10 States With the Fastest Rate of Job Growth, 2018

The U.S.

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The U.S. economy is humming along nicely. But how long can the good times continue?

Widespread growth spells even tighter labor markets, and that could start to crimp regional growth rates. Job openings have reached or are near record levels in all regions, and hiring is starting to slow because of the lack of qualified candidates. Certain metro areas have unemployment rates below 3%, including Denver; Madison, Wis.; Nashville, Tenn.; and the San Francisco Bay area. Look for hiring slowdowns to continue as more positions become unfillable.

Every year, The Kiplinger Letter forecasts economic growth in all 50 states. Check out the 10 states with the fastest projected rates of job growth this year.

Disclaimer

Intern Cece Biagini also contributed to this package.

David Payne
Staff Economist, The Kiplinger Letter

David is both staff economist and reporter for The Kiplinger Letter, overseeing Kiplinger forecasts for the U.S. and world economies. Previously, he was senior principal economist in the Center for Forecasting and Modeling at IHS/GlobalInsight, and an economist in the Chief Economist's Office of the U.S. Department of Commerce. David has co-written weekly reports on economic conditions since 1992, and has forecasted GDP and its components since 1995, beating the Blue Chip Indicators forecasts two-thirds of the time. David is a Certified Business Economist as recognized by the National Association for Business Economics. He has two master's degrees and is ABD in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.