massachusetts MA	2.6%	98
45	Pennsylvania PA	2.6%	163

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). Values are 3-month averages; floor ≥20K average hires.

Top of the List, State Detail

Quick links to the detail pages for the leading states in this ranking, each page carries the full JOLTS time series and year-over-year context.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the hires rate tell us?

The hires rate measures new worker additions to payrolls each month, expressed as a percentage of total employment. A 5% hires rate means roughly 5 out of every 100 positions were newly filled that month. It captures both expansion hiring (new positions) and replacement hiring (filling vacancies from turnover).

Is a high hires rate always positive?

Usually, but not always. High hiring driven by economic expansion is positive. However, high hiring driven by high turnover (workers constantly leaving and being replaced) can indicate workforce instability. Compare the hires rate with the quits rate and openings rate to distinguish growth-driven from turnover-driven hiring.

Explore More Rankings

Highest Openings Rate Lowest Openings Rate Highest Quits Rate Lowest Quits Rate Highest Layoff Rate

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Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

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Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), state-level series · Dec 2025 3-month averages; states below 20K average hires are excluded. Not seasonally adjusted. A high rate is not a job-quality ranking.

Every figure on PlainLabor is rendered from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS); no number is typed in by an editor. Ranking positions use the displayed JOLTS measure and reference period; they are not recommendations or forecasts. See our editorial standards and corrections policy, methodology, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-17. JOLTS figures are employer-survey openings and turnover rates for a published reference month - not job-quality rankings, hiring recommendations, or real-time vacancy postings.