Report: Top US states interested in AI adoption for jobs and business in 2025

• Maryland is the state most interested in AI jobs and using AI for business.
• California and Massachusetts rank as the second and third most interested in AI adoption.
• Mississippi has the lowest interest in adopting AI for jobs and business.

Maryland leads the nation in interest around AI-powered careers and tools, showing the strongest appetite for using artificial intelligence in the workplace.

As AI becomes more integrated into business operations, a new study by Bookipi, an invoicing software provider for small businesses, reveals which U.S. states are most actively exploring AI for job opportunities and company growth.

By analyzing search data for terms like “AI job”, “machine learning internship”, and “prompt engineering job”, alongside business sentiment from the U.S. Business Trends and Outlook Survey, we scored each state out of 100 based on public and business interest in adopting AI.

Which US state showed the most interest in AI adoption in business?

Maryland ranks #1 with a nearly perfect score of 99.6 out of 100. Residents are searching AI-related career terms more often than any other state, at an average of 14.6 searches per 100,000 people each month. At the same time, 5.7% of businesses are already using AI in daily operations, and another 7.6% plan to adopt AI within six months.

Maryland also leads in responsible tech adoption. It’s one of the few states that require employers to seek consent before using AI during the hiring process. This shows a strong sign of ethical leadership in tech.

What other states are leading in AI adoption?

California ranks second with a score of 96.14 out of 100. The Golden State averages 14.47 monthly Google searches per 100,000 residents. As expected, the home of Silicon Valley shows a significant interest in AI and related fields, with 6.3% of California’s businesses saying that they currently utilize AI technologies to produce goods and services. A further 8.1% of businesses plan to implement AI in the next six months.

Massachusetts scores 94.31 out of 100 and ranks third. The state is seeing steady growth with AI adoption among its residents, particularly in education and research-driven sectors. It recorded 14.45 monthly Google searches per 100,000 residents for terms related to using AI for work. Some 5.7% of Massachusetts business owners reported using AI in their operations to create goods and services in the past two weeks, with another 7.8% planning to follow suit within six months.

New Jersey ranks fourth with a score of 93.45 out of 100. 5.2% of business owners in the state plan to adopt AI within the next six months to create goods and services, with 3.50% already doing so. There were found to be 14.75 searches per 100,000 residents each month for work-related AI terms. This is the highest rate of any US state.

New York follows in fifth place with a score of 87.81 out of 100. The state records 12.42 Google searches per 100,000 residents, with ‘prompt engineering jobs’ and ‘machine learning internship’ among the state’s most common searches. 4.1% of New York businesses reported using AI within the past two weeks while producing goods and services, with 5.4% planning to integrate AI within six months.

In summary:

• California (Score: 96.14) continues its innovation legacy with strong AI adoption among businesses and high public interest.
• Massachusetts (Score: 94.31) shows steady momentum, especially in education and research-driven sectors.
• New Jersey and New York round out the top five, with strong search volume and increasing AI integration among business owners.

Even in states like Colorado and Virginia, where public search volume is slightly lower, business adoption rates are notably high, signalling strong practical application of AI tools.

What are the top 10 states most interested in adopting AI for work?

California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York follow Maryland, each showing high scores, robust search activity for AI jobs, and increasing business integration of AI technologies.

Colorado ranks sixth, and Virginia comes in seventh, with scores of 86.12 and 84.98 out of 100, respectively. 9.1% of business owners in Colorado and 6.6% of those in Virginia said they would incorporate AI into their production of goods and services within the next six months.

Georgia scores 80.04 out of 100 and ranks eighth, with 12.67 monthly AI job-related searches per 100,000 residents. Washington scores 79.45 out of 100 and ranks ninth. The state records a 13.11 monthly average searches per 100,000 residents for terms related to using AI for work.

Texas completes the top ten with a score of 79.32 out of 100. The Lone Star State has an average of 10.79 monthly searches per 100,000 residents for information relating to AI jobs.

Which US state shows the least interest in AI adoption?

Conversely, Mississippi scores just 3.56 out of 100 and is the state least interested in adopting AI for jobs and business. The state has only 4.42 monthly Google searches for terms related to using AI for business. 3.10% of business owners estimate that they will adopt AI to produce goods and services in the next six months, while 1.7% of business owners used AI in their operations in the last two weeks.

Tim Lee, CEO and founder of Bookipi, comments:

“The study reveals a strong interest in AI throughout America, showcasing notable differences in how states and businesses intend to incorporate these technologies.

“These results emphasize the importance of a strategic AI education and implementation approach. This will ensure that the workforce’s enthusiasm for AI leads to substantial adoption within the business sector, ultimately fostering innovation and economic growth across the nation’s industries.”

If you use this release, please provide a linked mention to: https://bookipi.com/

Frequently asked questions

Which states have the highest average monthly Google searches for AI jobs?

New Jersey (14.75), Maryland (14.60), Massachusetts (14.45), and California (14.47) have the highest average monthly Google searches per 100,000 residents for AI-related jobs.

What is the BTOS AI positivity score and which states score highest?

The BTOS AI positivity score measures business sentiment toward AI adoption, with Maryland (10.07), California (9.75), and Massachusetts (9.57) scoring the highest.

Which states are in the middle of the pack for AI adoption?

States like Florida, Arizona, Delaware, Nevada, and Utah rank between 13th and 17th, with total scores ranging from about 69 to 73.

How do business sentiment and public search interest combine to form the total AI adoption score?

Each state’s total AI adoption score is calculated based on a combination of average monthly Google searches per 100,000 residents and the BTOS AI positivity score, reflecting both public and business interest.

Sources

Google Keyword Planner, Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS)

Methodology

Google search data for keywords related to AI careers was collected and adjusted according to population size in order to give an accurate picture of AI interest per capita.

Examples keywords are provided below:

• ‘AI job’
• ‘Prompt engineering job’
• ‘Job in machine learning’

Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS) responses on AI usage were also compiled and analyzed to provide additional insights into each state’s interest in adopting AI for business.

All 50 states ranked by interest in adopting AI for work