Heavily Latino-Populated States are the Best for Jobs

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According to the recent report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the economy added 138,000 jobs in May with the overall unemployment rate falling to 4.3%. This is the lowest the rate has been in 16 years.

While the job rate was not as high as had been predicted, these are indicators that the economy overall has sufficiently rebounded from the Great Recession of the mid-2000s.

What does this mean for Latinos? For many Latinos, financial security that comes from employment is crucial to their long-term health. With better paying jobs comes better access to healthcare, better access to physical activity, better access to education for family members, and better access to opportunity.

The financial website WalletHub recently ranked the best and worst states for job seekers based on “key data indicators” including 24 key indicators of job-market strength, opportunity, and economic vitality. Some of these indicators include median annual income, commute time, and employment growth.

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According to the findings, Washington (11.96% Latino population) was the best state for jobs in the country. Washington ranked first in “Economic Environment” and 11^th in “Job Market” overall. Colorado (21.08% Latino population) ranked second on the list as it was first in “Job Market” and 19^th in “Economic Environment.”

New Hampshire, South Dakota, and New Jersey rounded out the rest of the top five.

Conversely, West Virginia (1.37% Latino population) ranked as the worst state for jobs in the country. Southern states, in general, did not fare well on this list. Louisiana, Kentucky, Alabama, and Mississippi rounded out the bottom five.

In exploring the data collected further, Colorado was found to be the state with the most job opportunities, while New Mexico (47.36% Latino population) had the fewest. In terms of job growth, Oregon (12.33% Latino population) ranked the highest with North Dakota (2.85% Latino population) ranked the worst.

Hawaii, New Hampshire, and South Dakota tied for having the lowest unemployment rates in the country; New Mexico ranked last with the highest.

You can read the full report from WalletHub here.

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