Washington ranked best state to work in, despite unemployment numbers
A recent report found that Washington is the best state in the U.S. to find a job. The report evaluated states’ job benefits, availability and more.
The report from WalletHub, a personal finance website, determined the ranking by evaluating the job market in all 50 states and economic environments across 35 metrics. The evaluation included metrics such as job opportunities, unemployment rate, job security and employee benefits.
Washington ranked as the best state to work in, taking first place in the economic environment, and 8th place in job market.
Washington also ranked highly on a few other metrics used by Wallethub:
▪ 5th in job opportunities.
▪ 2nd in average monthly starting salary.
▪ 24th in unemployment rate.
▪ 8th in median annual income (adjusted for cost of living).
▪ 18th in the average length of work week (in hours).
▪ 8th in job satisfaction.
In November 2022, Washington had a 4% unemployment rate, according to the state’s Employment Security Department, more than the national unemployment rate of 3.7%.
Washington’s unemployment rate previously remained at 3.7% throughout July, August and September before a slight increase in October to 3.8%, and now to 4% in November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports.
Despite Washington’s job attractiveness, 153,700 Washington residents remain unemployed as of October 2022.
The best and worst states to work in
Vermont was ranked as the second-best state to work in after Washington, followed by New Hampshire, Colorado, Minnesota and Rhode Island.
Some of the worst states to work in according to the report were West Virginia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas.
This story was originally published December 17, 2022 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Washington ranked best state to work in, despite unemployment numbers."
