The Lensa Index
An overview of the demand for jobs in the USA
Looking for a new job can be a stressful and difficult process. Depending on your sector, you might face stiff competition for limited roles, or you might struggle to find a job in the right area that offers competitive pay.
Where you live can have a big impact on the availability of roles in different sectors, as certain parts of the country act as hubs for their particular industry. Other factors such as the employment rate and the number of job listings can vary considerably from state to state, which will affect how much competition you’ll face with each application.
To get a better idea of job demand across the USA, we’ve created the Lensa Index. We’ve looked at our own internal data to determine which industries are hiring the most people in different states and cities across the nation, and will be highlighting the jobs with the highest demand for new hires.
So, read on for some key insights into the 2021 American job market.
The states with the most job opportunities
Here we can see which states have the highest number of unique job listings. This suggests that these parts of the country could be great places to start your job search if you’re not averse to moving or working from home.
1. California
Unique Job Listings: 4,361,094
California is the US state with the highest total number of unique job listings, with 4,361,094 jobs posted on Lensa in the first six months of 2021. This is not the most surprising result, as California is a very large state and is an economic powerhouse. In fact, if California were its own sovereign nation, it would have the world’s 5th largest economy.
2. Texas
Unique Job Listings: 3,175,319
Texas takes second place with a total of 3,175,319 jobs being listed from January 2021 to June 2021. A similarly huge state, both in sheer size and economic weight, there are plenty of opportunities in the Lone Star State. Interestingly, Texas’ economy has recently expanded so that it would now rank as the world’s 9th largest economy if compared against countries.
3. Pennsylvania
Unique Job Listings: 2,325,275
Pennsylvania comes third with a total of 2,325,275 job listings in the first two quarters of the year. As the fifth most populated US state, Pennsylvania was bound to rank highly for job listings. The state is home to several major towns and cities including Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, and Allentown, among others, which act as economic focal points and tend to be where most jobs are located.
States with the most job opportunities per person
In order to give a more in-depth overview of job availability in the USA, we have calculated the number of job listings in each state per 100,000 residents. This will allow us to compare each state without their varied populations skewing the view.
In order to give a more in-depth overview of job availability in the USA, we have calculated the number of job listings in each state per 100,000 residents. This will allow us to compare each state without their varied populations skewing the view.
|
Rank |
State |
State Abbreviation |
Unique Job Listings |
Population |
Job Listings per 100,000 People |
|
1 |
Vermont |
VT |
193,398 |
623,251 |
31,031 |
|
2 |
Iowa |
IA |
854,810 |
3,167,974 |
26,983 |
|
3 |
North Dakota |
ND |
204,384 |
770,026 |
26,542 |
|
4 |
Wyoming |
WY |
153,128 |
581,075 |
26,353 |
|
5 |
Arkansas |
AR |
769,408 |
3,033,946 |
25,360 |
|
6 |
West Virginia |
WV |
426,427 |
1,767,859 |
24,121 |
|
7 |
South Dakota |
SD |
208,389 |
896,581 |
23,243 |
|
8 |
District of Columbia |
DC |
165,066 |
714,153 |
23,114 |
|
9 |
Kansas |
KS |
646,843 |
2,917,224 |
22,173 |
|
10 |
Alaska |
AK |
151,016 |
724,357 |
20,848 |
1. Vermont
Job Listings per 100,000 People: 31,031
The northern New England state of Vermont has the highest number of job listings per head, with 31,031 job openings per 100,000 people. This means that despite Vermont’s small size and population, job applicants here have the least competition from other candidates.
2. Iowa
Job Listings per 100,000 People: 26,983
Iowa has the second-best rate of jobs compared to its population, with 26,983 job listings per 100,000 people. Despite the Midwestern state having few large cities, it’s still one of the best places for job applicants with a great ratio of job listings against its population.
3. North Dakota
Job Listings per 100,000 People: 26,542
In third place is another Midwestern state, North Dakota, with a rate of 26,542 job listings per 100,000 residents. This is another example of more sparsely populated states enjoying much better rates of job listings per population compared to more urbanized areas.
The industries that are hiring the most in every state
Each state has its own unique economic make-up, with certain industries performing better than others from state to state. This means that the simple number of job listings in a state doesn’t necessarily reflect the competitiveness of applying to roles, as your industry could be more or less competitive than the average.
This is why we’ve sorted our job listing data by industry and state, to see which industries are hiring the most in each. Which part of the country is best suited for you?
The 50 most in-demand jobs
We’ve also taken a look at the individual roles and positions that have been clicked on the most often in the first half of 2021. We’ve found the 50 most posted jobs and ranked them in order from 1 to 50. Is your job in high demand? Find out below.
States with the most job searches
Another way of looking at the data is to measure where in the country receives the most job searches. While this could suggest that these areas have the highest numbers of jobseekers, it could also indicate a greater level of difficulty in finding a job, leading to more searches.
US Cities with the most job searches
Similarly, we have looked at the data to rank the 100 US cities which have received the most job searches. The job-hunting hotspots are dotted across the country and represent the majority of big American cities and economic hubs. These are the places where people want to work or feel it offers the best employment opportunities.
We wanted to create an overview of the employment market in the United States. To do this, we used our own internal data collected via the Lensa website, recording the number of clicks a job listings receive in each state and dividing them by industry.
We then used population data from World Population Review to calculate the rate of job listings per 100,000 residents in each state.
Additionally, we recorded the number of searches in each state and also found the 100 US cities with the highest number of job searches.
