Nevada, California and Texas top the 10 worst states for finding a job

In July 2023, the national unemployment rate shrunk to 3.5%, according to workplace insights platform Statista. And and while that is considerably lower than the pandemic's 2020 peak of 13%, there are still places that are struggling to keep job opportunities abundant., there are still places that are struggling to keep job opportunities abundant.

A recent report by TradingPedia analyzed data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Census Bureau and the World Population Review to find where applicants are least likely to find a job — and why. 

All 50 states were ranked according to their current unemployment rates. The platform then measured them against their unemployment rates from the same time last year; the states that topped the list either saw stagnant or increased unemployment. 

Read more: High unemployment, limited healthcare: Why Texas and Nevada residents are stressed

Nevada topped TradingPedia's ranking as the state with the highest unemployment rate both measured years. The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that the state's unemployment rate had not seen any significant change compared to the same period last year, staying consistently high at 5.24% in 2022 and 5.27% in 2023. In second and third place, California and Texas both saw an increase in unemployment rates over the course of the last year, rising from 3.66% to 4.48% and 3.64% to 4.1%, respectively. 

In California's case, the stressor may lie in the number of tech layoffs that swept the country, which could have disproportionately affected Silicon Valley. The most recent number of layoffs stands at 224,503, according to the official layoff tracking site Layoffs.fyi. Approximately 12,318 of those jobs have affected workers in the Golden State, according to Employment Development Department data.

On the opposite side of the labor market spectrum are states such as Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and New Hampshire. Not only did they have the lowest unemployment rates in May 2023 — 2.06%, 1.89%, 1.86%, 1.67%, and 1.52%, respectively — but they were performing just as well a year ago, too. 

See which other states also made TradingPedia's list: