The Great Resignation was a real phenomenon in 2021, but it didn’t impact every part of the country equally.
People are leaving their jobs at a higher rate in some states than others, according to 2022’s States With The Highest Resignation Rates, a study and ranking by WalletHub.
The analysis found that people in states like New York, the District of Columbia, Pennsylvania and Washington state were quitting their jobs at a significantly lower rate than in states like Wyoming, Kentucky and North Dakota.
When WalletHub asked a panel of experts what is causing the wave of resignations, many potential reasons were given—high equity prices giving people more confidence to leave their employer, a wave of retirements by baby boomers, the pandemic pushing people away from public-facing jobs, employer incentives for job-switching among low-wage workers and disruptions to education and childcare which force more parents—especially women—to stay home.
The numbers also suggest continued displacement of workers in the energy, resources and tourism industries, as they are a common thread through WalletHub’s top 10.
For the study, WalletHub ranked 50 states and the District of Columbia based on how frequently people are leaving their places of employment using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Here, in ascending order, are the 10 states with the highest 2021 resignation rate.
10. Idaho
According to the study, 3.2% of Idaho’s workforce left their jobs last year. The state’s major industries include lumber, food processing, paper and mining.
