In recruiting, location has always mattered. This year’s Recruitment Marketing Benchmark Report shows just how dramatically geography influences apply rates, costs, and overall efficiency.
If you’re planning budgets, forecasting recruiting bottlenecks, or deciding where to prioritize investment, here’s what you need to know.
Younger, faster‑growing states deliver higher apply rates
Apply volume follows people. States with younger populations and high in‑migration consistently deliver the strongest apply rates. Many of these fast‑growth states cluster across the Sun Belt, where a steady influx of workers adds both talent supply and economic momentum.
Take California vs. Vermont.
California: Unemployment at 5.0% → Apply rate 5.0% Vermont: Unemployment at 2.6% → Apply rate 3.4%
The takeaway is simple: More available workers generate more applications, which directly drives down cost-per-application (CPA).
But this pattern isn’t uniform. Wyoming, for example, bucks the trend with low unemployment but strong apply rates — proof that local labor conditions aren’t one‑note. Regional industry mixes, wages, migration patterns, and even culture can affect candidate behavior.
HR TECH MARKETPLACE
»See how your employer brand stacks up against the competition with CLEO Ai
