The Bakken formation has been very, very good to North Dakota. The state again led the nation when Gallup conducted its latest job market conditions survey. Meantime, Connecticut fell to the bottom of the rankings.

Using a hiring climate formula based upon companies that are hiring and those that are laying people off, Gallup reported that these are the Top 5 states to find a job in:

  1. North Dakota

  2. Texas

  3. Nebraska

  4. Wisconsin

  5. Michigan

The places not to look for work were:

  1. Connecticut

  2. Alaska

  3. New Mexico

  4. West Virginia

  5. Maine

North Dakota's economy has been driven for some time now by the drilling activity generated by the discovery of the Bakken formation. While the activity has caused some related law enforcement and housing problems, and involves the controversial fracking process, it's been good for state revenue, highway conditions, school funding and unemployment stats.

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Dan Cook

Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.