#12 California: Jobseeker Michael Williams flashes a 'hang loose' sign as he stands on an exit ramp in Irvine, Calif. to advertise himself to the job market. For the Golden State, the 2000s have been a bust. The last time, California had fewer workers on the job, people were gripped with millennial fervor and worried about the Y2K bug (December 1999).

Paul Bersebach/The Orange County Register/Newscom/File