Job Hunting? Here's the Best Place in America for It

It can be grueling pounding the pavement in search of a new job, what with all of the resume prep, job board scouring, and interview processes. WalletHub wanted to see which parts of America were more job-hunter friendly, so it looked at nearly three dozen metrics in all 50 states, using two key categories: the overall job market (everything from job opportunities and unemployment rates to job security and worker benefits) and a state's economic environment, meaning such factors as median annual income, the share of workers who hold down more than one job, and average commute times. Washington state jumped to the top of the rankings, while West Virginia takes the last-place slot. Here, the top and bottom 10 states for those on the hunt for a new gig:

Best States for Jobs

1. Washington (No. 1 in "Economic Environment" category)
2. Virginia (No. 1 in "Job Market" category)
3. Utah
4. Vermont
5. Florida
6. Maryland
7. South Dakota
8. Colorado
9. Massachusetts
10. Rhode Island

Worst States for Jobs

41. Idaho
42. Alabama
43. Arkansas
44. Oregon
45. Indiana
46. Pennsylvania
47. Louisiana
48. Mississippi
49. Kentucky
50. West Virginia

See how the rest of America fared here. (Check out the 10 best and worst cities in the US to start a career.)