Gov’t data: Red states leading the way in job growth, blue states and DC lagging behind

CV NEWS FEED // According to recently released data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 19 of the top 20 states with the highest proportional job growth from February 2020 to October 2024, all voted for the Republican presidential ticket in this year’s election.

Meanwhile, three of the five states that have reported a net loss in jobs between those two months are heavily Democratic. 

Washington DC – which has never backed a Republican for president – registered a proportional net job loss worse than any state.

Economist Stephen Moore wrote on X (formerly Twitter) shared a chart on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday morning illustrating the BLS’ state by state data.

The chart ranked the states and DC based on the seasonally adjusted ratio of nonfarm payrolls in October 2024 to nonfarm payrolls in February 2020.

February 2020 was the month before the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID outbreak a pandemic – prompting a series of lockdowns and other restrictions throughout the country, but more so in blue states.

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Idaho boasted the highest ratio – rounded up to 1.14 – between its number of pre-COVID  nonfarm payrolls to its number of nonfarm payrolls last month.

Rounding out the top five were Utah, Texas, Florida, and Montana – which like Idaho all are controlled by Republican trifectas, meaning the party controls the governorship and both houses of their respective legislatures.

In the top 20, 10th ranked Colorado, was the only state controlled by a Democratic trifecta. Fifteen of the top 20 states have Republican trifectas and the other four are under split partisan control.

Notably, Colorado’s Democratic Gov. Jared Polis is widely considered to be an ideological libertarian and pursued significantly fewer COVID restrictions than other blue state governors.

The states with a ratio under 1 – meaning they lost jobs relative to February 2020 – were Illinois, West Virginia, Maryland, Louisiana, and Hawaii. DC has a lower ratio than any state.

Illinois, Maryland, and Hawaii are under Democratic trifectas. West Virginia – whose economy has suffered in recent years due to the decline of the coal industry – and Louisiana – long known for its propensity for severe weather – were the outliers among all the red states. 

“Red Idaho is soaring with job creation, leading the recovery post-pandemic,” Moore wrote on X.

“While DC struggles with job losses, states like Utah, Texas, and Florida are thriving,” he added. “In stark contrast, Blue Illinois is stagnant—zero net job growth since 2020!”

Idaho Republican Gov. Brad Little replied to Moore on X: “It is no surprise that red states like Idaho are dominating in job growth.”

“Conservative principles of fiscal responsibility, cutting red tape, and providing tax relief, prove time and time again to be the most prosperous for Americans!” Little emphasized.