Golden State Today

California's payroll numbers reveal it is ranked first for non-farm payroll employees in December 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Statistics were compiled from unemployment data and civilian labor force reports, both of which heavily relied on household surveys. The data is not seasonally adjusted.

Non-farm payroll numbers are seen as a key indicator for the U.S.'s economic health, representing the total number of paid workers in the country minus farm, government, non-profit, and private household employees.

Employment data is gleaned from an establishment survey that measures non-farm employment, hours and earnings by industry. The data is also based on payroll jobs and such factors as where the establishments are located.

Rank	State	December (in thousands)
1	California	17,320.2
2	Texas	13,169.5
3	New York	9,372.7
4	Florida	9,233.7
5	Illinois	5,981.1
6	Pennsylvania	5,881.6
7	Ohio	5,433.5
8	Georgia	4,719.2
9	North Carolina	4,701.2
10	Michigan	4,293.2
11	New Jersey	4,159
12	Virginia	4,019.6
13	Massachusetts	3,603.2
14	Washington	3,441.2
15	Tennessee	3,197.6
16	Indiana	3,176.8
17	Arizona	3,059.8
18	Wisconsin	2,903.9
19	Missouri	2,898.5
20	Minnesota	2,860.9
21	Colorado	2,818.9
22	Maryland	2,715.9
23	South Carolina	2,186.7
24	Alabama	2,064.6
25	Kentucky	1,941.9
26	Oregon	1,924.4
27	Louisiana	1,910.5
28	Oklahoma	1,667.3
29	Connecticut	1,651.8
30	Utah	1,649.7
31	Iowa	1,559.2
32	Nevada	1,431.8
33	Kansas	1,386.1
34	Arkansas	1,311
35	Mississippi	1,159.9
36	Nebraska	1,017.1
37	Puerto Rico	913.6
38	New Mexico	840.9
39	Idaho	805.4
40	District of Columbia	764.2
41	West Virginia	699.8
42	New Hampshire	675.5
43	Maine	623.1
44	Hawaii	605.1
45	Montana	499.9
46	Rhode Island	490.1
47	Delaware	456.2
48	South Dakota	439.8
49	North Dakota	422.9
50	Vermont	303.3
51	Alaska	301.6
52	Wyoming	280.3
53	Virgin Islands	35.1

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics