The Top 11 States To Find A Job

Gallup has published
its latest Job Creation Index, providing a state-by-state comparison of
which states predominately hired, fired, and stood pat in 2010. As the
U.S. job market struggled, the highest-ranking states relied on one of
three industries: agriculture, natural resource extraction, or federal
government work.

But not all jobs -- or state economies -- are created equal, and many
of the states on Gallup's list often create low-paying jobs. Arkansas,
for example, ranks fifth best on Gallup's Job Creation Index, but its
median household income is a $39,392, good for second-worst in the
country. Maryland, on the other hand, might rank lower on the index, but
it has the third-highest median household income in the country.

Gallup based its rankings on nearly 200,000 interviews conducted only
with employed adults. Interviewees said whether their company was
hiring, not changing in size or laying off workers. The Job Creation
Index number represents that difference between "the percentage
reporting an expansion and the percentage reporting a reduction in their
workforces."

To give you a better picture of the job situation in the states below, we've included household income data from the Census, unemployment rates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and GDP per capita from the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

For the full Gallup report, click here.

What do you think ? Where would you move in order get a job?

11. Pennsylvania

2010 Job Creation Index: 13

Percent Hiring: 31.2

Percent Letting Go: 18.8

Unemployment Rate: 8.5% (Dec. 2010)

GDP Per Capita: $39,578 (19/51)

Median Household Income: $49,829 (26/51)

10. Iowa

2010 Job Creation Index: 13

Percent Hiring: 29.9

Percent Letting Go: 17.1

Unemployment Rate: 6.1% (Dec. 2010)

GDP Per Capita: $36,751 (28/51)

Median Household Income: $50,422 (23/51)

9.Oklahoma

2010 Job Creation Index: 14

Percent Hiring: 31.7

Percent Letting Go: 18.0

Unemployment Rate: 6.8% (Dec. 2010)

GDP Per Capita: $35,268 (34/51)

Median Household Income: $45,507 (40/51)

8. Texas

2010 Job Creation Index: 14

Percent Hiring: 32.1

Percent Letting Go: 18.1

Unemployment Rate: 8.3% (Dec. 2010)

GDP Per Capita: $36,484 (29/51)

Median Household Income: $47,143 (35/51)

7. Maryland

2010 Job Creation Index: 15

Percent Hiring: 34.3

Percent Letting Go: 19.1

Unemployment Rate: 7.4% (Dec. 2010)

GDP Per Capita: $48,285 (5/51)

Median Household Income: $65,183 (3/51)

6. West Virginia

2010 Job Creation Index: 15

Percent Hiring: 32.5

Percent Letting Go: 17.1

Unemployment Rate: 9.7% (Dec. 2010)

GDP Per Capita: $32,219 (45/51)

Median Household Income: $40,627 (49/51)

5. Arkansas

2010 Job Creation Index: 17

Percent Hiring: 32.5

Percent Letting Go: 16.0

Unemployment Rate: 7.9% (Dec. 2010)

GDP Per Capita: $31,946 (46/51)

Median Household Income: $39,392 (50/51)

4. Alaska

2010 Job Creation Index: 19

Percent Hiring: 35.1

Percent Letting Go: 15.8

Unemployment Rate: 7.9% (Dec. 2010)

GDP Per Capita: $42,603 (10/51)

Median Household Income: $63,505 (5/51)

3. South Dakota

2010 Job Creation Index: 21

Percent Hiring: 29.9

Percent Letting Go: 8.9

Unemployment Rate: 4.7% (Dec. 2010)

GDP Per Capita: $36,935 (26/51)

Median Household Income: $48,416 (29/51)

2. Washington DC

2010 Job Creation Index: 25

Percent Hiring: 36.8

Percent Letting Go: 11.4

Unemployment Rate: 9.6% (Dec. 2010)

GDP Per Capita: $66,000 (1/51)

Median Household Income: $53,685 (15/51)

1. North Dakota

2010 Job Creation Index: 29

Percent Hiring: 37.6

Percent Letting Go: 8.2

Unemployment Rate: 3.8% (Dec. 2010)

GDP Per Capita: $39,530 (20/51)

Median Household Income: $49,450 (27/51)