Recent Gallup poll data indicates that in December the Midwest showed the highest rate of job creation. The data were compiled after requesting employees to self-report whether their company was hiring or letting go.

32% of Midwest employees said that their companies were hiring, compared with 30% of employees in the South, 28% in the East, and 26% in the West. At the same time, the Midwest also led the way with the smallest proportion of employees who reported that their companies were letting workers go. 15% of Midwest employees said their companies were letting go, compared with 19% in the South, 20% in the West, and 21% in the East.


Gallup also uses these figures to generate its Job Creation Index, a value that represents the difference between the percentage of employees who self-report that their companies are hiring, and the percentage who say their companies are letting go. Nationally, the proportion hiring is 29%, compared to 19% letting go; this yields a figure of +10 for the nationwide index. Both the Midwest and South have an index above the nationwide index, at +17 and +11 respectively. Beneath the nationwide index are the East at +7, and West at +6.