Old North News

North Carolina's payroll numbers reveal it is ranked ninth for non-farm payroll employees in December, 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	16,092.3
2	Texas	12,453.1
3	New York	8,797.9
4	Florida	8,581.5
5	Illinois	5,675.1
6	Pennsylvania	5,642.9
7	Ohio	5,302
8	Georgia	4,488.3
9	North Carolina	4,472.4
10	Michigan	4,032.6
11	New Jersey	3,900.2
12	Virginia	3,894.2
13	Massachusetts	3,365.6
14	Washington	3,269
15	Tennessee	3,065.1
16	Indiana	3,047.5
17	Arizona	2,906.2
18	Wisconsin	2,834.4
19	Missouri	2,808.4
20	Minnesota	2,716.3
21	Colorado	2,645.4
22	Maryland	2,624.2
23	South Carolina	2,129.6
24	Alabama	2,021.8
25	Kentucky	1,859.6
26	Louisiana	1,846.1
27	Oregon	1,805.2
28	Oklahoma	1,625.2
29	Connecticut	1,590.2
30	Utah	1,578.9
31	Iowa	1,517.3
32	Kansas	1,365.3
33	Nevada	1,287.3
34	Arkansas	1,263.8
35	Mississippi	1,132.6
36	Nebraska	1,003
37	Puerto Rico	859.3
38	New Mexico	781.1
39	Idaho	773.5
40	District of Columbia	735.9
41	West Virginia	675.6
42	New Hampshire	642.5
43	Maine	598
44	Hawaii	551.2
45	Montana	474
46	Rhode Island	458.3
47	Delaware	444
48	South Dakota	430.6
49	North Dakota	408.8
50	Vermont	292.9
51	Alaska	288.8
52	Wyoming	271
53	Virgin Islands	34.1

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics