North Dakota is the top-ranked state in the Employment Leaders category of Business Facilities 2011 State Rankings Report. Nebraska, South Dakota and New Hampshire finished second, third and fourth, respectively.
More than 4,000 active oil wells are now producing oil from the Bakken Shale Formation in North Dakota, which is believed to hold reserves totalling at least 3.65 billion barrels of oil. The oil boom has created a surge of jobs in Dunn, Montrail and Mercer counties.
Nebraska has managed to keep its unemployment rate at about 4.2 percent, less than half the national average.
Here are the top 10 finishers in the Employment Leaders category:
2011 STATE RANKING: EMPLOYMENT LEADERS
1. NORTH DAKOTA
2. NEBRASKA
3. SOUTH DAKOTA
4. NEW HAMPSHIRE
5. VERMONT
6. IOWA
7. WYOMING
8. HAWAII
9. VIRGINIA
10. OKLAHOMA
