For the past four years, the US job market has registered an unsteady and highly fragile recovery, but experts seem to believe that the picture might look a lot brighter in 2014. According to USA Today, the national economy will add a total of 2.6 million jobs in 2014, 400,000 more than in 2013. However, the rate of job growth is often distributed unevenly throughout the country, so which states are more likely to expand their job markets? Following, we would like to present you with a list we have compiled of the top 20 states in the US with the fastest job growth in 2014, based on the statistics issued by Moody’s Analytics. According to the experts at Moody’s, the West appears to be on a brighter track in 2014 than the rest of the country. 5 states out of the first ten are situated in the west (Utah, Idaho, Arizona, Colorado, and Oregon). North Dakota is once again leading the pack, with a growth rate of 3.75%. At the other end of the spectrum, D.C. is the last of all 51 states, with a job growth rate of only 0.75%. When it comes to the type of jobs that will grow in 2014, the outlook differs from one state to another, and, in some cases, from one city to the other. For example, in New York, there will be a higher demand for event planners, while Florida will be on the lookout for construction masons. Nonetheless, health care jobs are expected to grow nationwide. Looking for a new job this year? Read below to find out whether you live in one of the lucky states. Let’s take a look at the countdown.
No. 20: Mississippi
Growth rate (%): 1.66
Jobs added: 18,593
No. 19: Delaware
Growth rate (%): 1.69
Jobs added: 7,121
No. 18: Nevada
Growth rate (%): 1.74
Jobs added: 20,226
No. 17: Nebraska
Growth rate (%): 1.75
Jobs added: 17,002
No. 16: Washington
Growth rate (%): 1.76
Jobs added: 51,765
No. 15: California
Growth rate (%): 1.8
Jobs added: 264.164
No. 14: West Virginia
Growth rate (%): 1.83
Jobs added: 14,139
No. 13: Hawaii
Growth rate (%): 1.84
Jobs added: 11,292
No. 12: Minnesota
Growth rate (%): 1.85
Jobs added: 51,359
No. 11: North Carolina
Growth rate (%): 1.98
Jobs added: 80.187
No. 10: Utah
Growth rate (%): 1.98
Jobs added: 25,387
No. 9: Idaho
Growth rate (%): 2.05
Jobs added: 13,110
No. 8: Oregon
Growth rate (%): 2.14
Jobs added: 35,687
No. 7: South Carolina
Growth rate (%): 2.14
Jobs added: 40,502
No. 6: Georgia
Growth rate (%): 2.18
Jobs added: 87,998
No. 5: Florida
Growth rate (%): 2.34
Jobs added: 176,423
No. 4: Colorado
Growth rate (%): 2.67
Jobs added: 63.268
No. 3: Texas
Growth rate (%): 2.75
Jobs added: 307,590
No. 2: Arizona
Growth rate (%): 3.08
Jobs added: 77,251
No. 1: North Dakota
Growth rate (%): 3,57
Jobs added: 15,902
