Report: Cannabis Industry Jobs Fell 2.7% Year-Over-Year

Employment in the legal cannabis industry fell slightly in 2025 – down 2.7%, according to Vangst and Whitney Economics’ annual U.S. Cannabis Jobs Report. The report ties the job losses to a 3.3% decrease in U.S. cannabis sales and price compression. 

“In-store checkout data indicates that the number of items in a consumer’s basket, in most states, remained about the same or slightly increased over the past year. At the same time the transaction value – the total cost of goods in the basket – remained steady or decreased. This is a great value deal for consumers but it puts retailers in a pinch. Store operators are seeing smaller average basket value even as they’re scrambling to absorb higher operating costs – with inflation driving up fuel, utilities, contracted services, etc.” — “U.S. Cannabis Jobs Report 2026” 

Of the top 10 cannabis job markets in the U.S., just four – New York, Massachusetts, Missouri, and New Jersey – saw an increase in jobs from 2025 to 2026. The remaining – California, Michigan, Florida, Pennsylvania, Colorado, and Illinois – all saw job losses year-over-year.

It is the second year in a row – and third since 2017 – the legal cannabis industry in the U.S. has seen a workforce reduction. From 2022 to 2023, the industry saw a 2% decrease; from 2024 to 2025, there was a 3.5% reduction. However, there are still 412,500 jobs in the industry, the report says.

New York added the most jobs last year with 16,160, followed by Maryland (3,500), Ohio (2,596), New Jersey (2,468), and Oregon (374). California saw the most job losses with 17,123, followed by Florida (5,270), Illinois (3,000), Michigan (2,500), and Arkansas (1,920).

The report found that legal cannabis sales in the U.S. topped $29.1 billion in 2025 but notes that legal sales only represent 30% to 35% of the nation’s total cannabis demand.