Table 5
Growth in FIRE Sector Employment, 1998
Rank	State	Amt.		Rank	State	Amt.
1	South Dakota	10.4%		27	New Jersey	2.7%
2	Nevada	7.9%		28	Massachusetts	2.6%
3	North Carolina	6.3%		29	Indiana	2.6%
4	Oklahoma	6.2%		30	Delaware	2.5%
5	Georgia	6.2%		31	Alaska	2.5%
6	Minnesota	6.2%		32	Kansas	2.5%
7	Utah	6.2%		33	Vermont	2.4%
8	Arizona	5.9%		34	Ohio	2.3%
9	South Carolina	5.9%		35	New Mexico	1.9%
10	Washington	5.8%		36	Alabama	1.8%
11	Rhode Island	5.8%		37	West Virginia	1.8%
12	Texas	5.7%		38	NEW YORK	1.6%
13	Florida	5.3%		39	Pennsylvania	1.4%
14	Wyoming	4.9%		40	New Hampshire	1.3%
15	Nebraska	4.8%		41	Illinois	1.2%
16	Maine	4.5%		42	Michigan	0.8%
17	Colorado	4.4%		43	Maryland	0.8%
18	California	4.3%		44	Arkansas	0.7%
19	North Dakota	3.9%		45	Louisiana	0.3%
20	Missouri	3.8%		46	Oregon	0.3%
21	Connecticut	3.8%		47	Kentucky	0.1%
22	Tennessee	3.7%		48	Mississippi	-0.5%
23	Iowa	3.6%		49	Hawaii	-2.5%
24	Virginia	3.5%		50	Idaho	-10.3%
25	Wisconsin	3.1%		U.S. average		3.7%
26	Montana	3.0%		N.Y.S. % of U.S. avg.		43.2%
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, December 1997-December 1998
From 1988 through 1996, New York lost 82,000 jobs in this key sector, while the rest of the nation gained more than 300,000.