Where the fewest people are out of work.
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Rankings · Lowest Unemployment by State
Lowest Unemployment by State, South Dakota Leads (2026)
South Dakota has the lowest unemployment of the 50 states we rank, at 2.0% (BLS, September 2026). North Dakota is next, at 2.2%.
By The Honest Local · 50 states · every value links to its public source
2.0%South Dakota leads on the list, the lowest reading of all 50 statesThe share of people who want work and can't find it, straight from the tape.
The top five states
No. 1South Dakota2.0%unemployment rate
No. 2North Dakota2.2%unemployment rate
No. 3New Hampshire2.6%unemployment rate
No. 3Vermont2.6%unemployment rate
No. 5Hawaii2.8%unemployment rate
Lowest Unemployment by State on the map
Jobless Rate, states
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Lowest Unemployment by State, all 50
The full ranking
| Place | unemployment rate | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Dakota | 2.0% |
| 2 | North Dakota | 2.2% |
| 3 | New Hampshire | 2.6% |
| 3 | Vermont | 2.6% |
| 5 | Hawaii | 2.8% |
| 6 | Nebraska | 2.9% |
| 7 | Wyoming | 3.0% |
| 8 | Montana | 3.1% |
| 9 | Iowa | 3.2% |
| 9 | Wisconsin | 3.2% |
| 11 | Georgia | 3.3% |
| 11 | Maine | 3.3% |
| 11 | Mississippi | 3.3% |
| 14 | Indiana | 3.4% |
| 14 | North Carolina | 3.4% |
| 14 | Ohio | 3.4% |
| 14 | Tennessee | 3.4% |
| 18 | Alabama | 3.5% |
| 18 | Utah | 3.5% |
| 20 | Idaho | 3.6% |
| 20 | Missouri | 3.6% |
| 20 | Pennsylvania | 3.6% |
| 20 | Rhode Island | 3.6% |
| 20 | Virginia | 3.6% |
| 25 | Kansas | 3.8% |
| 26 | Arkansas | 3.9% |
| 26 | Maryland | 3.9% |
| 28 | Louisiana | 4.0% |
| 28 | South Carolina | 4.0% |
| 28 | West Virginia | 4.0% |
| 31 | Colorado | 4.1% |
| 32 | New Jersey | 4.2% |
| 32 | Oklahoma | 4.2% |
| 34 | Alaska | 4.3% |
| 34 | Massachusetts | 4.3% |
| 34 | New York | 4.3% |
| 37 | Florida | 4.4% |
| 37 | Texas | 4.4% |
| 39 | Minnesota | 4.5% |
| 40 | Delaware | 4.6% |
| 40 | Illinois | 4.6% |
| 42 | Kentucky | 4.7% |
| 42 | Nevada | 4.7% |
| 42 | New Mexico | 4.7% |
| 45 | Washington | 4.8% |
| 46 | Arizona | 4.9% |
| 47 | Michigan | 5.0% |
| 47 | Oregon | 5.0% |
| 49 | California | 5.1% |
| 49 | Connecticut | 5.1% |
Sources and method
- BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics · 2026-09
How we got this. The jobless rate is the Bureau of Labor Statistics' metro rate for cities and its state rate for states, refreshed monthly. Cities and states each rank on their own list, lowest rate first, and places tied at the same rate share a rank. The US Virgin Islands has no series, so it's left off. It refreshes monthly, when the BLS publishes.
Rankings by The Honest Local from public data, one page per list, refreshed on each source’s own cycle. Places with no reading are left out rather than estimated. Every value on this page carries its source in the page’s structured data.