Need a Job? Here Are the Top 3 Positions Your State Is Hiring For Right Now

If there’s one concept that underlies, well, pretty much the entire world of economics, it’s supply and demand. When there’s less of something, it makes it more valuable. When there’s more, the reverse is true. That core concept ripples out across the entire financial system in many ways, including labor markets. When you’re living somewhere where there’s way more need for a certain profession than there are professionals ready to do the job, that can mean they’ll offer more money and benefits to attract the best talent. And if you’re in a profession that’s underrepresented all over the country, well, that’s a very advantageous position to be in, indeed.

As such, keeping a close eye on how your area's job market looks can be a crucial part of your happiness. At the end of the day, being able to make more, just by virtue of having a lot of people in need of your services, can dramatically improve your quality of life. That's why GOBankingRates is drawing on data from career site Monster to give a clear view of which professions are currently the most in demand in each state.

The bad news? There isn't a lot of diversity among the results; you'll find that a handful of positions tend to be near the top virtually wherever you live. In particular, many states have a high demand for registered nurses, truck drivers and retail salespeople. However, some states do manage to buck the trend with jobs more specific to their local economies.

So, take a look at the top jobs in each state to get a clear sense of how the job markets vary by region.

Alabama

1. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
   • 7,206 job openings
2. Registered nurses
   • 2,695 job openings
3. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
   • 1,972 job openings

Alaska

1. Registered nurses
   • 982 job openings
2. Retail salespeople
   • 356 job openings
3. Managers, all others
   • 297 job openings

Arizona

1. Registered nurses
   • 5,870 job openings
2. Customer service representatives
   • 4,933 job openings
3. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
   • 4,840 job openings

Arkansas

1. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
   • 5,599 job openings
2. Registered nurses
   • 1,568 job openings
3. Retail salespeople
   • 860 job openings

California

1. Software developers, applications
   • 39,770 job openings
2. Registered nurses
   • 27,631 job openings
3. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
   • 26,844 job openings

Colorado

1. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
   • 6,472 job openings
2. Software developers, applications
   • 5,967 job openings
3. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
   • 5,484 job openings

Connecticut

1. Registered nurses
   • 2,323 job openings
2. Retail salespeople
   • 2,144 job openings
3. Software developers, applications
   • 2,068 job openings

Delaware

1. Software developers, applications
   • 841 job openings
2. Registered nurses
   • 561 job openings
3. Retail salespeople
   • 441 job openings

Florida

1. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
   • 12,359 job openings
2. Retail salespeople
   • 11,637 job openings
3. Registered nurses
   • 11,539 job openings

Georgia

1. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
   • 8,072 job openings
2. Software developers, applications
   • 7,815 job openings
3. Registered nurses
   • 7,287 job openings

Hawaii

1. Retail salespeople
   • 1,240 job openings
2. Registered nurses
   • 741 job openings
3. First-line supervisors of retail sales workers
   • 555 job openings

Idaho

1. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
   • 2,028 job openings
2. Registered nurses
   • 957 job openings
3. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
   • 689 job openings

Illinois

1. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
   • 9,605 job openings
2. Software developers, applications
   • 8,528 job openings
3. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
   • 8,196 job openings

Indiana

1. Registered nurses
   • 3,982 job openings
2. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
   • 3,742 job openings
3. Retail salespeople
   • 3,052 job openings

Iowa

1. Registered nurses
   • 1,615 job openings
2. Retail salespeople
   • 1,370 job openings
3. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
   • 1,305 job openings

Kansas

1. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
   • 10,359 job openings
2. Registered nurses
   • 2,665 job openings
3. Retail salespeople
   • 1,745 job openings

Kentucky

1. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
   • 27,426 job openings
2. Registered nurses
   • 2,949 job openings
3. Retail salespeople
   • 2,049 job openings

Louisiana

1. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
   • 18,097 job openings
2. Registered nurses
   • 3,004 job openings
3. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
   • 1,975 job openings

Maine

1. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
   • 7,417 job openings
2. Registered nurses
   • 963 job openings
3. Retail salespeople
   • 518 job openings

Maryland

1. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
   • 19,338 job openings
2. Software developers, applications
   • 5,500 job openings
3. Registered nurses
   • 4,028 job openings

Massachusetts

1. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
   • 14,584 job openings
2. Software developers, applications
   • 7,657 job openings
3. Registered nurses
   • 5,826 job openings

Michigan

1. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
   • 33,759 job openings
2. Software developers, applications
   • 5,771 job openings
3. Registered nurses
   • 5,569 job openings

Minnesota

1. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
   • 25,454 job openings
2. Software developers, applications
   • 3,956 job openings
3. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
   • 3,395 job openings

Mississippi

1. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
   • 20,921 job openings
2. Registered nurses
   • 888 job openings
3. Retail salespeople
   • 737 job openings

Missouri

1. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
   • 40,680 job openings
2. Registered nurses
   • 5,456 job openings
3. Software developers, applications
   • 3,454 job openings

Montana

1. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
   • 3,899 job openings
2. Registered nurses
   • 722 job openings
3. Retail salespeople
   • 461 job openings

Nebraska

1. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
   • 15,394 job openings
2. Registered nurses
   • 1,321 job openings
3. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
   • 1,213 job openings

Nevada

1. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
   • 2,991 job openings
2. Registered nurses
   • 2,449 job openings
3. Retail salespeople
   • 2,216 job openings

New Hampshire

1. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
   • 3,551 job openings
2. Retail salespeople
   • 1,242 job openings
3. Registered nurses
   • 846 job openings

New Jersey

1. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
   • 23,547 job openings
2. Software developers, applications
   • 7,534 job openings
3. Retail salespeople
   • 5,761 job openings

New Mexico

1. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
   • 5,481 job openings
2. Registered nurses
   • 1,980 job openings
3. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
   • 762 job openings

New York

1. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
   • 37,389 job openings
2. Software developers, applications
   • 12,696 job openings
3. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
   • 9,570 job openings

North Carolina

1. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
   • 39,290 job openings
2. Software developers, applications
   • 9,706 job openings
3. Registered nurses
   • 7,520 job openings

North Dakota

1. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
   • 4,517 job openings
2. Registered nurses
   • 497 job openings
3. Retail salespeople
   • 385 job openings

Ohio

1. Registered nurses
   • 7,333 job openings
2. Software developers, applications
   • 6,971 job openings
3. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
   • 6,898 job openings

Oklahoma

1. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
   • 5,784 job openings
2. Registered nurses
   • 3,123 job openings
3. Retail salespeople
   • 1,990 job openings

Oregon

1. Registered nurses
   • 2,885 job openings
2. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
   • 2,724 job openings
3. Software developers, applications
   • 2,676 job openings

Pennsylvania

1. Software developers, applications
   • 7,031 job openings
2. Registered nurses
   • 6,766 job openings
3. Retail salespeople
   • 6,628 job openings

Rhode Island

1. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
   • 739 job openings
2. Registered nurses
   • 663 job openings
3. Customer service representatives
   • 579 job openings

South Carolina

1. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
   • 4,285 job openings
2. Registered nurses
   • 2,442 job openings
3. Retail salespeople
   • 1,682 job openings

South Dakota

1. Registered nurses
   • 410 job openings
2. Retail salespeople
   • 344 job openings
3. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
   • 295 job openings

Tennessee

1. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
   • 8,376 job openings
2. Registered nurses
   • 4,902 job openings
3. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
   • 4,030 job openings

Texas

1. Software developers, applications
   • 22,628 job openings
2. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
   • 18,787 job openings
3. Registered nurses
   • 17,891 job openings

Utah

1. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
   • 2,784 job openings
2. Customer service representatives
   • 1,906 job openings
3. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
   • 1,731 job openings

Vermont

1. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
   • 2,665 job openings
2. Registered nurses
   • 533 job openings
3. Retail salespeople
   • 319 job openings

Virginia

1. Software developers, applications
   • 10,377 job openings
2. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
   • 7,809 job openings
3. Registered nurses
   • 5,920 job openings

Washington

1. Software developers, applications
   • 6,445 job openings
2. Registered nurses
   • 5,714 job openings
3. Managers, all others
   • 4,248 job openings

West Virginia

1. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
   • 639 job openings
2. Registered nurses
   • 626 job openings
3. Retail salespeople
   • 462 job openings

Wisconsin

1. Registered nurses
   • 3,799 job openings
2. Retail salespeople
   • 3,225 job openings
3. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
   • 2,990 job openings

Wyoming

1. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
   • 2,517 job openings
2. Registered nurses
   • 292 job openings
3. Retail salespeople
   • 183 job openings

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Methodology: The occupational data in this article was provided by Monster. Monster used Labor Insights™ from Burning Glass to determine the cities and the top occupations in those cities with the most job postings for the past 60 days (Aug. 30, 2019, to Oct. 28, 2019).

About the Author

Joel Anderson

Joel Anderson is a business and finance writer with over a decade of experience writing about the wide world of finance. Based in Los Angeles, he specializes in writing about the financial markets, stocks, macroeconomic concepts and focuses on helping make complex financial concepts digestible for the retail investor.

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