Arizona businesses are embracing artificial intelligence (AI) at a faster rate than businesses in any other state, according to a new analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.

Resume Now’s America’s Workplace AI Temp Check found that 24.4% of Arizona businesses reported using AI in at least one business function during the first half of 2026. That was the highest percentage among states and trailed only Washington, D.C., where reported AI use reached 27.7%. Pasted markdown

Colorado ranked immediately behind Arizona at 24%, followed by Washington at 23.1%, Utah at 22.9% and Delaware at 22.7%. Pasted markdown

The findings provide another indication of how quickly AI is becoming part of the business landscape in Arizona.

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Arizona emerges as an AI leader

Resume Now based its analysis on state-level Census Bureau Business Trends and Outlook Survey data measuring the percentage of businesses reporting AI use in at least one business function.

Researchers used data from 48 states and Washington, D.C., to establish a national “AI Thermometer” baseline of 18.9%. States were then separated into three categories: AI Fever Zones, AI Temperate Zones and AI Chill Zones. Pasted markdown

Arizona’s 24.4% rate was 5.5 percentage points above the baseline, placing it firmly within the study’s AI Fever Zone. Washington, D.C., was 8.8 points above the baseline, while Colorado was 5.1 points higher. Pasted markdown

Overall, 13 jurisdictions or states landed in the AI Fever Zone, including Arizona, Colorado, Washington, Utah, Nevada, Florida, Massachusetts and North Carolina. Twenty-one states were classified as Temperate Zones and 15 as Chill Zones. Alaska and North Dakota were excluded from the classifications because each had fewer than six usable Census values during the periods analyzed. Pasted markdown

AI adoption varies dramatically by state

The study illustrates significant geographic differences in reported workplace AI adoption.

While nearly one-quarter of Arizona businesses reported using AI, the figure was 13.5% in West Virginia, the lowest average among states included in the analysis. Mississippi followed at 13.7%, with Arkansas at 14.3%, New Mexico at 14.7% and Oklahoma at 14.9%. Pasted markdown

Meanwhile, major economic centers including California and Texas each recorded AI usage rates of 20.8%, putting both in the study’s Temperate Zone and below Arizona. Pasted markdown

Keith Spencer, career expert at Resume Now, said the geographic differences suggest workers may experience the workplace AI transformation at different speeds depending on where they live and work.

“The goal is not to become an AI expert overnight,” Spencer said. “It is to understand how to use these tools responsibly, check their outputs, and know where human judgment still matters.” Pasted markdown

For Arizona, the numbers put the state at the forefront of that transformation, with businesses reporting the highest rate of AI use of any state in the nation during the first half of 2026.