Prairie State Wire

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