In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, states have engaged in a delicate balancing act of opening their economies while simultaneously protecting public health since the first phase of stay-ay-home orders last spring. While many workers have been teleworking and others have lost their jobs, some have been deemed “essential” by states, continuing to show up to work during the different phases of restriction states have implemented. Now, as states begin to decide how to prioritize the COVID-19 vaccine among their residents, the essential worker designation is more relevant than ever in states.