As the economy has continued to recover from the economic damage of the past few years, the labor force participation rate has remained below pre-pandemic levels, with some employers having a difficult time filling all their open positions. In addition, between early 2021 and late 2023, the U.S. experienced a phenomenon dubbed the “Great Resignation,” where millions of Americans quit their jobs each month, many of whom were unsatisfied with their pay or working conditions.
Although the so-called Great Resignation is now over, workers in some states are quitting their jobs more frequently than in others. As a result, workers in states with a bigger labor shortage have more leverage in negotiating favorable terms of employment. To shed light on this situation, WalletHub took a look at the data to rank the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on how frequently people are leaving their places of employment.
Main Findings
States With the Highest Job Resignation Rates
Rank | State | Resignation Rate (Latest Month) | Resignation Rate (Last 12 Months) |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Delaware | 3.00% | 3.18% |
2 | Alaska | 2.80% | 3.50% |
3 | South Carolina | 2.90% | 2.98% |
4 | Montana | 2.70% | 3.32% |
5 | Wyoming | 2.70% | 3.28% |
6 | West Virginia | 2.70% | 3.23% |
7 | Kentucky | 2.80% | 2.90% |
8 | Utah | 2.80% | 2.79% |
9 | Mississippi | 2.70% | 3.03% |
10 | Idaho | 2.70% | 2.96% |
11 | Louisiana | 2.60% | 3.14% |
12 | Tennessee | 2.50% | 2.91% |
13 | Florida | 2.50% | 2.80% |
14 | Oklahoma | 2.50% | 2.78% |
15 | Colorado | 2.60% | 2.51% |
16 | Alabama | 2.40% | 2.83% |
17 | Texas | 2.40% | 2.73% |
18 | Arkansas | 2.30% | 2.80% |
19 | Maryland | 2.40% | 2.50% |
20 | Oregon | 2.40% | 2.45% |
21 | Georgia | 2.20% | 2.85% |
22 | Nevada | 2.30% | 2.58% |
23 | Rhode Island | 2.40% | 2.23% |
24 | South Dakota | 2.20% | 2.66% |
25 | Nebraska | 2.30% | 2.32% |
26 | Virginia | 2.20% | 2.58% |
27 | Arizona | 2.10% | 2.83% |
28 | Maine | 2.30% | 2.28% |
29 | New Mexico | 2.20% | 2.51% |
30 | Indiana | 2.10% | 2.57% |
31 | New Hampshire | 2.20% | 2.30% |
32 | Pennsylvania | 2.30% | 1.98% |
33 | Connecticut | 2.30% | 1.94% |
34 | Wisconsin | 2.10% | 2.30% |
35 | Vermont | 2.00% | 2.43% |
36 | Kansas | 1.90% | 2.43% |
37 | North Dakota | 1.80% | 2.67% |
38 | Iowa | 1.90% | 2.36% |
39 | North Carolina | 1.80% | 2.61% |
40 | Washington | 2.00% | 2.06% |
41 | Ohio | 1.90% | 2.29% |
42 | Missouri | 1.90% | 2.28% |
43 | District of Columbia | 2.00% | 2.0% |
44 | Hawaii | 2.00% | 1.98% |
45 | Illinois | 1.90% | 2.12% |
46 | Minnesota | 1.60% | 2.23% |
47 | New Jersey | 1.70% | 1.85% |
48 | California | 1.60% | 1.79% |
49 | Michigan | 1.50% | 2.05% |
50 | New York | 1.60% | 1.58% |
51 | Massachusetts | 1.50% | 1.53% |
Ask the Experts
To shed some more light on the recent trend of people quitting their jobs, WalletHub turned to a panel of experts. Click on the experts’ pictures below to read their bios and responses to the following key questions:
- What are the main factors that are influencing this shift in the labor force?
- How is the decrease in labor force participation affecting the employers?
- Has remote working determined, in any way, this change in the labor force?
- What will be, if any, the economic impact of this workforce-trend?
- Will this be a long-term issue or will we see a re-entering in the labor force of the prime-age workers in 2024?
Ask the Experts
Methodology
To rank the states and the District of Columbia, WalletHub considered the rate at which people quit their jobs in both the latest month and the last 12 months. We then used these metrics to rank-order the resignation rates from highest to lowest.
- Resignation Rate (Latest Month): Double Weight (~66.67 Points)
- Resignation Rate (Last 12 Months): Full Weight (~33.33 Points)
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were obtained from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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