Illinois ranks the 15th best state for job seekers, according to a new WalletHub study that measured considerations such as employment growth, median annual income and average commute times.
The Prairie State earned an overall score of 57.91 in the study, which made its evaluations on a 100-point scale. In comparison, No. 1 Washington received a score of 69.65. Illinois ranked 15th in the job market category and 23rd for the economic environment.
The analysis ranked the 50 states on 35 different jobs-related metrics, including job satisfaction rates and monthly average starting salary. In other categories, Illinois posted the third-highest unemployment rate among the states and the third-highest for employment growth.
Job seekers nationwide do have leverage in seeking employment since the U.S. jobless rate stands at 3.7%, almost on par with pre-pandemic levels, WalletHub reported.
—
Best States for Jobs in 2022
| Overall Rank |
State |
Total Score |
Job Market |
Economic Environment |
| 1 |
Washington |
69.65 |
8 |
1 |
| 2 |
Vermont |
69.46 |
1 |
4 |
| 3 |
New Hampshire |
66.27 |
3 |
8 |
| 4 |
Colorado |
65.38 |
2 |
14 |
| 5 |
Minnesota |
64.78 |
4 |
11 |
| 6 |
Rhode Island |
64.52 |
9 |
3 |
| 7 |
Massachusetts |
63.75 |
6 |
6 |
| 8 |
Virginia |
62.84 |
5 |
18 |
| 9 |
Connecticut |
62 |
14 |
5 |
| 10 |
New Jersey |
61.56 |
27 |
2 |
| 11 |
California |
60.9 |
10 |
16 |
| 12 |
South Dakota |
59.83 |
19 |
12 |
| 13 |
Utah |
59.71 |
7 |
26 |
| 14 |
Florida |
59.35 |
20 |
10 |
| 15 |
Illinois |
57.91 |
15 |
23 |
| 16 |
Maine |
57.3 |
17 |
25 |
| 17 |
Nebraska |
57.26 |
18 |
24 |
| 18 |
Maryland |
56.77 |
11 |
31 |
| 19 |
New York |
56.35 |
31 |
9 |
| 20 |
North Dakota |
56.34 |
23 |
19 |
| 21 |
Delaware |
56.31 |
22 |
20 |
| 22 |
Iowa |
56.04 |
13 |
32 |
| 23 |
Texas |
55.41 |
36 |
7 |
| 24 |
Michigan |
53.47 |
24 |
30 |
| 25 |
Idaho |
53.22 |
16 |
40 |
| 26 |
Missouri |
52.27 |
25 |
33 |
| 27 |
Nevada |
52.03 |
37 |
21 |
| 28 |
Oregon |
51.83 |
12 |
44 |
| 29 |
Wisconsin |
51.65 |
33 |
28 |
| 30 |
Arizona |
51.25 |
32 |
29 |
| 31 |
North Carolina |
50.79 |
21 |
42 |
| 32 |
Tennessee |
50.66 |
43 |
17 |
| 33 |
Kansas |
50.58 |
39 |
27 |
| 34 |
Alaska |
50.17 |
46 |
13 |
| 35 |
Hawaii |
49.56 |
35 |
35 |
| 36 |
New Mexico |
49.56 |
47 |
15 |
| 37 |
Indiana |
49.49 |
28 |
38 |
| 38 |
Wyoming |
49.36 |
44 |
22 |
| 39 |
Montana |
49.29 |
29 |
39 |
| 40 |
Georgia |
47.97 |
26 |
43 |
| 41 |
Ohio |
47.77 |
38 |
36 |
| 42 |
Alabama |
46.05 |
30 |
47 |
| 43 |
South Carolina |
46 |
42 |
37 |
| 44 |
Pennsylvania |
45.45 |
34 |
46 |
| 45 |
Oklahoma |
44.96 |
48 |
34 |
| 46 |
Arkansas |
42.99 |
40 |
45 |
| 47 |
Louisiana |
42.59 |
49 |
41 |
| 48 |
Mississippi |
39.64 |
45 |
48 |
| 49 |
Kentucky |
37.79 |
41 |
50 |
| 50 |
West Virginia |
35.45 |
50 |
49 |
Source: WalletHub.com
