Oklahoma has America’s strongest job-security market
Careeronaut’s analysis of job openings, hiring, layoffs, unemployment and payroll growth places Oklahoma, Georgia and North Carolina at the top of the 2026 American Job Security Index.
Top-ranked market
74.3/100 job-security score
Oklahoma ranks first in the Careeronaut American Job Security Index with a score of 74.3 out of 100. Its labor market combined a 5.2% annual job-openings rate, 3.4% hiring rate, 1% layoff rate and 3.4% unemployment rate during 2025.
Georgia ranks second at 69.3, followed by North Carolina at 68.7. At the other end, California places 51st with a score of 22.2. The ranking compares all 50 states and the District of Columbia using annual data from three Bureau of Labor Statistics programs rather than a single volatile monthly release.
State-level markets compared
50 states plus the District of Columbia
Official datasets combined
BLS JOLTS, LAUS and CES
Top-10 sensitivity overlap
When every component receives equal weight
The 2026 index · 2025 annual data
America's strongest job-security markets
A 0–100 relative score combining opportunity, hiring, layoff risk, unemployment and payroll momentum.
25% weight
Openings
Higher score = high
20% weight
Hiring
Higher score = high
25% weight
Layoffs
Higher score = low
20% weight
Unemployment
Higher score = low
10% weight
Payroll growth
Higher score = high
| Rank | State | Score | Openings | Hiring | Layoffs | Unemployment | Payroll growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Oklahoma | 74.3 | 5.20% | 3.40% | 1.0% | 3.40% | +0.52% |
| 02 | Georgia | 69.3 | 5.50% | 3.20% | 1.0% | 3.40% | +0.29% |
| 03 | North Carolina | 68.7 | 4.80% | 3.40% | 1.0% | 3.80% | +0.68% |
| 04 | Mississippi | 68.1 | 5.0% | 3.70% | 1.10% | 3.80% | +0.27% |
| 05 | Alabama | 67.9 | 4.60% | 3.20% | 0.90% | 2.90% | +0.27% |
| 06 | West Virginia | 67.8 | 5.30% | 3.70% | 1.0% | 4.20% | -0.19% |
| 07 | South Carolina | 66.8 | 4.80% | 4.0% | 1.10% | 4.50% | +1.26% |
| 08 | Virginia | 66.3 | 4.80% | 3.40% | 1.10% | 3.40% | +0.63% |
| 09 | Louisiana | 63.6 | 4.90% | 3.70% | 1.10% | 4.30% | +0.42% |
| 10 | Montana | 62.9 | 4.90% | 4.80% | 1.50% | 3.30% | +0.06% |
Job security is not only the risk of being laid off. It also depends on whether employers are still hiring, whether alternative openings exist, and whether the wider state labor market is expanding. The index deliberately rewards that combination rather than treating a low layoff rate as sufficient on its own.
Idaho recorded the strongest annual payroll growth in the dataset at 1.53%, while South Dakota had the lowest annual unemployment rate at 2.1%. Neither measure alone determines the result: the index requires strength across several dimensions.
The results should be used to compare broad state labor-market conditions, not to predict an individual worker’s experience. Industry, occupation, employer and personal circumstances can differ substantially within every state.
A secure labor market is not simply one where few people are laid off. Workers are safer when employers are hiring, alternatives are available and the wider employment base is still growing.
Highest annual openings rate
Annual 2025 state maximum
Lowest annual unemployment
South Dakota
Careeronaut combined three official Bureau of Labor Statistics programs at state level: the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), and Current Employment Statistics (CES). Every input uses annual 2025 data; payroll growth compares the 2024 and 2025 annual averages.
The index has five components. Job openings account for 25% of the score, hiring 20%, lower layoffs 25%, lower unemployment 20%, and payroll employment growth 10%. Each measure was converted to a percentile rank across the 50 states and District of Columbia before weighting. Scores therefore show relative position within this group on a 0–100 scale, not an absolute probability that a job is safe.
All 51 markets had complete values and no duplicated state identifiers. An equal-weight sensitivity check retained 9 of the published top 10; the largest rank movement anywhere in the table was 10 places.
The index compares state labor markets, not the security of any individual worker or occupation.
JOLTS state estimates are model-assisted survey estimates and are subject to sampling and model error.
Percentile scoring describes relative position among states; a high score does not imply that conditions are strong in absolute terms.
The District of Columbia is included and treated as a state-level labor market.
Index weights are editorial judgments published in full. An equal-weight sensitivity test is included in the frozen snapshot.
Explore the job market
Download the complete state-level CSV from the chart above. The Careeronaut team can also share the complete frozen snapshot or run a custom slice of the dataset on request. Editorial inquiries: press@careeronaut.com.