Growth
category
Mountain States were clear winners in the 1988-98 job
growth race. Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Idaho, and Colorado
had the fastest rates of employment growth in the Nation
for the decade. Faring less well was New England, which
saw declines in Connecticut and Rhode Island.
But remember, rate of change doesn’t tell the whole
story. When it comes to sheer numbers, size also matters.
The large Pacific State of California, for example, led the
Nation in net job gain, with nearly 2 million new jobs
created over the decade.
State
Percent
change
30 percent
and higher
Nevada
Utah
Arizona
Idaho
Colorado
Washington
Alaska
Georgia
59
42
40
38
35
33
32
30
20 – 29
percent
Texas
Oregon
New Mexico
Tennessee
Florida
24
24
23
20
20
10 – 19
percent
South Carolina
Alabama
Montana
Minnesota
Kentucky
Wisconsin
Michigan
California
Mississippi
North Carolina
Louisana
Virginia
Nebraska
South Dakota
Indiana
Maryland
West Virginia
Arkansas
Missouri
Delaware
Hawaii
Kansas
Wyoming
Illinois
Vermont
19
19
18
17
16
16
15
15
15
15
14
14
13
13
13
12
12
12
12
12
12
11
10
10
10
0–9
percent
Oklahoma
Ohio
New Hampshire
Maine
Iowa
North Dakota
Massachusetts
New Jersey
Pennsylvania
New York
9
9
9
8
7
6
4
4
3
3
Decline
Connecticut
Rhode Island
-2
-7
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics program
44 Occupational Outlook Quarterly
●
Spring 2000