What an American Job Center does
"American Job Center" is the common identifier federal rules give to the one-stop centers of the public workforce system (20 CFR 678.900). CareerOneStop, the U.S. Department of Labor's locator, counts nearly 2,400 of them and says they provide free help to job seekers.
The core offer is what the rules call career services (20 CFR 678.430). Basic career services must be available to anyone and include:
- Job search and placement help, and career counseling when needed
- Information on local jobs in demand, job vacancies and the skills they need
- Referrals to other programs, plus information on child care, SNAP, Medicaid and other supports
- Information and meaningful assistance for people filing an unemployment claim, on site or by phone
- Help establishing eligibility for financial aid for training
Individualized services add assessments, an employment plan, counseling, short courses on interviewing and workplace skills, internships and English language programs. Training itself is paid through the WIOA program.
Comprehensive vs affiliate centers
| Type | What it must offer |
|---|---|
| Comprehensive | A physical location with access to the programs of all required partners, career services, training access and labor market information, during regular business days, with at least one WIOA title I staff member on site (20 CFR 678.305). |
| Affiliate | A site with one or more partner programs. It does not need to offer every partner, and how often program staff are present is decided locally (20 CFR 678.310). |
Our directory shows the type only when the official source publishes it: 101 offices are listed as comprehensive and 101 as affiliate. Others appear with the state's own labels, such as satellite or specialized.
Job center names by state
Federal rules let states add their own identifiers, so the same network appears under different names. These are the names used in official state sources:
| State | Name used |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Alabama Career Centers |
| Alaska | Alaska Job Center Network |
| Arizona | ARIZONA@WORK |
| Arkansas | Arkansas Workforce Centers |
| California | America's Job Center of California (AJCC) |
| Colorado | Colorado Workforce Centers |
| Connecticut | American Job Centers |
| Delaware | American Job Centers / Delaware JobLink |
| District of Columbia | DC American Job Centers |
| Florida | CareerSource Florida |
| Georgia | WorkSource Georgia / GDOL Career Centers |
| Hawaii | American Job Center Hawaii |
| Idaho | Idaho Department of Labor local offices |
| Illinois | Illinois workNet / American Job Centers |
| Indiana | WorkOne |
| Iowa | IowaWORKS |
| Kansas | KANSASWORKS |
| Kentucky | Kentucky Career Center |
| Louisiana | Louisiana American Job Centers / Louisiana Works |
| Maine | Work Source Maine / CareerCenters |
| Maryland | Maryland American Job Centers |
| Massachusetts | MassHire Career Centers |
| Michigan | Michigan Works! |
| Minnesota | CareerForce |
| Mississippi | WIN Job Centers |
| Missouri | Missouri Job Centers |
| Montana | Job Service Montana |
| Nebraska | Nebraska American Job Centers |
| Nevada | EmployNV Career Hubs |
| New Hampshire | NH Works / NHES Local Offices |
| New Jersey | One-Stop Career Centers |
| New Mexico | America's Job Center New Mexico |
| New York | New York State Career Centers |
| North Carolina | NCWorks Career Centers |
| North Dakota | Job Service North Dakota Workforce Centers |
| Ohio | OhioMeansJobs |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma Works |
| Oregon | WorkSource Oregon |
| Pennsylvania | PA CareerLink |
| Rhode Island | DLT American Job Centers |
| South Carolina | SC Works |
| South Dakota | South Dakota Job Service |
| Tennessee | Tennessee American Job Centers |
| Texas | Workforce Solutions |
| Utah | Utah DWS Employment Centers |
| Vermont | Vermont Department of Labor Job Centers |
| Virginia | Virginia Works / Virginia Workforce Centers |
| Washington | WorkSource Washington |
| West Virginia | WorkForce West Virginia |
| Wisconsin | Job Center of Wisconsin |
| Wyoming | Wyoming Workforce Centers |
Is a job center an unemployment office?
Not necessarily. Centers must help people who are filing, but the state unemployment agency decides and pays claims. In our data, 393 of 1,890 offices say they help with unemployment. Some states are explicit that their centers are not claims offices: Arizona says it has no unemployment insurance offices, and Utah says its Employment Centers cannot help with claims. How to file in your state.
Frequently asked questions
Is an American Job Center a government office?
It is part of the public workforce system funded by the U.S. Department of Labor and run locally by workforce boards, state agencies and their contracted operators. "American Job Center" is the common name federal rules require these centers to use.
Do American Job Centers handle unemployment claims?
They must give information and meaningful assistance to people filing unemployment claims, either on site or by phone. In most states the state agency, not the center, decides and pays claims. Check your state page for what its centers do.
What is the difference between a comprehensive and an affiliate center?
A comprehensive center gives access to all required partner programs and has at least one WIOA title I staff member on site. An affiliate site offers one or more partner programs and is an extra access point.
Do I have to pay?
No. CareerOneStop describes American Job Centers as giving free help to job seekers. Some services, such as funded training, have eligibility requirements.
Sources
CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor): American Job Centers. Checked October 30, 2026.
20 CFR 678.900, common identifier "American Job Center". Checked October 30, 2026.
20 CFR 678.305, comprehensive one-stop center. Checked October 30, 2026.
20 CFR 678.310, affiliated site. Checked October 30, 2026.
20 CFR 678.430, career services. Checked October 30, 2026.