DC, NY, And Illinois Top List of States With Best Workplace Culture, Idaho Named The Worst

New data reveals which U.S. states lead in offering workplaces that prioritize employee satisfaction and which ones fall short.

The leadership guidance website People Managing People released a 2025 report on which states have the best and worst workplace cultures. Analysts used a weighted composite score based on 24 metrics, including average salary, average number of paid holidays, and quit rate. Based on the findings, states with major cities dominate the top spots.

The top 10 states with the best workplace culture include the District of Columbia, New York, Illinois, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Washington, California, Ohio, and Maryland. The 10 states with the lowest workplace culture ranking are Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Arkansas, Texas, and Oklahoma.

The results found that midwestern and northeastern states are most likely to foster positive workplace cultures. The District of Columbia may not be a state, but the U.S. capital and federal district is where workers generally enjoy higher salaries, lower quit rates, and fewer hours worked. New York and Illinois came in second and third, thanks in part to their state policies that protect workers and promote higher wages.

On the other hand, the worst states for workplace culture were found in the western and southern regions, with mountain states like Wyoming and Montana particularly underperforming among workers. These two states had some of the highest quit rates, at 3.7% and 3%, and Idaho had the lowest employee satisfaction. Analysts suggest that mountain states likely scored lower due to fewer wellness and employee assistance programs, limited paid leave, and longer work hours.

From a political perspective, states with stronger workplace cultures tend to be more liberal-leaning blue states, while those with the weakest workplace cultures are predominantly conservative-leaning red states. The findings are based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, KFF, Statista, and Oxfam from 2021 to 2024.

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