PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The October unemployment rate of 3.7% is close to the lowest level it’s been in the last 50 years and employers are desperate to fill open positions.
The options are fairly open for someone looking for a new job, but the job market is better in some states than others.
In a new report, the finance website WalletHub released a list of 2022’s Best & Worst States for Jobs and found that among all 50 states, Washington is the best state in the country for jobs.
To determine which states were the best for jobs, WalletHub compared them across two key dimensions: job market and economic environment.
Within those dimensions, researchers analyzed 35 relevant metrics such as job opportunities, job security, job satisfaction, employee benefits, median income, average commute time and state income taxes to determine which ranked best.
Each metric received a certain number of points depending on how high a state ranked in the category. Those points were then added together and states were ranked on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for job seekers.
When the numbers were added up, Washington ranked first with a score of 69.65. It scored eighth for its job market and first for its economic environment. When it comes to job opportunities, WalletHub said Washington ranks fifth in the nation.
Oregon ranked 28th among the states. It placed 12th for its job market and 44th for its economic environment.
Below is WalletHub’s list of the top 10 best states to find a job.
- Washington
- Vermont
- New Hampshire
- Colorado
- Minnesota
- Rhode Island
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- Connecticut
- New Jersey