GUAYNABO, PR (September 29, 2026) – Business AI use is rising across the U.S., but it varied widely in the first half of 2026. AI resume builder 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 reported business AI use ran hottest and coolest. Washington, D.C., Arizona, and Colorado led the ranking.
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, D.C. 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 tables below show where reported business AI use was hottest, mildest, and coolest.
Key Findings
- Washington, D.C. 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.
America’s Workplace AI Temp Check: 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, D.C. had the highest average overall at 27.7%, while Arizona had the highest average among states at 24.4%, followed closely by Colorado at 24.0%.
Note: Washington, D.C. is included as a jurisdiction. Arizona had the highest average among states.
America’s Workplace AI Temp Check: 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 led this group, while California and Texas followed closely at 20.8%, landing just below the cutoff for AI Fever Zones.
Note: States with the same percentage are listed alphabetically. Categories were assigned using unrounded values.
America’s Workplace AI Temp Check: 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%.
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, D.C., 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 were not assigned a Resume Now AI Thermometer category because each had fewer than six usable Census values across the first-half 2026 data periods analyzed.
“AI is becoming a part of more workplaces, but this data suggests workers may not encounter that shift evenly across the country,” said Keith Spencer, career expert at Resume Now. “For workers, these differences are a reminder that exposure to AI at work may vary considerably depending on where they live and work. The goal is not to become an AI expert overnight. It is to understand how to use these tools responsibly, check their outputs, and know where human judgment still matters.”
To explore the full America’s Workplace AI Temp Check, please click here.
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 did not 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 was not included in the Resume Now AI Thermometer analysis because the ranking was limited to the 50 states and Washington, D.C.
About Resume Now
Resume Now is a powerful resource dedicated to helping job seekers achieve their potential. Resume Now’s AI Resume Builder is a cutting-edge tool that makes creating a resume fast, easy, and painless. Resume Now has been dedicated to serving job seekers since 2005. Alongside its powerful AI Resume Builder and stylish ready-to-use templates, it also features free advice for job seekers at every career stage, guides for every step of the hiring process, and free resources for writing cover letters. Resume Now is committed to supporting job seekers and workers alike and has conducted numerous surveys related to the experience, trends, and culture of the workplace. These surveys have been featured in Business Insider, CNBC, Fast Company, Yahoo!, Forbes, and more.
