Old North News

North Carolina's payroll numbers reveal it is ranked eighth for non-farm payroll employees in May, 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	May (in thousands)
1	California	16,368
2	Texas	12,599.9
3	New York	8,924.4
4	Florida	8,641.3
5	Illinois	5,764.7
6	Pennsylvania	5,713.9
7	Ohio	5,324.7
8	North Carolina	4,488.1
9	Georgia	4,485
10	Michigan	4,148.5
11	New Jersey	3,937
12	Virginia	3,901.8
13	Massachusetts	3,462.9
14	Washington	3,362.5
15	Tennessee	3,067.8
16	Indiana	3,048.6
17	Arizona	2,910.7
18	Wisconsin	2,869.9
19	Minnesota	2,846.6
20	Missouri	2,836.7
21	Colorado	2,709.9
22	Maryland	2,657.9
23	South Carolina	2,122.1
24	Alabama	2,014.7
25	Kentucky	1,873.6
26	Oregon	1,855.3
27	Louisiana	1,838.7
28	Oklahoma	1,634.6
29	Connecticut	1,597.4
30	Utah	1,591.5
31	Iowa	1,532.8
32	Kansas	1,380.5
33	Nevada	1,328.5
34	Arkansas	1,272.9
35	Mississippi	1,127.9
36	Nebraska	1,013.3
37	Puerto Rico	849.6
38	New Mexico	801.2
39	Idaho	785.9
40	District of Columbia	740.4
41	West Virginia	690.7
42	New Hampshire	658
43	Maine	613
44	Hawaii	569.2
45	Montana	482.4
46	Rhode Island	472.8
47	Delaware	446.8
48	South Dakota	438.2
49	North Dakota	420.8
50	Alaska	308.5
51	Vermont	291.3
52	Wyoming	273.7
53	Virgin Islands	34.7

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics