States struggling to hire RANKED: Two-fifths of job openings in Wyoming left unfilled for 3+ months
- Wyoming is the state struggling to attract prospective employees the most, with 39.7% of job ads left open for at least three months.
- The second state struggling the most with unfilled job listings is Alaska, with 37.7% remaining open for three months or more.
- The state with the fewest stagnant job ads is South Dakota – but still 22.4% of listings stay open for a minimum of three months.
A new study has identified the states with the highest proportion of job listings that stay unfilled for at least three months – with Wyoming ranking first.
The findings come from online growth experts Artios.io, who analyzed job posts on Indeed to identify what percentage were listed for more than three months in each state. The study also examined the minimum wage in each area.
Nationally, the typical state has an average of 29.1% of job posts left open for at least three months, suggesting they are unappealing to potential applicants.
The state with the most job ads left unfilled for at least three months is Wyoming, with 39.7% – nearly two-fifths – of listings stagnating on the market. This may be due to the state offering a comparatively low minimum wage of $7.25.
Second is Alaska, with 37.7% of job listings left open for a minimum of three months, which is 30% above the national average (29.1% of job listings). This is despite the state offering a higher minimum wage of $11.73.
New Hampshire is third, with 35.3% of job adverts left open for at least three months. This indicates a portion of employers in the state are struggling to attract applicants, perhaps due to the low minimum wage of $7.25.
Fourth is Mississippi, as just under one-third (32.9%) of job posts fail to find a suitable candidate within three months. The state offers a minimum wage of $7.25.
New Mexico is the fifth worst at attracting job applicants, despite a high minimum wage of $12.00. The state sees 31.9% of job listings stagnating for at least three months, which is 9.6% higher than the national average (29.1% of job listings).
Louisiana is sixth with 31.8% of job ads posted on Indeed left up for a minimum of three months, with the state offering a $7.25 minimum wage. In seventh is Alabama, with the same minimum wage, where 31.5% of listings are left vacant.
Eighth is Georgia, with 31.3% of job listings left up for at least three months. The state has a minimum wage of $7.25. In ninth is North Carolina, also with a $7.25 minimum wage, and 31.1% of ads left open for three months or more.
Rounding out the ten states that are struggling to hire the most is West Virginia. The state sees 31.0% of job listings left unfilled for at least three months, which is 6.5% higher than the national average (29.1%). The state has a minimum wage of $7.25.
The ten states struggling to hire the most, based on job listings
|
|
State |
Proportion of Job Adverts Listed for 3+ Months |
Minimum Wage |
|
1 |
Wyoming |
39.7% |
$7.25 |
|
2 |
Alaska |
37.7% |
$11.73 |
|
3 |
New Hampshire |
35.3% |
$7.25 |
|
4 |
Mississippi |
32.9% |
$7.25 |
|
5 |
New Mexico |
31.9% |
$12.00 |
|
6 |
Louisiana |
31.8% |
$7.25 |
|
7 |
Alabama |
31.5% |
$7.25 |
|
8 |
Georgia |
31.3% |
$7.25 |
|
9 |
North Carolina |
31.1% |
$7.25 |
|
10 |
West Virginia |
31.0% |
$7.25 |
Of the ten states that are struggling to hire the most, the majority (80%) offer a low minimum wage of $7.25, which has remained the federal minimum wage since 2009.
While some states struggle to hire more than others, the research also revealed others have a smaller proportion of job listings left vacant for at least three months.
South Dakota appears to have the least difficulty hiring with just 22.4% of job adverts left unfilled for three months or more, with a minimum wage of $11.20.
The second state with the fewest long-term job vacancies is Minnesota, with a minimum wage of $8.85, where 23.8% of listings are unfilled for a minimum of three months. This is 18.2% below the national average (29.1% of unfilled job listings).
Third is Kansas, where 25.2% of job listings remain on Indeed for at least three months. The state is also among those that offer the $7.25 federal minimum wage.
North Dakota is fourth. The state sees 25.5% of listings left open for three months or more, which is 12.3% below the national average (29.1%). The state also offers a minimum wage of $7.25.
Rounding out the top five states that struggle to attract applicants the least is Wisconsin, with just over a quarter (25.6%) of job listings left open for at least three months, 12.0% below the U.S. average. The state offers a $7.25 minimum wage.
The ten states struggling to hire the least, based on job listings
| State | Proportion of Job Adverts Listed for 3+ Months | Minimum Wage | |
| 1 | South Dakota | 22.4% | $11.20 |
| 2 | Minnesota | 23.8% | $8.85 |
| 3 | Kansas | 25.2% | $7.25 |
| 4 | North Dakota | 25.5% | $7.25 |
| 5 | Wisconsin | 25.6% | $7.25 |
| 6 | Nebraska | 25.9% | $12.00 |
| 7 | Missouri | 26.2% | $7.25 |
| 8 | Colorado | 26.6% | $14.42 |
| 9 | Idaho | 26.6% | $7.25 |
| 10 | Vermont | 26.9% | $13.67 |
Discussing the findings, Andreas Voniatis, Artios.io Founder and CEO, said:
“Reports indicate a notable labor shortage in the U.S. over the past few years, with 1.7 million fewer Americans in the workforce than in 2020. When paired with a slower job market, a low federal minimum wage, and a high cost of living, it’s no surprise that job applicants aren’t attracted to some job listings, as they’re unlikely to meet their requirements.
“It’s crucial that employers reevaluate the way that they attract new talent to adapt to prospective employees’ priorities. Work-life is more important than ever, and many companies are unable to advertise benefits like remote or hybrid work flexibility, paid parental leave, a lack of unpaid overtime, or performance-based incentives. Without this, it will remain difficult for employers to appeal to the applicants they want.”
If you use these findings, please provide a linked credit to https://artios.io/us-states-struggling-to-hire-ranked-two-fifths-of-job-openings-in-wyoming-left-unfilled-for-3-months as they conducted the research. Thank you!
Source: Indeed.com
Methodology: Job postings were scraped from Indeed from each state, using the ‘posted x days ago’ filter. This data was then segmented to display the job listings that were posted more than three months ago, and calculated as a percentage of all job listings. States were then ranked from the highest to lowest proportion.
Full ranking
| State | Proportion of Job Adverts Listed for 3+ Months (%) | Minimum Wage | |
| 1 | Wyoming | 39.7 | $7.25 |
| 2 | Alaska | 37.7 | $11.73 |
| 3 | New Hampshire | 35.3 | $7.25 |
| 4 | Mississippi | 32.9 | $7.25 |
| 5 | New Mexico | 31.9 | $12.00 |
| 6 | Louisiana | 31.8 | $7.25 |
| 7 | Alabama | 31.5 | $7.25 |
| 8 | Georgia | 31.3 | $7.25 |
| 9 | North Carolina | 31.1 | $7.25 |
| 10 | West Virginia | 31.0 | $7.25 |
| 11 | New Jersey | 30.9 | 13.73 |
| 12 | Virginia | 30.7 | $12.00 |
| 13 | Maryland | 30.7 | $15.00 |
| 14 | Kentucky | 30.6 | $7.25 |
| 15 | California | 30.3 | $16.00 |
| 16 | South Carolina | 30.1 | $7.25 |
| 17 | Hawaii | 29.9 | $14.00 |
| 18 | Montana | 29.9 | $10.30 |
| 19 | Pennsylvania | 29.7 | $7.25 |
| 20 | Delaware | 29.6 | $13.25 |
| 21 | Arkansas | 29.3 | $11.00/7.25 |
| 22 | Oregon | 29.2 | $14.20 |
| 23 | Nevada | 29.1 | $10.25 |
| 24 | Connecticut | 28.8 | $15.69 |
| 25 | Illinois | 28.8 | $14.00 |
| 26 | Michigan | 28.7 | $10.33 |
| 27 | Arizona | 28.5 | $14.35 |
| 28 | Maine | 28.3 | $14.15 |
| 29 | Washington | 28.1 | $16.28 |
| 30 | Ohio | 28.1 | $7.25 |
| 31 | Massachusetts | 28.0 | $15.00 |
| 32 | New York | 27.6 | $15.00 |
| 33 | Indiana | 27.6 | $7.25 |
| 34 | Oklahoma | 27.6 | $7.25 |
| 35 | Iowa | 27.5 | $7.25 |
| 36 | Rhode Island | 27.5 | $14.00 |
| 37 | Tennessee | 27.4 | $7.25 |
| 38 | Utah | 27.4 | $7.25 |
| 39 | Florida | 27.3 | $12.00 |
| 40 | Texas | 27.2 | $7.25 |
| 41 | Vermont | 26.9 | $13.67 |
| 42 | Idaho | 26.6 | $7.25 |
| 43 | Colorado | 26.6 | $14.42 |
| 44 | Missouri | 26.2 | $7.25 |
| 45 | Nebraska | 25.9 | $12.00 |
| 46 | Wisconsin | 25.6 | $7.25 |
| 47 | North Dakota | 25.5 | $7.25 |
| 48 | Kansas | 25.2 | $7.25 |
| 49 | Minnesota | 23.8 | $8.85 |
| 50 | South Dakota | 22.4 | $11.20 |