Ranked: States With the Most Job Openings in 2025
Description
Ranked: States With the Most Job Openings in 2025
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Key Takeaways
- Oklahoma tops the states with the most job openings, (5.5%), buoyed by a rebound in energy drilling.
- Midwest and Southern “Battery Belt” states report elevated openings, reflecting hard-to-fill skilled roles more than a broad hiring boom.
America’s unemployment rate has officially risen higher than the number of job openings in the country for the first time since the end of the pandemic.
But there are pockets still hiring.
The chart below ranks states by their 2025 job-opening rates using data for this visualization comes from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
It measures the percentage of all filled and unfilled positions that remain vacant at the end of the month, along with pure counts of openings.
A job is considered “open” only if it meets all three criteria:i. A specific position exists and there is work available for it (full-time, part-time, permanent, short-term, or seasonal).
ii. The job could start within 30 days, regardless of whether a candidate has been found.
iii. The employer is actively recruiting workers from outside the establishment to fill the position. Active recruiting can include advertising, interviewing, contacting employment agencies, or other recruiting activities.
Oklahoma’s Job Market Is Still Tight
At 5.5%, Oklahoma tops the nation’s vacancy rate, edging out perennial labor-short Alaska.
| Rank | State | State Code | Job Openings Rate | # of Job Openings (thousands) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma | OK | 5.5% | 104 |
| 2 | Alaska | AK | 5.3% | 19 |
| 3 | Michigan | MI | 5.3% | 253 |
| 4 | West Virginia | WV | 5.3% | 40 |
| 5 | Georgia | GA | 5.2% | 273 |
| 6 | Minnesota | MN | 5.2% | 167 |
| 7 | New Mexico | NM | 5.1% | 49 |
| 8 | Louisiana | LA | 4.9% | 103 |
| 9 | Montana | MT | 4.9% | 27 |
| 10 | New Jersey | NJ | 4.9% | 226 |
| 11 | North Dakota | ND | 4.9% | 23 |
| 12 | Virginia | VA | 4.9% | 220 |
| 13 | Kentucky | KY | 4.8% | 103 |
| 14 | Maine | ME | 4.8% | 33 |
| 15 | North Carolina | NC | 4.8% | 257 |
| 16 | Rhode Island | RI | 4.8% | 26 |
| 17 | South Carolina | SC | 4.8% | 123 |
| 18 | Wyoming | WY | 4.8% | 15 |
| 19 | Arkansas | AR | 4.7% | 68 |
| 20 | Idaho | ID | 4.7% | 44 |
| 21 | Maryland | MD | 4.6% | 137 |
| 22 | Mississippi | MS | 4.6% | 58 |
| 23 | Missouri | MO | 4.6% | 145 |
| 24 | New Hampshire | NH | 4.6% | 34 |
| 25 | Vermont | VT | 4.6% | 15 |
| 26 | Alabama | AL | 4.5% | 105 |
| 27 | Arizona | AZ | 4.5% | 153 |
| 28 | Iowa | IA | 4.5% | 75 |
| 29 | Kansas | KS | 4.5% | 69 |
| 30 | South Dakota | SD | 4.5% | 22 |
| 31 | Wisconsin | WI | 4.4% | 140 |
| 32 | Delaware | DE | 4.3% | 22 |
| 33 | Massachusetts | MA | 4.3% | 169 |
| 34 |
