REGIONAL AND STATE EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT -- MARCH 2010
Regional and state unemployment rates were little changed in March.
Twenty-four states recorded over-the-month unemployment rate increases,
17 states and the District of Columbia registered rate decreases, and 9
states had no rate change, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported
today. Forty-four states and the District of Columbia recorded jobless
rate increases from a year earlier, 5 states had decreases, and 1 state
had no change. For the third consecutive month, the national unemploy-
ment rate was 9.7 percent, up from 8.6 percent in March 2009.
In March, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 33 states and the Dis-
trict of Columbia and decreased in 17 states. The largest over-the-month
increase in employment occurred in Maryland (+35,800), followed by Vir-
ginia (+24,500), Pennsylvania (+22,600), Indiana (+16,600), and New York
(+11,700). Maryland experienced the largest over-the-month percentage
increase in employment (+1.4 percent), followed by the District of Co-
lumbia (+1.1 percent) and Arkansas and Delaware (+0.9 percent each).
The largest over-the-month decreases in employment occurred in Michigan
(-9,500), Nevada (-7,100), and Florida (-4,000). Nevada and Vermont ex-
perienced the largest over-the-month percentage decrease in employment
(-0.6 percent each), followed by New Hampshire and New Mexico (-0.3 per-
cent each).Over the year, nonfarm employment decreased in 47 states and
increased in 3 states and the District of Columbia. The largest over-the-
year percentage decreases occurred in Nevada (-4.6 percent), Wyoming
(-3.5 percent), Arizona (-3.3 percent), and California (-3.2 percent).
State Unemployment (Seasonally Adjusted)
Michigan again recorded the highest unemployment rate among the states,
14.1 percent in March. The states with the next highest rates were Ne-
vada, 13.4 percent; California and Rhode Island, 12.6 percent each; Flo-
rida, 12.3 percent; and South Carolina, 12.2 percent. North Dakota con-
tinued to register the lowest jobless rate, 4.0 percent in March, fol-
lowed by South Dakota and Nebraska, 4.8 and 5.0 percent, respectively.
The rates in California, Florida, and Nevada set new series highs, as
did the rate in Georgia (10.6 percent). In total, 24 states posted job-
less rates significantly lower than the U.S. figure of 9.7 percent, 11
states and the District of Columbia had measurably higher rates, and 15
states had rates that were not appreciably different from that of the
nation. (See tables A and 3.)
Four states--Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, and Virginia--reported statis-
tically significant over-the-month unemployment rate increases in March
(+0.2 percentage point each). Massachusetts was the only state to record
a significant over-the-month jobless rate decrease (-0.2 percentage point).
The District of Columbia also posted an appreciable rate decrease from
a month earlier (-0.3 percentage point). The remaining 45 states regis-
tered jobless rates that were not measurably different from those of a
month earlier, though some had changes that were at least as large numer-
ically as the significant changes.
Nevada recorded the largest jobless rate increase from March 2009
(+2.8 percentage points), followed by Florida (+2.7 points) and Missis-
sippi and West Virginia (+2.6 points each). Twenty-five additional states
and the District of Columbia had smaller, but also statistically signif-
icant, increases. Minnesota reported the only significant rate decrease
from a year earlier (-0.7 percentage point). The remaining 20 states reg-
istered jobless rates that were not appreciably different from those
of a year earlier. (See table B.)
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/laus.nr0.htm