1.76 Million Layoffs in December; Some States Hit 2.5x Harder than Others

Layoff Crisis Struck the Nation, But the Worst-Affected States May Surprise You

1.76 Million Jobs Vanished – Layoff Rate in Idaho Exceeds California’s by 66%, Study Finds

Key Findings:

• The highest state layoff rate (Idaho-2,145 per 100,000) is 2.52 times as high as the lowest (Missouri-852 per 100,000), revealing significant geographic inequality in job security.

• Four of six New England states rank among the top 10 most unstable job markets, while one ranks among the nation’s most stable, demonstrating stark regional polarization.

• The five most stable states all recorded layoff rates below 950 per 100,000 employees, offering workers measurably greater job security than the national average of 1,109.67.

December 2025 recorded 1.76 million layoffs and discharges nationwide, but geography played a decisive role in shaping where workers were most exposed. Workers in the most unstable state faced layoff rates more than double those in the most stable state, revealing a fractured national job market where location may matter as much as skill set.

The study conducted by Bader Law analyzed Bureau of Labor Statistics employment and layoff data for December 2025 across all 50 states. Layoff rates were calculated per 100,000 employees to enable fair comparison across states with vastly different workforce sizes.

States with the Highest Layoff Rates in December 2025

Rank	State	Layoffs per 100,000 Employees	Total Layoffs	Total Employment
1	Idaho	2,145	19,000	885,900
2	Alaska	1,776	6,000	337,900
3	Indiana	1,617	53,000	3,278,300
4	Vermont	1,591	5,000	314,200
5	New Hampshire	1,559	11,000	705,600
6	Montana	1,503	8,000	532,400
7	Michigan	1,409	64,000	4,543,300
8	Maine	1,376	9,000	654,100
9	Rhode Island	1,364	7,000	513,100
10	Wyoming	1,354	4,000	295,400

Six states exceeded layoff rates of 1,500 per 100,000 employees, placing workers there at substantially elevated risk compared to the national average of 1,109.67. Notably, seven of the top ten most unstable states have workforces under 750,000, suggesting smaller economies may face heightened vulnerability to employment volatility.

States with Small Workforces and Elevated Layoff Risk

State	Layoffs per 100,000	Total Employment	National Rank
Wyoming	1,354	295,400	10
Vermont	1,591	314,200	4
Alaska	1,776	337,900	2
North Dakota	1,336	449,000	11
South Dakota	1,057	473,100	32
Delaware	1,209	496,100	20
Rhode Island	1,364	513,100	9
Montana	1,503	532,400	6
Hawaii	1,225	653,200	18
Maine	1,376	654,100	8
New Hampshire	1,559	705,600	5
West Virginia	1,261	713,800	14

Among twelve states with workforces under 750,000, eleven rank in the top 20 for layoff rates. The average layoff rate among these small-workforce states is 1,384.26 per 100,000, which is 24.7% higher than the national average.

States with Highest Total Layoff Volume vs. Layoff Rates

Volume Rank	State	Layoffs  per 100,000	Total Layoffs	Rate Rank
1	California	1,287	232,000	12
2	Texas	983	141,000	40
3	New York	1,267	127,000	13
4	Florida	1,026	103,000	36
5	Michigan	1,409	64,000	7
6	Illinois	1,023	63,000	37
7	Pennsylvania	911	57,000	47
8	Georgia	1,102	55,000	26
9	Indiana	1,617	53,000	3
10	Ohio	911	52,000	48

The four largest states by raw layoff volume accounted for 603,000 layoffs, or 34.3% of the national total, yet their rate rankings vary dramatically from #12 to #40.

States with the Lowest Layoff Rates in December 2025

Stability Rank	State	Layoffs per 100,000	Total Layoffs	Total Employment
1	Missouri	852	26,000	3,052,800
2	New Jersey	863	38,000	4,402,200
3	Ohio	911	52,000	5,708,900
4	Pennsylvania	911	57,000	6,257,400
5	Oregon	948	19,000	2,005,200
6	Maryland	955	27,000	2,828,200
7	Washington	956	35,000	3,662,000
8	Colorado	967	29,000	3,000,100
9	Massachusetts	967	36,000	3,723,500
10	Minnesota	978	30,000	3,068,500

The most stable state's layoff rate is 23.2% below the national average, with a total of twelve states recording rates below 1,000 per 100,000. Traditional manufacturing states rank among the five most secure, challenging assumptions about industrial sector job instability.

Complete National Rankings: All 50 States by Layoff Rate

Rank	State	Layoffs per 100,000	Total Layoffs (000s)	Employment (000s)
1	Idaho	2,145	19	885.9
2	Alaska	1,776	6	337.9
3	Indiana	1,617	53	3,278.3
4	Vermont	1,591	5	314.2
5	New Hampshire	1,559	11	705.6
6	Montana	1,503	8	532.4
7	Michigan	1,409	64	4,543.3
8	Maine	1,376	9	654.1
9	Rhode Island	1,364	7	513.1
10	Wyoming	1,354	4	295.4
11	North Dakota	1,336	6	449.0
12	California	1,287	232	18,021.2
13	New York	1,267	127	10,020.4
14	West Virginia	1,261	9	713.8
15	Mississippi	1,246	15	1,203.8
16	Louisiana	1,242	25	2,012.4
17	Connecticut	1,225	21	1,713.9
18	Hawaii	1,225	8	653.2
19	Arkansas	1,220	17	1,392.9
20	Delaware	1,209	6	496.1
21	Kentucky	1,170	24	2,051.1
22	South Carolina	1,158	28	2,417.3
23	Wisconsin	1,146	35	3,054.3
24	Alabama	1,131	25	2,211.2
25	Virginia	1,103	47	4,262.2
26	Georgia	1,102	55	4,991.7
27	Kansas	1,098	16	1,457.5
28	Tennessee	1,085	37	3,408.9
29	Nevada	1,082	17	1,571.4
30	Iowa	1,065	17	1,595.5
31	Utah	1,065	19	1,784.6
32	South Dakota	1,057	5	473.1
33	Oklahoma	1,050	19	1,808.7
34	Nebraska	1,042	11	1,055.3
35	Arizona	1,041	34	3,264.6
36	Florida	1,026	103	10,042.1
37	Illinois	1,023	63	6,159.3
38	North Carolina	1,015	52	5,125.0
39	New Mexico	995	9	904.3
40	Texas	983	141	14,341.0
41	Minnesota	978	30	3,068.5
42	Massachusetts	967	36	3,723.5
43	Colorado	967	29	3,000.1
44	Washington	956	35	3,662.0
45	Maryland	955	27	2,828.2
46	Oregon	948	19	2,005.2
47	Pennsylvania	911	57	6,257.4
48	Ohio	911	52	5,708.9
49	New Jersey	863	38	4,402.2
50	Missouri	852	26	3,052.8

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Methodology: The study analyzed Bureau of Labor Statistics data for December 2025, collecting state-level nonfarm payroll employment figures and layoff/discharge totals from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) across all 50 states. Layoff rates were calculated by dividing total layoffs by total employment and multiplying by 100,000, enabling accurate comparison across states with vastly different workforce sizes. All states were ranked from highest layoff rate (#1, most unstable) to lowest (#50, most stable), with the national average (1,109.67 per 100,000) derived by dividing total national layoffs (1,758,000) by total national employment (158,424,800).

Data Sources:

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics:

https://www.bls.gov/web/laus/statewide_otm_oty_change.htm 

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, State Layoffs and Discharges Rates:

https://www.bls.gov/charts/state-job-openings-and-labor-turnover/state-layoffs-and-discharges-rates.htm      

Research Dataset:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Bh9U9a62symEBfcaWMVhQUG_eH7m6fcEH55P0xyvbfQ/edit?gid=0#gid=0  

Study by: https://baderlaw.com/

About Bader Law: Bader Law is an employment law firm dedicated to protecting workers' rights across the United States. The firm represents employees in wrongful termination cases, severance negotiations, workplace discrimination claims, and other employment-related matters.