50-State Rankings for February 2020-January 2022

State Job Recovery Trends

• Kansas (+0.6%), Maine (+0.6%), Idaho (+0.5%), Utah (+0.5%), and South Carolina (+0.5%) led January 2022 percentage job growth.
• California (+53,600) and New York (+36,800) had the most job creation in January, followed by Texas (+29,000) and Florida (+25,300).

National Job Recovery Trends

• The US lost 22 million jobs from February 2020-April 2020.
• Leisure and hospitality, the hardest hit sector, lost 8.2 million jobs.
• The US is currently 2.1 million jobs below pre-pandemic levels, a 1.4% net decline.

Key Takeaways: The Impact of State Policies on Job Recovery

• Annual Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) revisions show that the jobs recovery was previously underestimated across states, particularly in large states like California, Florida, and New York.
• Ten states exceed their pre-pandemic job counts. All ten states embrace economic freedom policies.
• Idaho, Montana, Arkansas, Texas, North Carolina, Arizona each cut taxes and spending in 2021.
• States like New York that imposed more pandemic restrictions and increased taxes continue to underperform in economic recovery.
• Fewer economic restrictions, lower taxes, and common-sense regulations have resulted in stronger recoveries and more economic opportunity.
• Dozens of states are considering tax cuts in 2022, which will increase their competitiveness for businesses and remote workers.