The True Cost of a Remote Hire - Know Your State: Unemployment Rates

Currently hiring involves a lot of moving pieces, and hiring remote employees is just one part of that. A lot of thought goes into the decision to hire someone remotely - you want to be familiar with state regulations and requirements before hiring an employee in that state.

Maybe you haven’t even gotten that far yet - maybe you’re still trying to figure out where the best place is for you to find the #TopTechTalent you’re searching for. There are a lot of factors that go into that decision-making process, but a good place to start is figuring out where you can find the most available talent. While the national unemployment rate at 6.3 percent, it does vary based on what state you’re in, so keep that in mind.

Unemployment is going to vary between industries, but starting with the unemployment rates in each state can help to give you an idea of where you might want to start your search. Think of it as supply and demand. This map and list should give you a good, quick reference of where you might want to start.

Unemployment Rates by State (as of December 2020)

Nebraska - 3.0

South Dakota - 3.0

Iowa - 3.1

Vermont - 3.1

Utah - 3.6

Kansas - 3.8

Alabama - 3.9

New Hampshire - 4.0

North Dakota - 4.1

Arkansas - 4.2

Indiana - 4.3

Idaho - 4.4

Minnesota - 4.4

Montana - 4.4

South Carolina - 4.6

Wyoming - 4.8

Maine - 4.9

Virginia - 4.9

Delaware - 5.3

Oklahoma - 5.3

Ohio - 5.5

Wisconsin - 5.5

Georgia - 5.6

Alaska - 5.8

Missouri - 5.8

Kentucky - 6.0

Florida - 6.1

Mississippi - 6.2

North Carolina - 6.2

Maryland - 6.3

West Virginia - 6.3

Oregon - 6.4

Tennessee - 6.4

Pennsylvania - 6.7

Washington - 7.1

Louisiana - 7.2

Texas - 7.2

Massachusetts - 7.4

Arizona - 7.5

Michigan - 7.5

Illinois - 7.6

New Jersey - 7.6

District of Columbia - 7.9

Connecticut - 8.0

Rhode Island - 8.1

New Mexico - 8.2

New York - 8.2

Colorado - 8.4

California - 9.0

Nevada - 9.2

Hawaii - 9.3

(Please note that the District of Columbia is included on this list but doesn’t appear on the map.)

Again, you’ll want to dig a little deeper into specific industries, but this is a great jumping off point. When you’re ready, you can then look into the overtime laws, paid sick leave laws, and general cost of living for the state(s) that you’re considering hiring in. This is the best way to ensure you’re making an informed decision about your hiring process going forward.