The chart below shows the ratio of current jobs in the states to their respective pre-pandemic levels. Last month we had to adjust the scale to make room for Idaho adding so many jobs.

This month, it’s the opposite: DC is losing so many jobs that we had to extend the graph to the left.

Utah, which has consistently been ranked number one in Rich States, Poor States, is also well ahead of its pre-pandemic job level. Likewise, Texas and Florida have been near the top in terms of job growth since their economies reopened.

Way at the bottom of the chart are the usual suspects: New York, Massachusetts, Illinois, Maryland, and Hawaii. Due in no small part to Governor JB Pritzker’s disastrous economic policies, Illinois has gained no net jobs since the start of 2020 – five years and zero progress.

Lastly, Maryland continues serving as a good example of why we should always look at more than just the unemployment rate: the Old-Line State still has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country but also has fewer jobs today than pre-pandemic. At least Illinois is back where it started, while Maryland has lost ground.