States with the most job openings in May

There were about 8.1 million open jobs in the United States at the end of May, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

Stacker used BLS data to rank states by their job opening rates in May, 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. May estimates are preliminary.

Job openings are down from their peak in early 2022. While they remain higher than in any previous decade in recent history, they are inching closer to pre-COVID norms. Still, job openings in May 2024 were up about 865,000 from the same month in 2019.

The national job openings rate was 4.9% in May—meaning close to 5 in 100 jobs in the economy are unfilled. Rates were high in health care and social assistance, professional and business services, and state and local government. Some industries have 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 3.7% to 6.9% in various states. Keep reading to see where job openings in your home state rank.

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#51. California

– Job opening rate: 3.7%
– Number of job openings: 686,000

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#50. Hawai’i

– Job opening rate: 4.1%
– Number of job openings: 27,000

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#49. Ohio

– Job opening rate: 4.3%
– Number of job openings: 256,000

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#48. Nebraska

– Job opening rate: 4.4%
– Number of job openings: 49,000

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#47. Nevada

– Job opening rate: 4.4%
– Number of job openings: 73,000

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#46. Iowa

– Job opening rate: 4.4%
– Number of job openings: 75,000

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#45. Washington

– Job opening rate: 4.4%
– Number of job openings: 167,000

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#44. New York

– Job opening rate: 4.6%
– Number of job openings: 477,000

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#43. Texas

– Job opening rate: 4.6%
– Number of job openings: 678,000

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#42. Kansas

– Job opening rate: 4.7%
– Number of job openings: 72,000

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#41. Utah

– Job opening rate: 4.7%
– Number of job openings: 86,000

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#40. Missouri

– Job opening rate: 4.7%
– Number of job openings: 152,000

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#39. Washington DC

– Job opening rate: 4.8%
– Number of job openings: 39,000

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#38. Oregon

– Job opening rate: 4.8%
– Number of job openings: 100,000

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#37. Arizona

– Job opening rate: 4.8%
– Number of job openings: 164,000

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#36. Indiana

– Job opening rate: 4.8%
– Number of job openings: 165,000

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#35. Michigan

– Job opening rate: 4.8%
– Number of job openings: 226,000

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#34. Pennsylvania

– Job opening rate: 4.8%
– Number of job openings: 314,000

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#33. Florida

– Job opening rate: 4.8%
– Number of job openings: 501,000

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#32. South Dakota

– Job opening rate: 4.9%
– Number of job openings: 24,000

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#31. Wisconsin

– Job opening rate: 4.9%
– Number of job openings: 158,000

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#30. Tennessee

– Job opening rate: 4.9%
– Number of job openings: 173,000

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#29. Connecticut

– Job opening rate: 5%
– Number of job openings: 90,000

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#28. Vermont

– Job opening rate: 5.1%
– Number of job openings: 17,000

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#27. New Hampshire

– Job opening rate: 5.2%
– Number of job openings: 39,000

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#26. Idaho

– Job opening rate: 5.2%
– Number of job openings: 48,000

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#25. New Jersey

– Job opening rate: 5.2%
– Number of job openings: 240,000

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#24. North Dakota

– Job opening rate: 5.3%
– Number of job openings: 25,000

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#23. Alabama

– Job opening rate: 5.3%
– Number of job openings: 124,000

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#22. Minnesota

– Job opening rate: 5.3%
– Number of job openings: 169,000

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#21. Illinois

– Job opening rate: 5.3%
– Number of job openings: 346,000

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#20. Massachusetts

– Job opening rate: 5.4%
– Number of job openings: 213,000

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#19. Georgia

– Job opening rate: 5.4%
– Number of job openings: 283,000

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#18. North Carolina

– Job opening rate: 5.4%
– Number of job openings: 287,000

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#17. Wyoming

– Job opening rate: 5.5%
– Number of job openings: 17,000

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#16. Mississippi

– Job opening rate: 5.5%
– Number of job openings: 70,000

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#15. Colorado

– Job opening rate: 5.6%
– Number of job openings: 178,000

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#14. Maine

– Job opening rate: 5.7%
– Number of job openings: 40,000

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#13. Virginia

– Job opening rate: 5.7%
– Number of job openings: 257,000

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#12. Delaware

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

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#11. Arkansas

– Job opening rate: 5.8%
– Number of job openings: 84,000

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#10. Louisiana

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

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#9. Rhode Island

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

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#8. Montana

– Job opening rate: 6%
– Number of job openings: 34,000

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#7. Oklahoma

– Job opening rate: 6%
– Number of job openings: 113,000

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#6. Kentucky

– Job opening rate: 6.2%
– Number of job openings: 136,000

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#5. New Mexico

– Job opening rate: 6.3%
– Number of job openings: 60,000

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#4. Maryland

– Job opening rate: 6.3%
– Number of job openings: 184,000

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#3. West Virginia

– Job opening rate: 6.4%
– Number of job openings: 49,000

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#2. South Carolina

– Job opening rate: 6.6%
– Number of job openings: 167,000

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#1. Alaska

– Job opening rate: 6.9%
– Number of job openings: 25,000