MJP –
Various rankings and scorecards evaluating geographic locales are examined in “Survey Says,” with the caveat that these grades are best understood as a combination of data and artistic interpretation.
A pro-labor organization’s Labor Day assessment ranks California as the nation’s second-best workplace.
To determine the extent to which each state protects its employees’ rights on the job, my reliable spreadsheet analyzed Oxfam’s yearly Best States to Work Index. The index takes 27 workplace policy problems into account.
After doing the math, it was determined that Washington, D.C. was the best place to work outside of California. West Virginia, Oregon, and New York followed California. North Carolina, South Dakota, Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi were the worst places.
And the state’s most formidable economic competitors? In terms of rankings, Florida was 29th and Texas 46th.
The three components of this grading system are workplace conditions, therefore let’s take a look at them.
Wage policies: The scoring is heavily influenced by the minimum hourly wage. Third place went to California. On top? First place goes to the District of Columbia, followed by West Virginia. Afterward, we have New Jersey and then New York. The worst? South Dakota, Georgia, and Alabama followed by Indiana. With a ranking of 45, Florida placed in 26th place.
Warehouse regulation was incorporated into the calculations this year to ensure worker protection. The Golden State came in second. Among the best states, Oregon ranks. The following states are after California: DC, West Virginia, and New York. Alabama, North Carolina, and Mississippi are the worst. Number 45? Texas. Florida? Thirty-one.
The freedom to organize: What are the barriers to unionization? Topping the list was California, followed by Washington, DC, NY, OR, DE, and IL/Ohio. The worst? South Dakota, North Carolina, Arkansas, Georgia, Utah, and Texas. At number twenty-seven, we found Florida.
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Does pro-labor regulation come with any costs? Before we look at the rankings, let’s consider three factors that are relevant to the position.
How much is the going rate?
In the first half of 2024, California had the fourth-highest annualized pay rate, at $80,900. Washington, DC, came in first with $85,000, followed by Massachusetts with $85,400, and finally DC with $105,900. At $54,400, the lowest paycheck was in Mississippi.
New Mexico came in at $58,100, and West Virginia came in at $58,900. With $68,000, Texas is ranked #23 while Florida is #26.
In what areas does organized labor hold sway?
At 16.9% of all positions, California has the fifth-highest union representation. On top? This includes 25.6% in Hawaii, 21.5% in New York, 18.1% in West Virginia, and 17.3% in New Jersey.
The lowest? Three states in South Carolina: North Carolina(3.3%), South Dakota(4.2%), and South Carolina (3%). Texas? No. 45 at 5.4% and Florida No. 41 at 6.1%.
And lastly, who is recruiting?
California ranked No. 25 with a five-year job growth of 3.7%. That’s nowhere near No. 1 Idaho at 14.6%, then Utah at 13.1%, and Nevada at 11.6%. Texas? No. 6 at 10.9% and Florida No. 5 at 11.2%. Worst job markets? Hawaii was down 3.4% in 2019-24, then DC, down 3.3%, and Louisiana, down 1.8%.
So, if you look at Oxfam’s top 10 states to work, they average $78,400 in annualized wages. Pay in the bottom 10 averages $64,200 – or 18% less. Plus, the top 10 is 15% unionized, vs. 8% for the bottom 10.
Yet ponder that the top 10 average job growth was just 1.7% since 2019. The bottom 10? Jobs were up 6.2% – nearly quadruple the pace.
If you’re looking for work, note that bosses seem to be avoiding the high-cost, pro-worker states.
California ranked No. 5 in a “best place to work” ranking by StartFleet behind New York, Washington, Hawaii, and Oregon.
The worst? Arkansas, Wyoming, and Louisiana. Texas? No. 43. Florida? No. 28.
