As the economy has started to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a surge in job openings, with some employers having a difficult time filling all their open positions. Millions of Americans are quitting their jobs each month, even in the face of high inflation. The incentives available from changing jobs, as well as a desire to get away from careers impacted most by COVID-19, are two big factors driving what’s been dubbed the “Great Resignation.” As a result, new job applicants have a lot of leverage.
The rate at which people quit their jobs isn’t the same across the whole country, though. WalletHub took a look at the data to rank the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on how frequently people are leaving their places of employment.
Main Findings
States With the Highest Job Resignation Rates
| Rank | State | Resignation Rate (Latest Month) | Resignation Rate (Last 12 Months) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia | 4.80% | 3.98% |
| 2 | Kentucky | 4.40% | 3.80% |
| 3 | Tennessee | 4.30% | 3.40% |
| 4 | Arizona | 4.10% | 3.51% |
| 5 | Wyoming | 4.00% | 3.64% |
| 6 | Montana | 3.90% | 3.67% |
| 7 | West Virginia | 4.10% | 3.33% |
| 8 | South Carolina | 3.90% | 3.55% |
| 9 | Alaska | 3.50% | 4.17% |
| 10 | Louisiana | 4.00% | 3.37% |
| 11 | Mississippi | 3.80% | 3.56% |
| 12 | Oklahoma | 3.90% | 3.33% |
| 13 | Alabama | 3.90% | 3.25% |
| 14 | Idaho | 3.70% | 3.42% |
| 15 | Arkansas | 3.70% | 3.32% |
| 16 | Vermont | 3.70% | 3.28% |
| 17 | Florida | 3.60% | 3.36% |
| 18 | Indiana | 3.60% | 3.31% |
| 19 | Missouri | 3.80% | 2.98% |
| 20 | Colorado | 3.60% | 3.22% |
| 21 | North Carolina | 3.50% | 3.32% |
| 22 | Delaware | 3.40% | 3.25% |
| 23 | Texas | 3.40% | 3.12% |
| 24 | New Hampshire | 3.50% | 2.93% |
| 25 | New Mexico | 3.50% | 2.90% |
| 26 | Nevada | 3.30% | 3.15% |
| 27 | Virginia | 3.40% | 2.78% |
| 28 | Maine | 3.30% | 2.73% |
| 29 | North Dakota | 3.10% | 3.04% |
| 30 | Oregon | 3.10% | 2.89% |
| 31 | Utah | 2.90% | 3.03% |
| 32 | Rhode Island | 3.10% | 2.69% |
| 33 | Kansas | 3.00% | 2.72% |
| 34 | Iowa | 2.90% | 2.69% |
| 35 | Michigan | 2.80% | 2.83% |
| 36 | Nebraska | 2.70% | 2.79% |
| 37 | Maryland | 2.90% | 2.45% |
| 38 | Hawaii | 2.80% | 2.59% |
| 39 | Ohio | 2.70% | 2.67% |
| 40 | South Dakota | 2.60% | 2.69% |
| 40 | Wisconsin | 2.60% | 2.69% |
| 42 | California | 2.70% | 2.50% |
| 43 | Washington | 2.70% | 2.43% |
| 44 | Illinois | 2.50% | 2.70% |
| 45 | Connecticut | 2.70% | 2.30% |
| 46 | Massachusetts | 2.70% | 2.23% |
| 47 | Minnesota | 2.50% | 2.44% |
| 48 | New Jersey | 2.60% | 2.28% |
| 49 | Pennsylvania | 2.60% | 2.25% |
| 50 | District of Columbia | 2.30% | 1.98% |
| 51 | New York | 1.90% | 1.91% |
Ask the Experts
To shed some more light on the recent trend of people quitting their jobs, WalletHub turned to a panel of experts. Click on the experts’ pictures below to read their bios and responses to the following key questions:
- What are the main factors that are influencing this shift in the labor force?
- How is the decrease in labor force participation affecting the employers?
- Have the pandemic and the remote working determined, in any way, this change in the labor force?
- What will be, if any, the economic impact of this workforce-trend?
- Will this be a long-term issue or will we see a re-entering in the labor force of the prime-age workers in 2022?
Ask the Experts
Professor and Department Chair, Department of Economics – Iowa State University
Read More
Assistant Vice President for applied research in Community Development and the Center for Indian Country Development – Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
Read More
Russell B. and Andrée B. Stearns Trustee Professor Emeritus of Political Economy in the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs – Northeastern University
Read More
Professor of Economics, School of Arts and Sciences – Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Read More
Associate Professor, Economics, University of California Merced
Read More
Ph.D. – Assistant Professor, Economics – Bradley University
Read More
Methodology
To rank the states and the District of Columbia, WalletHub considered the rate at which people quit their jobs in both the latest month and the last 12 months. We then used these metrics to rank-order the resignation rates from highest to lowest.
- Resignation Rate (Latest Month): Double Weight (~66.67 Points)
- Resignation Rate (Last 12 Months): Full Weight (~33.33 Points)
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were obtained from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.