Everyone, no matter where you live, is feeling the squeeze as costs rise. If you’re on LinkedIn as much as I am, you know that employment in various sectors is largely being wiped out as AI gobbles up jobs. Stable government and global development jobs vanished virtually overnight. And, as businesses tighten their budgets, they are being forced to let good employees go. The United States is in a state of economic flux with no end in sight. And it feels like it is going to get far worse before it gets any better.
With this economic climate top of mind, Oxfam released its annual report on the best states to work for working families in 2026. The report gleaned data from state policies in three areas, including wages (35% of overall score); worker protections (35% of overall score); and rights to organize (30% of overall score). Overall, Oxfam looked at 37 labor policies in all 50 states as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. The report notes the rising wealth gap and inequality along race, gender, and class. And, importantly, points out how the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill stripped resources from the lower classes and transferred them to the ultra-rich by cutting SNAP and Medicaid.
This year, California ranked number one in all three policy areas, followed by the District of Columbia, New York, Illinois, and Oregon. These top states have higher minimum wages, better worker protections such as equal pay across race and gender, and protect workers from wage theft, among other positive public policies.
Unfortunately, the states with very low scores in the three policy areas- wages, worker protections, and rights to organize are South Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, and North Carolina. As a North Carolinian, I am incredibly surprised and disheartened by these results, especially as North Carolina continues to be a state that attracts more and more workers in the Charlotte area, the Triad, and the Triangle, where there are plenty of tech opportunities.
However, the facts remain the facts. North Carolina’s minimum wage continues to be $7.25, and the state does not require paid family and medical leave or paid sick leave. Additionally, North Carolina prohibits cities from raising the minimum wage. And, for those who work outside or in warehouses, North Carolina, along with the other bottom states, has no statewide heat-safety or warehouse-worker protections. And the state makes it harder to organize and form unions.
Oxfam created this report so those who want to make statewide worker protection changes can easier do so with this report’s scores. Activists and legislators have a rubric that shows how each state excels or fails.
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