What does this government jobs ranking show?

It orders states by Share of workers employed by government. It is a comparison of this one published measure, not an overall ranking of where to live.

Where do these figures come from?

U.S. Census Bureau supplies this measure. States without a comparable published value are shown as not ranked rather than estimated.

How should I use this ranking?

Use it to narrow a search, then open a state or county profile for the underlying figures, source dates and caveats. A statewide number may not describe every neighbourhood.

Rankings · Jobs

Highest government jobs by state

Share of workers employed by government.

This measure has no better end. The order describes the states, it does not rank them — see the other direction.

Federal, state and local government as a share of the civilian employed, including public school teachers and university staff. Steadies a local economy through downturns, and concentrates in state capitals, county seats, military towns and places built around a public university.

How to read this ranking

District of Columbia has the highest published government jobs in this comparison, at 26.3%. The next states shown are Alaska (25.9%) and New Mexico (23.4%).

The table orders 51 states by share of workers employed by government. It describes one published measure, not an overall judgment about where to live.

Use the result as a starting point, then compare the underlying source, dates, and local county figures before making a decision. Federal, state and local government as a share of the civilian employed, including public school teachers and university staff. Steadies a local economy through downturns, and concentrates in state capitals, county seats, military towns and places built around a public university.

1District of Columbia26.3%
2Alaska25.9%
3New Mexico23.4%
4Maryland22.5%
5Wyoming22.0%
6Hawaii21.7%
7Virginia20.5%
8West Virginia20.3%
9Mississippi18.5%
10Oklahoma17.7%
11North Dakota17.3%
12Kansas16.7%
13Alabama16.6%
14Montana16.6%
15New York16.4%
16Louisiana16.0%
17Washington16.0%
18South Dakota15.8%
19Delaware15.7%
20Arkansas15.2%
21South Carolina15.2%
22Utah15.1%
23Idaho15.0%
24Nebraska15.0%
25Vermont15.0%
26California14.8%
27Kentucky14.6%
28Colorado14.5%
29Iowa14.5%
30Oregon14.5%
31Georgia14.3%
32New Jersey14.3%
33Maine14.1%
34Texas14.1%
35Arizona13.9%
36North Carolina13.8%
37Tennessee13.7%
38Illinois13.3%
39Missouri13.2%
40Connecticut13.1%
41New Hampshire13.1%
42Rhode Island13.1%
43Minnesota12.9%
44Ohio12.9%
45Wisconsin12.9%
46Massachusetts12.7%
47Nevada12.6%
48Florida11.7%
49Indiana11.7%
50Michigan11.6%
51Pennsylvania11.5%

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Frequently asked questions

What does this ranking show?: It orders states by Share of workers employed by government. It is one measure, not an overall verdict on where to live.
Where do the figures come from?: U.S. Census Bureau. States without a comparable published figure are listed as not ranked rather than estimated.
How should I use it?: Use it to narrow your search, then open a state or county profile for the source date, caveats and local context.

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Source: U.S. Census Bureau. · How this is built

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