AI Adoption by State: Which State Uses AI the Most at Work?

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Table of contents

Key Findings
AI Fever Zones
AI Temperate Zones
AI Chill Zones
How States Compared on the Resume Now AI Thermometer

Business AI use is rising across the U.S., but it varied widely in the first half of 2026. Resume Now has released America's Workplace AI Temp Check, a new analysis of U.S. Census Bureau Business Trends and Outlook Survey data that uses the Resume Now AI Thermometer to identify where workplace AI use by state ran hottest and coolest.

The analysis is based on state-level census data showing the percentage of businesses that reported using AI in at least one business function during the first half of 2026. Resume Now used the averages for the 48 included states and Washington, DC, to create the 18.9% Thermometer Baseline for the Resume Now AI Thermometer.

The Thermometer groups states into three categories: AI Fever Zones, AI Temperate Zones, and AI Chill Zones. The report shows where reported business AI use was hottest, mildest, and coolest.

Key Findings

Washington, DC ran hottest. 27.7% of businesses reported AI use, the highest average in the analysis.
Arizona led all states. 24.4% of Arizona businesses reported AI use, narrowly ahead of Colorado at 24.0%.
The Temperate Zones ran close to the cutoff. Minnesota led the group, while California and Texas followed closely at 20.8%.
West Virginia ran coolest. 13.5% of businesses reported AI use, the lowest average among included states.

AI Fever Zones

AI Fever Zones are the states where reported business AI use ran at least 2 percentage points above the Resume Now AI Thermometer Baseline. Washington, DC had the highest overall average at 27.7%, while the state with the highest AI business use on average was Arizona at 24.4%, followed closely by Colorado at 24.0%.

Rank	State/Jurisdiction	Average % of Businesses Reporting AI Use	Distance From Thermometer Baseline
1	Washington, DC	27.7%	+8.8 points
2	Arizona	24.4%	+5.5 points
3	Colorado	24.0%	+5.1 points
4	Washington	23.1%	+4.2 points
5	Utah	22.9%	+4.0 points
6	Delaware	22.7%	+3.8 points
7	Nevada	22.6%	+3.7 points
8	Florida	21.9%	+3.0 points
9	Maryland	21.4%	+2.5 points
10	Virginia	21.3%	+2.4 points

Note: Washington, DC is included as a jurisdiction. Arizona had the highest average among states.

AI Temperate Zones

AI Temperate Zones are states where reported business AI use fell within less than 2 percentage points above or below the Resume Now AI Thermometer Baseline. Minnesota topped this group, while California and Texas followed closely at 20.8%, landing just below the cutoff for AI Fever Zones.

Rank	State/Jurisdiction	Average % of Businesses Reporting AI Use	Distance From Thermometer Baseline
1	Minnesota	20.9%	+1.97 points
2	California	20.8%	+1.9 points
2	Texas	20.8%	+1.9 points
4	Georgia	20.5%	+1.6 points
4	New Hampshire	20.5%	+1.6 points
6	Missouri	19.8%	+0.9 points
7	Ohio	19.6%	+0.7 points
8	South Carolina	19.4%	+0.5 points
9	Rhode Island	19.3%	+0.4 points
10	Montana	19.0%	+0.1 points

Note: States with the same percentage are listed alphabetically. Categories were assigned using unrounded values.

AI Chill Zones

AI Chill Zones are states where reported business AI use was at least 2 percentage points below the Resume Now AI Thermometer Baseline. The table below shows the 10 states with the lowest average percentages of businesses reporting AI use, with West Virginia lowest at 13.5%, followed by Mississippi at 13.7% and Arkansas at 14.3%.

Rank	State/Jurisdiction	Average % of Businesses Reporting AI Use	Distance From Thermometer Baseline
1	West Virginia	13.5%	–5.4 points
2	Mississippi	13.7%	–5.2 points
3	Arkansas	14.3%	–4.6 points
4	New Mexico	14.7%	–4.2 points
5	Oklahoma	14.9%	–4.0 points
6	Louisiana	15.3%	–3.6 points
7	Iowa	15.4%	–3.5 points
8	Nebraska	15.8%	–3.1 points
9	Hawaii	16.1%	–2.8 points
9	New York	16.1%	–2.8 points

Note: States with the same percentage are listed alphabetically.

How States Compared on the Resume Now AI Thermometer

Using the Resume Now AI Thermometer, states were grouped into three categories: 13 were AI Fever Zones, 21 were AI Temperate Zones, and 15 were AI Chill Zones.

The tables above highlight selected states in each category, while the lists below show the full category breakdown.

AI Fever Zones: Washington, DC, along with Arizona, Colorado, Washington, Utah, Delaware, Nevada, Florida, Maryland, Virginia, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Oregon.
AI Temperate Zones: Minnesota, California, Texas, Georgia, New Hampshire, Missouri, Ohio, South Carolina, Rhode Island, Montana, Idaho, Indiana, Tennessee, Wyoming, Illinois, Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, South Dakota, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
AI Chill Zones: West Virginia, Mississippi, Arkansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Hawaii, New York, Vermont, Kansas, Kentucky, New Jersey, and Alabama.
Excluded from Resume Now AI Thermometer analysis: Alaska and North Dakota weren't assigned a Resume Now AI Thermometer category because each had fewer than six usable census values across the first-half 2026 data periods analyzed.

For press inquiries, please contact Alexa Kalechofsky at alexa.kalechofsky@bold.com.

Methodology

Resume Now analyzed state-level data from the U.S. Census Bureau Business Trends and Outlook Survey showing the percentage of businesses that reported using AI in at least one business function during the first half of 2026. For each state and jurisdiction, Resume Now averaged the usable census values. Suppressed values were excluded. The ranking reflects the percentage of businesses reporting AI use, not the total number of businesses using AI in each state or jurisdiction.

Because the ranking is based on the percentage of businesses reporting AI use rather than the total number of businesses, larger states do not automatically rank higher.

To avoid calculating averages from too little data, Resume Now included only states and jurisdictions with at least six usable census values. Alaska and North Dakota were excluded because they didn't meet that threshold.

Resume Now then averaged the 49 included state and jurisdiction averages to create the 18.9% Thermometer Baseline. States and jurisdictions at least 2 percentage points above the Baseline were categorized as AI Fever Zones, those less than 2 percentage points above or below the Baseline were categorized as AI Temperate Zones, and those at least 2 percentage points below the Baseline were categorized as AI Chill Zones. Categories were assigned using unrounded values.

Puerto Rico appeared in the census data but wasn't included in the Resume Now AI Thermometer analysis because the ranking was limited to the 50 states and Washington, DC.

Keith is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and trusted media source in the career industry with over a decade of experience helping job seekers stand out.