In today’s job market, finding the right opportunity is more complex and challenging than ever before. Sure, job-seekers have more options due to the rise in remote work, but location still plays a crucial role. Whether you’re looking for in-person roles or a hybrid setup, the local job market, cost of living and quality of life in a particular area can significantly influence one’s career decisions. Plus, choosing the right location can mean better job prospects, higher salaries and a more balanced lifestyle, making it a key factor in your job search strategy.
With this in mind, we set out to determine the best places where professionals looking to land their next job could find the most enticing opportunities. Specifically, we analyzed all 50 U.S. states across multiple relevant metrics from job availability to the share of population with higher degrees, state income tax burdens, median household income and more.
Furthermore, to enable a fair comparison, we broke down the U.S. states according to their respective region. We focused our analysis on states, instead of cities, to allow for a wider geographical scope as many employers now require hybrid work. This means that workers might need to be within proximity of their respective offices, although not necessarily in the city proper.
In this first installment of our series, we’ll dive into the top Western states for finding a job in 2024.
(Almost) All Jobs Lead to California; Washington & Nevada Round Out Western Podium
Use the drop-down menu in the interactive graphic below to see the state-level breakdown of all the analyzed metrics:
1. California – Total Points: 64.5
It’s not just California’s significant size and the fact that it ranks in the top five economies in the world that contribute to the wide job pool here, but also a combination of factors that make it the ultimate Western state for job-seekers. Not only that, but on a national level, California comes in third place, surpassed by only Florida and Texas.
The Golden State is known for its vibrant and prosperous cities and metropolitan areas, both from an economic and a business standpoint. And, with so many large employers in the area — from Hollywood in Los Angeles to major tech companies and startups in San Jose‘s Silicon Valley, as well as offices belonging to Amazon, Intel, Meta and Airbnb, among others — the career opportunities are not only enticing, but also abundant. That’s reinforced in our analysis by the fact that California stood out in the West with the absolute highest job availability — a monthly average of 888 job openings in 2023. At the same time, the state also comes in first place in the region in terms of the number of company headquarters nestled among its sunny valleys with a whopping 121.
Yet another metric in which California leads is business formation: the number of new business applications per year surpassed the half-million mark in 2023, which is the highest number in the Western region. Moreover, with an idle rate of nearly 25% — the second-highest among Western states — job-seekers in the Sunshine State face relatively low competition, making it easier to secure employment. Additionally, California offers a notable median household income of $91,905 (the second-best in the region), providing potential for higher earnings.
2. Washington – Total Points: 50.1
Washington takes the runner-up position in the West, boosted by its 0% state income tax, which naturally helps it rank first in this category and makes it financially attractive for both employees and employers. What’s more, Washington leads in gross domestic product (GDP) annual growth at 8.6%, reflecting a dynamic economy with expanding opportunities.
The state also has a highly educated workforce with more than 35% of its population holding advanced degrees, which enhances the area’s appeal for businesses seeking skilled professionals. And, Washington ranks second for both the percentage of residents with health insurance (93.6%) and a low poverty rate (5.4%), indicating a strong social safety net and economic stability. Meanwhile, the state’s third-highest median household income of $90,325 further underscores its status as a top choice for job-seekers aiming for both professional growth and a high quality of life.
Overall, Washington shines bright for professionals looking for a promising job opportunity in the West, despite coming in ninth place nationally.
3. Nevada – Total Points: 40.7
Nevada ranks third on our list of the top Western states for finding a job, mainly due to its robust economic growth and favorable work environment. More precisely, the state boasts a non-existent state income tax burden, which makes it an attractive location for both job-seekers and companies that want to set up shop in the West. It also leads the region in terms of job growth, which saw an impressive 3.3% increase from 2023 to 2024, indicating a rapidly expanding job market filled with new opportunities.
The Silver State also has the second-highest GDP growth rate (7.4%), which highlights a robust and vibrant economy that encourages innovation and corporate expansion. At the same time, professionals on a quest to find a new job prospect will be happy to know that Nevada has a comparatively high idle rate of 23.7% — fourth in the region — which means that there’s less competition and a better chance of finding work in a booming industry.
3. Arizona – Total Points: 38
With several cities recently ranked among the best in the U.S. for economic growth — like Mesa, Phoenix or Chandler — it’s only natural that Arizona takes a spot among the top states for finding a job in 2024. Of course, the state is already widely known for its booming job market and economy, and its income tax of only 2.5% (the second-best in the region) complements the overall appeal. Arizona also landed third in the job availability metric with a monthly average of almost 200 jobs available. This, paired with the third-highest idle rate in the West, of almost one-fourth of the population, makes it easy for job-seekers to find an ideal match.
Arizona also managed to catch the attention of companies operating in different industries, as proven by the 19 top company headquarters that are located here. It’s also a prosperous place for new and upcoming businesses, as it claims the third spot in the business formation metric with more than 125,000 new applications in 2023 alone.
5. Colorado – Total Points: 34.2
Colorado ranks as the fifth-best Western state in the U.S. for job-seekers, driven by its dynamic economy and highly educated workforce. Leading the region in this category, more than 40% of Colorado’s population holds an advanced degree, providing businesses with access to a highly skilled talent pool and giving job-seekers a competitive edge in securing high-quality positions. The state also ranks second in job availability, with an average of 223 monthly openings in 2023. Plus, it’s home to 23 top company headquarters, reflecting a robust corporate presence that fuels job availability.
Additionally, Colorado’s thriving entrepreneurial spirit is highlighted by its nearly 139,000 business applications registered in 2023 — the second-highest in the region. The state also boasts a favorable ratio of unemployed persons per job openings at 0.5, meaning there are ample opportunities for job-seekers to find work — often with less competition than in other Western states.
These are the areas in which the remaining Western states perform best, ordered according to their regional ranking:
6. New Mexico claims first in the idle-rate metric at 28.1% of the population, signaling lower competition among job-seekers, while also ranking third in terms of unemployed persons per job opening at 0.6.
7. Hawaii ranks first in the region in terms of population with health insurance at more than 96%. The Aloha state also checks the highest median household income at almost $95,000 and has the absolute lowest poverty rate in the West (5.2%).
8. Alaska shines in our ranking due to a non-existent state income tax burden and the third-best ratio of unemployed people per job openings at 0.6.
9. Utah lands in the ninth spot in the Western region with the second-lowest competition in the job openings metric (only 0.5 unemployed persons per job openings), as well as the third-lowest poverty rate at 5.8%.
10. Oregon provides an extra layer of security to its workforce with the third-highest share of population with health insurance at more than 93%. The state also comes in fourth in terms of educated workers as almost one-third of the population has an advanced degree.
11. Idaho ranks second in both job growth with a 2.9% increase year-over-year, as well as unemployed persons per job opening with only 0.5. That demonstrates a positive outlook on the job market here and relatively lower competition.
12. Montana shines in the ratio of unemployed persons per job opening with only 0.4 (the best in the Western region), while simultaneously registering promising job growth of 2.8% to put it in the third spot in this category.
13. Wyoming, despite coming in last in the region, takes first in the state income tax metric with 0%, and ties with Montana for the best ratio of unemployed persons per job opening at 0.4.
Methodology
For this report, we used a proprietary scoring system to synchronize the key metrics analyzed and then weighted them to reflect their significance in determining the top Western states for finding a job in 2024.
The total score was calculated using the following data points and weighting:
- Idle Rate: Share of idle population aged 16 to 64 who did not participate in the labor force in the past 12 months (higher score means lower competition for jobs). Census Data 5 year estimates 2022.
- Job Availability: Average of job openings per month for 2023. Source: BLS.
- Population with Advanced Degree: The share of people 18 and older in a state who have an associate’s degree or higher. Source: Census 2022.
- Top Company Headquarters: The number of top company headquarters in each state. Source: Fortune 100 company map; Census 2021.
- Tax Burden (Indirect): State income tax brackets for each median household income. Source: Tax Foundation 2022.
- Business Formation: The number of business applications. Source: Census 2023.
- Job Growth: Employees on non-farm payrolls by state and metropolitan area, change from June 2023 to June 2024. Source: BLS.
- Population with Health Insurance: Percentage of the total population that benefits from health insurance. Source: Census Data 5 year estimates 2022.
- Unemployed Persons per Job Opening (Indirect): The average number of unemployed persons per job opening. Source: BLS 2023.
- GDP Growth: Percentage change from preceding period 2023 versus 2022. Source: BEA.
- Median Household Income Source: Census 2022.
- Poverty Rate (Indirect): The share of the population whose family or individual income falls below poverty thresholds. Source: Census Data 5 year estimates 2022.
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