Best States to Work in the U.S. 2026
The Best States to Work Index (BSWI) surveys 37 labor policies across all 50 U.S. states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico. Now in its ninth edition, the annual index examines policies in three dimensions: wages, worker protections, and rights to organize and collectively bargain. The BSWI highlights where states have strong workers' rights policies and identifies the states where workers lack essential protections. It provides a roadmap to a strong labor policy landscape for both state and federal policymakers to follow. No state has a perfect score in the index, and each has room for improvement. Further, no policy tracked in the index has an adequate federal mandate. The BSWI aims to inspire a race to the top, providing models for other states — and the federal government — to follow.
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