States with the most job openings in March

There were about 8.5 million open jobs in the U.S. at the end of March, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

Stacker used Bureau of Labor Statistics data to rank states by their job opening rates in March, 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. March estimates are preliminary.

Though job openings are down from their peaks in early 2022, they remain much higher than in any previous decade in recent history. Job openings in March 2024 were up about 1.2 million from March 2019.

The national job openings rate was 5.1% in March—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 3.9% to 7.2% in various states. Keep reading to see where job openings in your home state rank.

Marek Masik // Shutterstock

#51. California

– Job opening rate: 3.9%
– Number of job openings: 734,000

Canva

#50. Hawai’i

– Job opening rate: 4.2%
– Number of job openings: 28,000

Canva

#49. Ohio

– Job opening rate: 4.3%
– Number of job openings: 253,000

Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock

#48. Iowa

– Job opening rate: 4.4%
– Number of job openings: 74,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#47. Arizona

– Job opening rate: 4.4%
– Number of job openings: 151,000

f11photo // Shutterstock

#46. Washington DC

– Job opening rate: 4.5%
– Number of job openings: 36,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#45. Indiana

– Job opening rate: 4.5%
– Number of job openings: 154,000

Agnieszka Gaul // Shutterstock

#44. Washington

– Job opening rate: 4.5%
– Number of job openings: 172,000

randy andy // Shutterstock

#43. Nevada

– Job opening rate: 4.7%
– Number of job openings: 77,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#42. Utah

– Job opening rate: 4.7%
– Number of job openings: 87,000

ESB Professional // Shutterstock

#41. Pennsylvania

– Job opening rate: 4.7%
– Number of job openings: 301,000

Katherine Welles // Shutterstock

#40. Nebraska

– Job opening rate: 4.8%
– Number of job openings: 54,000

Charles Knowles // Shutterstock

#39. Idaho

– Job opening rate: 4.9%
– Number of job openings: 45,000

JohnDSmith // Shutterstock

#38. South Dakota

– Job opening rate: 5.0%
– Number of job openings: 25,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#37. Connecticut

– Job opening rate: 5.0%
– Number of job openings: 90,000

TommyBrison // Shutterstock

#36. Missouri

– Job opening rate: 5.0%
– Number of job openings: 159,000

Kevin Ruck // Shutterstock

#35. Tennessee

– Job opening rate: 5.0%
– Number of job openings: 177,000

Canva

#34. Georgia

– Job opening rate: 5.0%
– Number of job openings: 263,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#33. Oregon

– Job opening rate: 5.1%
– Number of job openings: 107,000

Canva

#32. Minnesota

– Job opening rate: 5.1%
– Number of job openings: 164,000

Sharkshock // Shutterstock

#31. North Carolina

– Job opening rate: 5.1%
– Number of job openings: 267,000

Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

#30. New York

– Job opening rate: 5.1%
– Number of job openings: 532,000

Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock

#29. North Dakota

– Job opening rate: 5.2%
– Number of job openings: 24,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#28. Michigan

– Job opening rate: 5.2%
– Number of job openings: 246,000

Mia2you // Shutterstock

#27. Florida

– Job opening rate: 5.2%
– Number of job openings: 543,000

Joseph Sohm // Shutterstock

#26. Maine

– Job opening rate: 5.3%
– Number of job openings: 37,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#25. New Hampshire

– Job opening rate: 5.4%
– Number of job openings: 40,000

Kevin Ruck // Shutterstock

#24. Alabama

– Job opening rate: 5.4%
– Number of job openings: 124,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#23. Virginia

– Job opening rate: 5.4%
– Number of job openings: 243,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#22. Texas

– Job opening rate: 5.4%
– Number of job openings: 807,000

Canva

#21. Arkansas

– Job opening rate: 5.5%
– Number of job openings: 80,000

Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock

#20. Kansas

– Job opening rate: 5.5%
– Number of job openings: 85,000

Canva

#19. Mississippi

– Job opening rate: 5.6%
– Number of job openings: 70,000

Mihai_Andritoiu // Shutterstock

#18. New Jersey

– Job opening rate: 5.6%
– Number of job openings: 258,000

Albert Pego // Shutterstock

#17. Vermont

– Job opening rate: 5.7%
– Number of job openings: 19,000

Rotorhead 30A Productions // Shutterstock

#16. Kentucky

– Job opening rate: 5.7%
– Number of job openings: 123,000

Mihai_Andritoiu // Shutterstock

#15. Wisconsin

– Job opening rate: 5.7%
– Number of job openings: 183,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#14. Massachusetts

– Job opening rate: 5.7%
– Number of job openings: 226,000

LBill45 // Shutterstock

#13. Wyoming

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

Real Window Creative // Shutterstock

#12. Delaware

– Job opening rate: 5.8%
– Number of job openings: 30,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#11. West Virginia

– Job opening rate: 5.8%
– Number of job openings: 44,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#10. New Mexico

– Job opening rate: 5.8%
– Number of job openings: 55,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#9. Louisiana

– Job opening rate: 5.8%
– Number of job openings: 120,000

George Wirt // Shutterstock

#8. Rhode Island

– Job opening rate: 5.9%
– Number of job openings: 32,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#7. Illinois

– Job opening rate: 5.9%
– Number of job openings: 385,000

Mihai_Andritoiu // Shutterstock

#6. Montana

– Job opening rate: 6.0%
– Number of job openings: 34,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#5. Oklahoma

– Job opening rate: 6.1%
– Number of job openings: 115,000

Canva

#4. Colorado

– Job opening rate: 6.4%
– Number of job openings: 204,000

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#3. Maryland

– Job opening rate: 6.6%
– Number of job openings: 195,000

f11photo // Shutterstock

#2. South Carolina

– Job opening rate: 6.7%
– Number of job openings: 169,000

Canva

#1. Alaska

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