At 41.9%, Louisiana has the nation’s 30th highest payroll to population rate in 2014, according to a new Gallup report.
The payroll to population metric tracks the percentage of the adult population, 18 and older, who are employed full time and work at least 30 hours per week. The metric is not seasonally adjusted, and Gallup does not count those who are self-employed, work fewer than 30 hours per week, or who are unemployed or otherwise out of the workforce.
North Dakota led all states for payroll to population last year, at 54%. West Virginia had the lowest rate, at 35.6%. Gallup says the top 10 states for payroll to population also boast among the nation’s lowest unemployment rate, and vice versa for states near the bottom of the rankings.
“However, across all states, [payroll to population] shows a stronger relationship than do unemployment rates with other important economic indicators,” the report reads. “For example, [payroll to population] tracks positively with state GDP per capita, while unemployment shows little relationship.”
See the full story and complete rankings. Last week, Gallup also ranked Louisiana in the middle of the pack—No. 29—for job creation during 2014. Those rankings, as well as the payroll to population rankings, are based on Gallup surveys conducted throughout 2014 with more than 353,000 adults in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
