America’s Most Toxic Workplaces By State

It might not come as a shock that workplace culture doesn’t look the same across states.

A new study from The Barber Law Firm, a Texas‑based personal injury and workplace‑rights firm, ranked all 50 states by their levels of toxic leadership. Their goal was simply to see which states see the highest levels of leadership friction, or as they call it, the states with the most “bad bosses.”

“A ‘bad boss’ is a legal and economic liability and not just a workplace grievance,” says Kris Barber, founder and principal attorney of The Barber Law Firm, shares. “Our research confirms that when employees start searching for ways to deal with toxic management, it is often the first step in a journey that ends with a resignation letter or a formal lawsuit.”

Researchers at the firm tracked 153 “bad boss” related Google keywords from May 2024 to April 2025 per state. They looked for searches like everything from “how to deal with a bad boss” to “how to sue my boss.” Then, they added two additional indicators – employee churn rates and EEOC discrimination and harassment charges.

THESE STATES HAVE THE MOST TOXIC WORK ENVIRONMENTS

At the top of the list for toxic workplaces is Nevada, earning a striking 94.15 out of 100. Their score is backed by high search volume and elevated turnover. Tennessee follows with a score of 87.56, driven by the second highest churn rate in the country at 5.3%, and a heavy load of discrimination and harassment filings.

The South, in general, emerges as a hotspot for workplace instability. Six of the top 10 most toxic states – Tennessee, South Carolina, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana and Arkansas were in this bunch.

THESE STATES HAVE THE LEAST TOXIC WORK ENVIRONMENTS

On the opposite end of the spectrum, New Hampshire claimed the title of least toxic workplace environment. This state landed a Toxic Leadership Score of just 37.18 and one of the lowest discriminations‑charge rates in the country. Other low‑toxicity states like Massachusetts, California, New York, and Iowa had lower churn rates with fewer legal complaints. These states are likely those with stronger workplace protections and seemingly healthier management cultures.

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