West Coast states are falling behind as job openings skyrocket elsewhere

If you’re looking for a job, don’t rush to the Golden State.

Fresh analysis from WalletHub reveals that the West Coast in general has fallen embarrassingly behind the rest of the US when it comes to new employment opportunities.

California now has of the most woefully low number of jobs open in the country right now — coming in at just 3.5 %.

Many other states west of the Rockies fared just as poorly on the national ranking — Washington, which has faced major tax increases in recent years, among numerous other challenges that reportedly have local business leaders eyeing the exits, came in dead last at 3.3%.

Hawaii nearly bottomed out at 3.5% — while Nevada only managed a meagre 3.6%. Oregon is the best in the West at 4.0% — with the exception of Alaska, which managed an impressive 5.4%.

For more options, look East — where no coastal states fell below 4.0%. Georgia topped the list, with a rate of 5.5%.

The data used in the analysis is sourced from the U.S. Bureau and Labor Statistics.

To calculate the job openings rate, WalletHub divided the number of job openings by the sum of employment and job openings — and multiplied that by 100.

Jobs aren’t the only area where mighty California is currently struggling.

A recent study from SmartAsset showed that Californians with jobs would have to earn more than almost every other state in order to support a family on a single income.

The study revealed that Californians would have to earn a minimum of $101,213 a year to support a partner that stays at home, and just one child.

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters

Another 2026 study from SmartAsset revealed the shocking amounts that Californians would need to earn in order to live comfortably in the state’s biggest cities.

In San Francisco, a family of four would need to earn $408,000 per year to live comfortably, topping the list nationwide.

Two other California cities made up the top three in the country. San Jose came in second at $403,000, while Oakland ranked third with $371,000. Irvine also made it into the top 10, with a salary of $327,000 needed to live comfortably.

This is in sharp contrast to the median household income for a US family of four is just $124,999 — making a comfortable life in California a pipe dream for most Americans.

The state is tough on the elderly, too. California was completely snubbed from a list of the best small towns in country to retire.