Nevada is ranked 26th out of all 50 states (and Washington DC) for job resignations, and the numbers don't look good...
- Resignation rate last month: 3.3%
- Resignation rate last 12 months: 3.15%
- Unemployment rate: 4.9%
- 76,000 unemployed people
That unemployment rate is out of this world!
In 2021, more than half a million people in Nevada quit their jobs, making it the state with the second-highest resignation rate for the year.
Those numbers have dropped recently, which may be good news for the state.
Las Vegas specifically has been heavily impacted by Nevada's massive wave of resignations.
Things are getting worse in New Mexico as it now ranks number 25 on the list:
- Resignations at 2.9% in the past 12 months
- Resignations at 3.5% in the past month
- Unemployment rate: 4.1%
- 38,000 unemployed people
The resignation rate is up from last year, and the state now has one of the highest unemployment rates.
Businesses in New Mexico are struggling to find workers.
On the bright side, unemployment is down from last year but compared to the rest of the country, it is not performing well.
Here's the big picture for resignations in New Hampshire—a state that, unfortunately, ranks in the top 25 for this category:
- Resignations at 2.93% in the past 12 months
- Resignations at 3.5% in the past month
- Unemployment Rate: 2.6%
- 20,000 unemployed people
New Hampshire's resignation rate for the past 12 months isn't the worst, but its more recent numbers show that resignations are still on the rise in the state.
Many of the common reasons for worker resignations around the country apply in New Hampshire too.
These include stagnant wages, early retirements, and issues with COVID or the restrictions surrounding it.
Texas comes in at 23rd for resignations, and while that's not the worst, the numbers don't look great for the Lone Star State:
- Resignations at 3.12% in the past 12 months
- Resignations at 3.4% in the past month
- Unemployment Rate: 4.0%
- 579,000 unemployed people
Texas still has one of the highest resignation rates in the country.
But, according to these numbers, it seems like the Lone Star state might be slowing down when it comes to people quitting.
According to one study done in the state, the majority of these resignations are coming from the retail sector.
Thankfully, Delaware just avoided the top 20 for resignation rates, but not by much. This is what the state's numbers say:
- Resignations at 3.25% in the past 12 months
- Resignations at 3.4% in the past month
- Unemployment Rate: 4.4%
- 22,000 unemployed people
Delaware's resignation numbers don't look great, and, according to recent trends, that doesn't seem like it will change anytime soon.
However, some local companies are coming up with new ways to keep employees happy and present.
This includes things like offering company stock to their workers or offering more job flexibility.
North Carolina is ranked 21st in job resignations...
- Resignation rate last month: 3.50%
- Resignation rate last 12 months: 3.32%
- Unemployment rate: 3.9%
- 201,000 unemployed people
That's a shockingly high number of people leaving their jobs in a state with a population of 10.39 million.
North Carolina's resignation rate continues to grow.
But that might not be all bad news—especially if you've recently graduated college.
According to the Executive Director of UNC's Career Services, all the resignations provide opportunities for people early in their careers and could lead to higher wages and benefits in an attempt to retain talent.
At number 20th in the rankings, resignations are still going strong in Colorado. Let's look at the numbers surrounding the state:
- Resignations at 3.22% in the past 12 months
- Resignations at 3.6% in the past month
- Unemployment Rate: 3.5%
- 114,000 unemployed people
Colorado's 12-month rate doesn't look great, but it seems like things might be turning around in the state.
According to one study done in the state, those people retiring aren't looking for new jobs to replace them.
Instead, a notable number of them are creating their own businesses instead of working for someone else.
Oregon has moved into the 19th spot for resignation rate rankings, which brings it far up on the list from last year. Here's a breakdown of the stats:
- Resignations at 2.98% in the past 12 months
- Resignations at 3.80% in the past month
- Unemployment Rate: 2.7%
- 83,000 unemployed people
Last year, Missouri did not even make it on our list, so their appearance this time is a bad sign.
The number of unemployment insurance claims last year was 29K as of January 2023.
Major cities in Missouri did see a dip in unemployment.
Indiana just barely avoided the top ten for job resignations. Here's why the state ranked so poorly:
- Resignations at 3.31% in the past 12 months
- Resignations at 3.6% in the past month
- Unemployment Rate: 3%
- 103,000 unemployed people
Indiana's resignation currently continues to creep up.
What's really strange about this state's high numbers is that most of these people retiring have no desire for other employment.
According to one survey, almost 95% of Indiana residents who resigned said they had no desire to seek out a new job.
The big reason Florida is on this list is how much stress the state's residents are under. That might contribute to why the state places 17th in having the most job resignations.
- Resignation rate last month: 3.6%
- Resignation rate last 12 months: 3.36%
- Unemployment rate: 2.6%
- 280,000 unemployed people
The number of unemployed people is insanely high, right? Let's talk about how much stress Floridians are under...
Overall, the state sits at 13th. The numbers are high when you consider Florida is a state known for people retiring not for just getting fed up and quitting.
The worst places are family-related stress, which is 5th overall, and money-related stress where the state ranks 14th.
At number 16 in the nation, it's clear that Vermont struggles with people leaving their jobs.
- Resignations at 3.28% in the past 12 months
- Resignations at 3.7% in the past month
- Unemployment Rate: 2.5%
- 8,300 unemployed people
Vermont saw a significant increase compared to earlier in the 2022 year.
An estimated 4.4K made reinsurance claims as of January 2023.
On the bright side, Vermont's minimum wage is set to go up to $13.18 just in time for the new year, so maybe a new year will breed a higher rate of employment.
At number 15 in the nation, Arkansas isn't doing too great with resignations at the moment. Here's what the numbers tell us:
- Resignations at 3.32% in the past 12 months
- Resignations at 3.7% in the past month
- Unemployment Rate: 3.7%
- 49,000 unemployed people
Arkansas' resignation problem might still be slowly growing, but the state has better employment numbers in other areas.
Over the past year, the unemployment rate for Arkansas has dropped pretty significantly.
It started at a high of 4.9% in December of 2020 and has dropped to a low of 3.2% currently.
Idaho has the 14th highest job resignation rate in the country. It is tied with Arkansas for the resignation rate of the last month, and things don't look any better when you look at all the other stats.
- Resignation rate last 12 months: 3.42%
- Around 58,000 people resigned (via Census)
- Unemployment rate: 3%
- 29,000 unemployed people (via Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Almost 250,00 Idaho residents resigned from their jobs in 2021, and that number continued to go up in 2022.
As in a lot of other places, many of these resignations are concentrated in the retail and service industries.
However, other industries, like government work, haven't seen the same level of resignations.
Alabama’s resignation rate seems to be increasing as well.
- Resignation rate last month: 3.9%
- Resignation rate last 12 months: 3.25%
- Unemployment rate: 2.7%
- 63,000 unemployed people
Overall, it is ranked 10th highest when it comes to job resignation. So it too begs the question: why are people quitting their jobs?
Alabama isn't the worst state for resignations on this list, but you can see by the numbers above that the massive resignations continue to grow in the state.
It's estimated that, within the past year, more than 250,000 Alabama residents have said goodbye to their jobs.
It still remains to be seen if the state can turn things around.
At number 12, Oklahoma is smack dab in the middle of this ranking. Things could be worse for the state, but they could also be much better:
- Resignations at 3.33% in the past 12 months
- Resignations at 3.9% in the past month
- Unemployment Rate: 3.4%
- 64,000 unemployed people
While Oklahoma's more recent resignation rate is technically lower than its annual average, the change hasn't been much.
The state may have an unusually high resignation rate, but that's not necessarily bad news.
This is because the state still has a lower average unemployment rate of 3.4%
Mississippi ranks 11th for having one of the highest job resignation rates in the country.
- Resignation rate last month: 3.8%
- Resignation rate last 12 months: 3.56%
- Unemployment rate: 3.9%
- 49,000 unemployed people
The unemployment rate looks really bad, and the resignation rate is increasing. Overall? Some pretty bad numbers.
Mississippi's resignation numbers have been rising, and they could spell trouble for the state.
Many of the resignations taking place in the state come from the healthcare industry, which has led to staffing shortages and hospitals and other medical centers.
Some medical executives in the state believe that these problems will continue to trouble the state for years to come.
Louisiana ranks 10th highest in the country for job resignation.
- Resignation rate last month: 4%
- Resignation rate last 12 months: 3.37%
- Unemployment rate: 3.3%
- 68,000 unemployed people
Notice how the resignation rate went up last month over the last 12 months? That shows that more people are resigning, and things are getting worse!
Louisiana's resignation rate has risen in recent weeks, which spells trouble for the state.
According to one Louisiana employment expert, businesses are going to have to rethink their relationship with employees if they don't want them to leave.
They say, "Offering valuable benefits and meaningful perks will be a key driver in retaining and acquiring incredible talent amid 'The Great Resignation'."
Next up is Alaska - the number ninth state for job resignation.
- Resignation rate last month: 3.5%
- Resignation rate last 12 months: 4.17%
- Unemployment rate: 4.5%
- 16,000 unemployed people
The population of 736,556 doesn’t seem to be concerned about keeping their jobs.
Alaska is the state with one of the highest 12-month and 1-month resignation rates in the country.
And judging from this information, it looks like Alaska might climb even higher than it already is.
While this might be good news for employees looking for better work, it could possibly lead to businesses not being able to fill critical roles.
South Carolina easily has one of the highest resignation rates. Overall, it ranks 8th among the highest job resignation rates. The population of 5 million just aren’t finding their jobs fulfilling it seems.
- Resignation rate last month: 3.9%
- Resignation rate last 12 months: 3.55%
- Unemployment rate: 3.3%
- 78,000 unemployed people
We're not sure what's going on in South Carolina, but their resignation numbers just seem to keep going up.
Like many other areas of the country struggling to retain employees, a majority of SC resignations seem to be clustered in the retail and restaurant industries.
It's not clear when this trend of resignations will reverse for the state.
West Virginia has the 15th highest job resignation rate in the country according to WalletHub. Let's talk about some other stats that really put West Virginia on this list:
- Resignation rate last month: 4.10%
- Resignation rate last 12 months: 3.33%
- 4.1% unemployment rate for November 2022
- 33,000 unemployed people
However, it's important that we look at the bigger picture…
The resignation rate just keeps staying strong in West Virginia, at least for the time being.
However, not everyone sees that as a problem.
According to some experts, high resignation rates ultimately mean better salaries and benefits for employees, even if resignations are a headache for the business itself.
Montana ranks 6th among the states with the highest job resignation, and the stats make it pretty clear why people are leaving at impressive rates. Let's go over the big hitters:
- Resignation rate last month: 3.9%
- Resignation rate last 12 months: 3.67%
- Unemployment rate: 2.9%
- 16,000 unemployed people
Montana's resignation numbers just keep creeping up, and if current trends hold, they'll soon pass the 4% threshold.
Things have gotten so crazy in the state that there are currently way more jobs than people available to fill them.
So, even if every unemployed person in Montana took a job, there would still be openings that needed to be filled!
Wyoming ranks 9th among the states with the highest number of job resignations. Some of these stats may not look that bad but wait until the population is considered.
- Resignation rate last month: 4%
- Resignation rate last 12 months: 3.64%
- Unemployment rate: 3.6%
- 10,000 unemployed people
Wyoming's resignation rate has risen in recent weeks, which makes it an outlier.
The high number of job opportunities coupled with a low state unemployment rate definitely make this a highly favorable environment for people seeking jobs,
However, the same is not true for people looking to hire.
Arizona places 4th among the states with the highest job resignations.
- Resignation rate last month: 4.10%
- Resignation rate last 12 months: 3.51%
- Unemployment rate: 4.1%
- 147,000 unemployed people
That's a pretty big jump in the last month, and it's indicative of a quickly rising resignation rate.
Some local companies in Arizona are trying some seriously strange ideas to keep employees around.
One Arizona CEO even went as far as to offer $5000 to new hires if they quit within two weeks.
While the strategy seems counterintuitive, he claims it helps to weed out anyone but the best workers—who will presumably stay around for a long time.
Tennessee breaks the top 10 for resignation rates, but this is one "honor" that the state probably doesn't want. Here's how the numbers look:
- Resignations at 3.4% in the past 12 months
- Resignations at 4.3% in the past month
- Unemployment Rate: 3.5%
- 118,000 unemployed people
According to the most recent statistics, upwards of 22K Tennessee citizens have made unemployment insurance claims.
And, according to some experts, these massive resignations may continue in the state for some time.
This is especially true in urban areas of the state like Nashville.
Kentucky ranks 2nd out of all 50 states and Washington DC. Maybe that's a little surprising, but I guess you need more than delicious chicken to keep people working (or maybe the chicken is the problem?).
- Resignation rate last month: 4.4%
- Resignation rate last 12 months: 3.8%
- 155,700+ people resigned (via Census)
- Unemployment rate: 4%
- 82,000 unemployed people
Resignation numbers continue to stay high in Kentucky, at least for the short-term.
Some experts in the state believe that a stagnant minimum wage stretching back years is the culprit.
While keeping the minimum wage low was beneficial to employers at one point, such a low starting point gives potential employees much more leverage in this environment where workers are more desperately needed.
Georgia has had a significantly high job resignation rate in both the short term and long term.
- Resignation rate last month: 4.80%
- Resignation rate last 12 months: 3.98%
- Unemployment rate: 3%
- 157,000 unemployed people
The odd part is where they land on the stressed-states ranking...
If Georgia keeps up this pace, it will top a 4% resignation rate very soon.
Many employers in the state believe that retaining people is a matter of treating their employees better.
But if so many of these employers in the state follow this advice, then why does the resignation rate stay high?
