Methodology

To determine government employment at the state, local, and federal level as a share of total employment in each state, 24/7 Wall St. used employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for 2018. Government employment includes government-owned schools and hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service.

State employment-to-population ratios are also from the BLS. Population density is from the 2010 Decennial Census. Total state government spending figures come from the Census Bureau’s State and Local Government Finances Snapshot for 2016. Our per capita adjustment is based on population figures from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Population Estimates Program and is for 2017.