Empire State Today

New York's payroll numbers reveal it is ranked third for non-farm payroll employees in September, 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	September (in thousands)
1	California	16,690
2	Texas	12,822.9
3	New York	8,961.7
4	Florida	8,825.9
5	Illinois	5,846.9
6	Pennsylvania	5,765.7
7	Ohio	5,382.5
8	Georgia	4,572.5
9	North Carolina	4,526.4
10	Michigan	4,208.5
11	New Jersey	4,007.6
12	Virginia	3,940.8
13	Massachusetts	3,537.3
14	Washington	3,449
15	Tennessee	3,105.5
16	Indiana	3,085
17	Arizona	2,982.7
18	Wisconsin	2,889.2
19	Minnesota	2,880.6
20	Missouri	2,856
21	Colorado	2,747.8
22	Maryland	2,668
23	South Carolina	2,147.6
24	Alabama	2,041.8
25	Kentucky	1,886.4
26	Oregon	1,884
27	Louisiana	1,815.6
28	Oklahoma	1,654
29	Utah	1,626.4
30	Connecticut	1,618
31	Iowa	1,545.3
32	Kansas	1,392.7
33	Nevada	1,358.3
34	Arkansas	1,274.8
35	Mississippi	1,139.9
36	Nebraska	1,020.1
37	Puerto Rico	860.9
38	New Mexico	814.9
39	Idaho	790.1
40	District of Columbia	750.5
41	West Virginia	692.4
42	New Hampshire	664.6
43	Maine	623
44	Hawaii	574.7
45	Rhode Island	486.1
46	Montana	485.6
47	Delaware	450.6
48	South Dakota	439.7
49	North Dakota	421
50	Alaska	315
51	Vermont	295
52	Wyoming	279
53	Virgin Islands	34.8

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics