With the U.S. economy slowly recovering throughout much of the country, jobs have been a bit easier to come by during the past few years – but only a bit. Job creation throughout much of the U.S. is still stagnant, with low-skilled workers struggling to find even low-paying jobs.
There are parts of the U.S. recovering more quickly than others. Gallup today released the results of a survey into job creation, showing that the northern states in the midwest are seeing job growth much stronger than other parts of the country. The poll’s results are based around asking workers whether their employer is hiring or firing.
North Dakota ranks highest on Gallup’s job creation index rankings – a position the state has held now for five consecutive years. In fact, North Dakota’s job creation index of 40 is far higher than any other state on the list. The average national index for the U.S. was 20 during 2013.
North Dakota is followed by Washington D.C. (30), South Dakota (30), Delaware (29), Nebraska (29), Minnesota (28), Texas (27), Michigan (25), Iowa (25), Arizona (23), Wisconsin (23), and Hawaii (23).
On the other end of the survey, Rhode Island is the state ranked lowest for job growth with a Gallup job creation index of only 12. Rhode Island is followed by New Mexico (13), Vermont (13), West Virginia (14), New York (15), and Connecticut (15).
Why exactly employers in the midwest are hiring more isn’t entirely clear. Gallup did find that the reported standard of living in states was strongly correlated to higher reported hiring. The firm also found a slight correlation between hiring and higher confidence in the U.S. economy as a whole.
So, for those needing jobs North Dakota seems to be the place to head. Of course, job-seekers heading to North Dakota will have to contend with the state’s harsh winters. The state’s politics may also be a point of contention for the unemployed coming from the east coast. As an example, temperatures in Fargo are set to hit -8 degrees fahrenheit Thurday night and North Dakota is currently in settlement talks with abortion-rights groups over the state’s harsh abortion restrictions.