Almost every state’s workforce has gone up ever since President Donald Trump’s second term. Only three states — Maine, Massachusetts, and Kansas — have lost jobs, but none of them lost more than 1% of their workforce.
Washington, D.C. was also a notable under-performer that lost 1.2% of its workers, likely due to job cuts in the government. Every other state posted gains, with Texas being the only state to add more than 100,000 jobs this year.
The U.S. Labor of Bureau Statistics compiled employment data for each state. This list will include the biggest winners based on percent growth and the total number of jobs added.
10 States That Had the Highest Percentage Gains
These 10 states exhibited the strongest job growth on a per capita, year-over-year basis. This metric gives smaller states the ability to stand out compared to larger states that can tap into more people for job growth. The U.S. Labor of Bureau Statistics displays data from September 2025.
- South Carolina: 2.3%
- Idaho: 1.9%
- New Mexico: 1.8%
- Utah: 1.7%
- Arkansas: 1.6%
- Missouri: 1.6%
- North Carolina: 1.6%
- Pennsylvania: 1.6%
- Hawaii: 1.5%
- Minnesota: 1.4%
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10 States That Had the Highest Total Job Growth
This list reflects the biggest winners based on overall job growth, giving more populous states a significant advantage. Most of the states on this list have large cities that attract talent throughout the country.
- Texas: 168,000
- Pennsylvania: 99,900
- North Carolina: 79,700
- New York: 73,300
- Florida: 66,800
- Ohio: 65,400
- California: 61,800
- South Carolina: 54,300
- Missouri: 48,900
- Minnesota: 42,100
Trump’s First Year Was a Success for New Jobs
The first year of President Trump’s second term has been good for businesses and workers. Most states reported job growth. It continues on the job growth from the Joe Biden Administration, where an average of 186,000 new jobs were added each month in 2024. Job increases have been normal in recent years. Trump’s first term saw the addition of 7 million workers until the COVID-19 pandemic wiped away all of those gains.
Jobs seem to trend upward regardless of which president is in power. Both Trump and Biden have both overseen rising employment in the United States.
How To Make Money With Job Growth Data
These numbers aren’t just trivial ways to gauge how a president is performing. Investors and workers can use this information to boost their earnings and expand their nest eggs.
The states with the highest job growth rates — South Carolina, Idaho and New Mexico — may be good investment opportunities. Rising job growth rates will attract more talent and increase disposable income. Starting a business or investing in a company in one of these states may generate profits.
If you’re not tied to a location, you can consider states that are growing at fast rates or have the most amount of job opportunities available. Texas added 168,000 jobs year-over-year, which gave workers more opportunities than Rhode Islanders. Their state only added 2,700 jobs year-over-year, but that is to be expected from the country’s smallest state.
Jobs data offers hints at where money is flowing and how populations will change in the future. States that report high growth rates should expect to attract more Americans, while states with declining job growth may have a more difficult time attracting top workers.
Editor’s note on political coverage: GOBankingRates is nonpartisan and strives to cover all aspects of the economy objectively and present balanced reports on politically focused finance stories. You can find more coverage of this topic on GOBankingRates.com.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 10 States That Gained the Most Work from Trump’s Job Boom
