State-Level Employment Situation: October 2024

Clouded by hurricanes in the southeast part of the country and strike activity in the manufacturing sector, October nonfarm payroll figures were mediocre. Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 21 states in October compared to the previous month, while it decreased in 29 states and the District of Columbia. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nationwide total nonfarm payroll employment increased by a meager 12,000 in October, following a gain of 223,000 jobs in September.

On a month-over-month basis, employment data was most favorable in Colorado, which added 9,000 jobs. Louisiana came in second (+7,700), followed by Ohio (+6,400). A total of 144,500 jobs were lost across 29 states and the District of Columbia, with Florida reporting the steepest job losses at 38,000. Washington lost 35,900 jobs while New York lost a total of 10,900 jobs. In percentage terms, employment increased the highest in South Dakota at 0.4%, while Washington saw the biggest decline at 1.0% between September and October.

Year-over-year ending in October, 2.2 million jobs have been added to the labor market across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. This is a 1.4% increase compared to October 2023 level. The range of job gains spanned from 2,800 jobs in Wyoming to 274,600 jobs in Texas. In percentage terms, the range of job growth spanned 3.1% in Idaho to 0.4% in Washington.

Across the nation, construction sector jobs data ¹—which includes both residential and non-residential construction—showed that 33 states and the District of Columbia reported an increase in October compared to September, while 13 states lost construction sector jobs. The four remaining states reported no change on a month-over-month basis. Louisiana, with the highest increase, added 3,400 construction jobs, while Florida, on the other end of the spectrum, lost 5,400 jobs. Overall, the construction industry added a net 8,000 jobs in October compared to the previous month. In percentage terms, Louisiana reported the highest increase at 2.5% and Iowa reported the largest decline at 2.1%.

Year-over-year, construction sector jobs in the U.S. increased by 223,000, which is a 2.8% increase compared to the October 2023 level. Texas added 38,800 jobs, which was the largest gain of any state, while New York lost 9,200 construction sector jobs. In percentage terms, Alaska had the highest annual growth rate in the construction sector at 19.1%. Over this period, Oregon reported the largest decline of 4.3%.

1. For this analysis, BLS combined employment totals for mining, logging, and construction are treated as construction employment for the District of Columbia, Delaware, and Hawaii.