Minnesota Among The Best States In The US To Find A Job: Report

SAINT PAUL, MN — Job seekers weighing a move may not need to look much further than Minnesota, according to a new ranking from personal finance website WalletHub.

Minnesota ranked third in WalletHub's analysis of the best states for jobs, trailing only Massachusetts and Connecticut. The state earned a total score of 60.94 out of 100.

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To build the ranking, WalletHub compared all 50 states across 34 measures of job market strength and economic health, including employment growth, unemployment, underemployment, median income, commute times and state income tax burdens. The measures were grouped into two categories, job market and economic environment, with job market factors weighted more heavily.

Minnesota placed eighth in the job market category and fourth in economic environment.

Pay was a big driver of the state's strong showing. Minnesota had the third-highest median household income in the country after adjusting for cost of living, at nearly $86,000, according to the report. Its average monthly starting salary of about $3,800 ranked 11th.

Minnesota workers also have solid access to benefits. The state ranked eighth for the share of workers with private health insurance and 12th for access to employer-based retirement plans, WalletHub found.

The report also pointed to Minnesota's 3 percent unemployment rate, among the lowest in the nation, and its workshare program, which lets employers temporarily reduce employees' hours instead of laying them off during economic downturns. Minnesota also ranked fifth in the country for both working moms and working dads.

Elsewhere in the region, South Dakota ranked sixth, North Dakota eighth, Wisconsin 15th and Iowa 24th.

West Virginia ranked as the worst state for jobs, followed by Louisiana, Kentucky, Alaska and Oregon.

Here are the top 10 states for jobs, according to WalletHub:

1. Massachusetts
2. Connecticut
3. Minnesota
4. Vermont
5. New Hampshire
6. South Dakota
7. Texas
8. North Dakota
9. Maine
10. Rhode Island

The full rankings and methodology are available on WalletHub's website.