By Jonathan Eberle |

A new national analysis reveals that Arizona’s job market is holding steady, ranking 12th in the nation for job openings with a rate that mirrors the U.S. average.

According to a new report from Podium AI, which analyzed the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Arizona’s job opening rate sits at 4.4%, matching the national average. That equates to roughly 149,000 available positions across the state—placing Arizona in a balanced middle ground between neighboring New Mexico (5.1%) and Utah (4.2%).

West Virginia tops the national rankings with the highest job opening rate in the country—6%, which is 36% above the national average. Despite its smaller population, the state reports around 46,000 open positions, a sign of a particularly tight labor market. Meanwhile, Washington State ranks lowest with a 3.7% job opening rate, 16% below the national average, though it still reports 142,000 job openings in total.

Arizona’s mid-tier ranking suggests a stable labor environment, neither overheated nor stagnant. Economists often view such alignment with national averages as a sign of balance between worker demand and supply.

The data may also reflect Arizona’s ongoing economic diversification. With growth in industries like manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare, employers are competing to fill specialized roles while maintaining steady hiring across service sectors. Nationally, the report identifies roughly 7.4 million job openings, translating to a 4.4% rate. But that average conceals deep regional differences.

Eric Rea, CEO and founder of Podium AI, said the results underscore the complexity of comparing job markets across states. “What really stands out is the contrast between smaller states like West Virginia and Maine, which are posting the highest rates, and much larger economies like California and Texas, which sit near the bottom,” Rea said.

“It’s not that California and Texas don’t have jobs—they have hundreds of thousands—but because their workforces are so large, those openings represent a much smaller share overall.”

Rea added that high job opening rates can reflect both strong demand for workers and challenges for employers struggling to find qualified staff.

“States like West Virginia and Maine may be experiencing tight labor markets where businesses are competing harder to attract workers,” he said. “That can create opportunities for job seekers, but it also puts pressure on employers to raise pay and improve benefits.”

For Arizona job seekers, the state’s alignment with the national average means steady opportunities across sectors but not the intense competition—or leverage—seen in smaller, high-demand states. With roughly 149,000 openings on the books, Arizona’s workforce remains in a healthy equilibrium—a sign of resilience in a national economy still recalibrating after pandemic-era labor shifts.

Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.