The US legal cannabis industry supported 445,800 full-time equivalent jobs in 2025 — a +1.2% YoY gain and the industry's first positive employment year since 2022, driven by Ohio's first full year of adult-use and continued retail ramp in Maryland, New Jersey, Minnesota, and Delaware. That is more people employed than all US dental hygienists combined. The tables below answer how many cannabis jobs exist in every state, which roles (retail, cultivation, extraction, testing, corporate) account for the most cannabis industry employment, how cannabis jobs are distributed across the supply chain, and how cannabis employment compares to other regulated consumer-goods sectors.
Short answer
The US legal cannabis industry supported 445,800 full-time equivalent jobs in 2025 (+1.2% YoY — the first positive jobs year since 2022). California employs the most cannabis workers (80,900).
445,800Full-time cannabis jobs (2025)+1.2% YoY
24States with adult-use markets
Cannabis Jobs Returned to Growth in 2025
After two consecutive annual declines, cannabis employment ticked back up ~1.2% in 2025 — the industry's first positive jobs year since 2022. The recovery was driven by Ohio's first full year of adult-use, continued retail expansion in Maryland and New Jersey, and the launch of adult-use retail in Minnesota and Delaware. Mature West Coast markets (California, Oregon, Washington) continued to shed cultivation jobs as wholesale prices stayed at historic lows.
Based on the Leafly Jobs Report breakdown, roughly:
~45% retail / budtender / dispensary operations
~25% cultivation and growing operations
~15% extraction, manufacturing, packaging, and processing
~10% testing labs, compliance, and transport
~5% corporate, legal, finance, marketing
Frequently Asked Questions
Q.How many cannabis jobs are there in the US in 2025?
The US legal cannabis industry supported 445,800 full-time equivalent jobs in 2025, per the Leafly Jobs Report 2026. This is more Americans than work in dental hygiene, electrical engineering, or as pharmacists in many states.
Q.Are cannabis jobs growing?
Yes, cannabis jobs grew 1.2% in 2025 — the industry's first positive jobs year since 2022. Growth came from newly-launched adult-use states (Ohio, Maryland, New York, Minnesota, Delaware) while mature West Coast markets continued to shed cultivation positions.
Q.Which state has the most cannabis jobs?
California employs the most cannabis workers (~80,900 FTE in 2025), followed by Michigan (~38,900), Colorado (~32,900), Florida (~32,800 medical), and Illinois (~30,800). Per-capita, Montana and New Mexico have the highest cannabis employment density.
Q.What kinds of jobs are in the cannabis industry?
Budtenders earn $17-22/hour on average; cultivation workers $18-24/hour; extraction technicians $22-30/hour; compliance officers $65-95K/year; master growers $75-120K/year; and dispensary managers $50-80K/year plus bonus. Salaries vary significantly by state and company stage.
Q.Why did cannabis jobs decline in 2023 and 2024?
Jobs declined roughly 4% in 2023 and 3% in 2024 primarily because wholesale cannabis prices collapsed in mature markets (CA, CO, OR, WA) to all-time lows. Cultivators cut staff to survive; new market launches partially offset but not fully.
Sources: Leafly Jobs Report 2026 (data through December 2025).
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Data & accuracy: Statistics on this page are estimates compiled from third-party and government sources and are provided as-is, without warranty of accuracy or completeness. Figures change over time — verify against the cited primary sources before relying on them.
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