Empire State Today

New York's payroll numbers reveal it is ranked third for non-farm payroll employees in October, 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	October (in thousands)
1	California	16,914.6
2	Texas	12,992.2
3	New York	9,108.7
4	Florida	8,940.9
5	Illinois	5,917
6	Pennsylvania	5,828.6
7	Ohio	5,424.3
8	Georgia	4,634.1
9	North Carolina	4,588.1
10	Michigan	4,268.1
11	New Jersey	4,059.2
12	Virginia	3,980.8
13	Massachusetts	3,584.8
14	Washington	3,455.6
15	Tennessee	3,128.9
16	Indiana	3,112.8
17	Arizona	3,015.9
18	Wisconsin	2,907.6
19	Minnesota	2,906.1
20	Missouri	2,877.7
21	Colorado	2,761.2
22	Maryland	2,705.1
23	South Carolina	2,160.9
24	Alabama	2,069.6
25	Oregon	1,903.4
26	Kentucky	1,899.9
27	Louisiana	1,868.2
28	Oklahoma	1,666.7
29	Utah	1,640.3
30	Connecticut	1,636.1
31	Iowa	1,558.7
32	Kansas	1,400.8
33	Nevada	1,376.7
34	Arkansas	1,286.6
35	Mississippi	1,155.8
36	Nebraska	1,028.4
37	Puerto Rico	871.3
38	New Mexico	826.3
39	Idaho	791.7
40	District of Columbia	762.7
41	West Virginia	700.3
42	New Hampshire	669.2
43	Maine	621.7
44	Hawaii	578.2
45	Rhode Island	486.4
46	Montana	485.3
47	Delaware	454.5
48	South Dakota	440.5
49	North Dakota	423.7
50	Alaska	305.1
51	Vermont	299.2
52	Wyoming	276.6
53	Virgin Islands	35.1

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics