For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Friday, August 16, 2024 USDL-24-1665
Technical information:
Employment: (202) 691-6559 * sminfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/sae
Unemployment: (202) 691-6392 * lausinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/lau
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov
STATE EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT -- JULY 2024
Unemployment rates were higher in July in 13 states, lower in 1 state, and stable
in 36 states and the District of Columbia, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
reported today. Twenty-eight states and the District had jobless rate increases
from a year earlier, 2 states had decreases, and 20 states had little change.
The national unemployment rate rose by 0.2 percentage point over the month to
4.3 percent and was 0.8 percentage point higher than in July 2023.
Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 2 states, decreased in 1 state, and was
essentially unchanged in 47 states and the District of Columbia in July 2024. Over
the year, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 28 states and was essentially
unchanged in 22 states and the District.
This news release presents statistics from two monthly programs. The civilian labor
force and unemployment data are modeled based largely on a survey of households.
These data pertain to individuals by where they reside. The employment data are
from an establishment survey that measures nonfarm employment, hours, and earnings
by industry. These data pertain to jobs on payrolls defined by where the
establishments are located. For more information about the concepts and statistical
methodologies used by these two programs, see the Technical Note.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
| |
| Hurricane Beryl |
| |
| Hurricane Beryl made landfall on the central coast of Texas on July 8, 2024, during |
| the reference periods for both the household and establishment surveys. Response rates |
| for the two surveys were within normal ranges both nationally and for the affected areas. |
| For information on how unusually severe weather can affect employment and hours |
| estimates, see question 8 in the Frequently Asked Questions section of the Employment |
| Situation news release at www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.faq.htm. |
|____________________________________________________________________________________________|
Unemployment
South Dakota had the lowest jobless rate in July, 2.0 percent, closely followed by
Vermont, 2.1 percent, and North Dakota, 2.2 percent. The rate in Mississippi, 2.7
percent, set a new series low. (All state series begin in 1976.) The District of
Columbia had the highest unemployment rate, 5.5 percent, closely followed by Nevada,
5.4 percent. In total, 28 states had unemployment rates lower than the U.S. figure
of 4.3 percent, 4 states and the District had higher rates, and 18 states had rates
that were not appreciably different from that of the nation. (See tables A and 1.)
In July, 13 states had unemployment rate increases, the largest of which were in
Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, and South Carolina (+0.3 percentage point each).
Connecticut had the only rate decrease (-0.3 percentage point). Thirty-six states
and the District of Columbia had jobless rates that were not notably different from
those of a month earlier, though some had changes that were at least as large
numerically as the significant changes. (See table B.)
Twenty-eight states and the District of Columbia had unemployment rate increases
from July 2023, the largest of which was in Rhode Island (+1.8 percentage points).
Two states had over-the-year rate decreases: Arizona (-0.5 percentage point) and
Mississippi (-0.4 point). Twenty states had jobless rates that were not notably
different from those of a year earlier, though some had changes that were at least
as large numerically as the significant changes. (See table C.)
Nonfarm Payroll Employment
Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 2 states, decreased in 1 state, and was
essentially unchanged in 47 states and the District of Columbia in July 2024.
Job gains occurred in New York (+41,400, or +0.4 percent) and Oregon (+8,500,
or +0.4 percent), while job losses occurred in Missouri (-22,400, or -0.7 percent).
(See tables D and 3.)
Over the year, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 28 states and was
essentially unchanged in 22 states and the District of Columbia. The largest
job gains occurred in California (+284,400), Texas (+265,500), and Florida
(+229,500). The largest percentage increases occurred in South Carolina
(+3.7 percent), Nevada (+3.3 percent), and Alaska (+3.1 percent). (See table E.)
_____________
The Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment news release for July is
scheduled to be released on Wednesday, August 28, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).
The State Employment and Unemployment news release for August is scheduled
to be released on Friday, September 20, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).
____________________________________________________________________________________________
| |
| 2024 Preliminary Benchmark Revision to Establishment Survey Data |
| to be Released on August 21, 2024 |
| |
| Each year, Current Employment Statistics (CES) estimates are benchmarked to comprehensive |
| counts of employment from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW). These |
| counts are derived from state unemployment insurance (UI) tax records that nearly all |
| employers are required to file. As part of the benchmark process for benchmark year 2024, |
| census-derived employment counts replace CES payroll employment estimates for all 50 |
| states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and about 450 |
| metropolitan areas and divisions for the period from April 2023 to September 2024. |
| |
| The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) will release first-quarter 2024 data from the QCEW |
| on August 21, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. (ET). Preliminary benchmark revisions for March 2024 |
| for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and selected metropolitan areas at the total |
| nonfarm level will be made available shortly thereafter at |
| www.bls.gov/sae/publications/preliminary-benchmark-announcement.htm. The final benchmark |
| revision for all state and metropolitan area series will be issued with the publication |
| of the January 2025 State Employment and Unemployment news release in March 2025. |
|____________________________________________________________________________________________|
Table A. States with unemployment rates significantly different
from that of the U.S., July 2024, seasonally adjusted
--------------------------------------------------------------
State | Rate(p)
--------------------------------------------------------------
United States (1) ...................| 4.3
|
Alabama .............................| 2.8
Arizona .............................| 3.4
Arkansas ............................| 3.3
California ..........................| 5.2
District of Columbia ................| 5.5
Florida .............................| 3.3
Georgia .............................| 3.4
Hawaii ..............................| 2.9
Idaho ...............................| 3.5
Illinois ............................| 5.2
|
Iowa ................................| 2.8
Kansas ..............................| 3.2
Maine ...............................| 2.8
Maryland ............................| 2.8
Massachusetts .......................| 3.5
Minnesota ...........................| 3.2
Mississippi .........................| 2.7
Montana .............................| 3.1
Nebraska ............................| 2.6
Nevada ..............................| 5.4
|
New Hampshire .......................| 2.5
North Carolina ......................| 3.7
North Dakota ........................| 2.2
Oklahoma ............................| 3.5
Pennsylvania ........................| 3.4
South Dakota ........................| 2.0
Tennessee ...........................| 3.0
Utah ................................| 3.2
Vermont .............................| 2.1
Virginia ............................| 2.7
|
Washington ..........................| 4.9
Wisconsin ...........................| 3.0
Wyoming .............................| 2.9
--------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Data are not preliminary.
(p) = preliminary.
Table B. States with statistically significant unemployment rate changes
from June 2024 to July 2024, seasonally adjusted
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Rate |
|-----------|-----------| Over-the-month
State | June | July | change(p)
| 2024 | 2024(p) |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Connecticut ....................| 3.9 | 3.6 | -0.3
Delaware .......................| 4.0 | 4.1 | .1
Georgia ........................| 3.3 | 3.4 | .1
Illinois .......................| 5.0 | 5.2 | .2
Indiana ........................| 3.8 | 4.0 | .2
Kansas .........................| 3.0 | 3.2 | .2
Massachusetts ..................| 3.2 | 3.5 | .3
Michigan .......................| 4.1 | 4.4 | .3
Minnesota ......................| 2.9 | 3.2 | .3
Missouri .......................| 3.7 | 3.8 | .1
| | |
Nevada .........................| 5.2 | 5.4 | .2
North Dakota ...................| 2.1 | 2.2 | .1
South Carolina .................| 3.6 | 3.9 | .3
Utah ...........................| 3.0 | 3.2 | .2
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
(p) = preliminary.
Table C. States with statistically significant unemployment rate changes
from July 2023 to July 2024, seasonally adjusted
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Rate |
|-----------|-----------| Over-the-year
State | July | July | change(p)
| 2023 | 2024(p) |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alabama ........................| 2.4 | 2.8 | 0.4
Arizona ........................| 3.9 | 3.4 | -.5
California .....................| 4.7 | 5.2 | .5
Colorado .......................| 3.2 | 3.9 | .7
District of Columbia ...........| 4.7 | 5.5 | .8
Florida ........................| 2.9 | 3.3 | .4
Idaho ..........................| 3.1 | 3.5 | .4
Illinois .......................| 4.4 | 5.2 | .8
Indiana ........................| 3.4 | 4.0 | .6
Kansas .........................| 2.6 | 3.2 | .6
| | |
Kentucky .......................| 4.2 | 4.7 | .5
Louisiana ......................| 3.4 | 3.9 | .5
Maryland .......................| 1.9 | 2.8 | .9
Michigan .......................| 3.8 | 4.4 | .6
Mississippi ....................| 3.1 | 2.7 | -.4
Missouri .......................| 3.1 | 3.8 | .7
Montana ........................| 2.8 | 3.1 | .3
Nebraska .......................| 2.3 | 2.6 | .3
Nevada .........................| 5.0 | 5.4 | .4
New Hampshire ..................| 2.1 | 2.5 | .4
| | |
New York .......................| 4.1 | 4.3 | .2
North Carolina .................| 3.4 | 3.7 | .3
North Dakota ...................| 1.8 | 2.2 | .4
Ohio ...........................| 3.4 | 4.5 | 1.1
Oregon .........................| 3.6 | 4.1 | .5
Pennsylvania ...................| 3.2 | 3.4 | .2
Rhode Island ...................| 2.7 | 4.5 | 1.8
South Carolina .................| 2.8 | 3.9 | 1.1
Utah ...........................| 2.7 | 3.2 | .5
Vermont ........................| 1.9 | 2.1 | .2
Washington .....................| 3.9 | 4.9 | 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
(p) = preliminary.
Table D. States with statistically significant employment changes from
June 2024 to July 2024, seasonally adjusted
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| | | Over-the-month change(p)
State | June | July |---------------------------
| 2024 | 2024(p) | Level | Percent
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Missouri .....................| 3,068,000 | 3,045,600 | -22,400 | -0.7
New York .....................| 9,879,500 | 9,920,900 | 41,400 | .4
Oregon .......................| 1,981,000 | 1,989,500 | 8,500 | .4
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(p) = preliminary.
Table E. States with statistically significant employment changes from
July 2023 to July 2024, seasonally adjusted
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| | | Over-the-year change(p)
State | July | July |---------------------------
| 2023 | 2024(p) | Level | Percent
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alabama ......................| 2,164,300 | 2,218,900 | 54,600 | 2.5
Alaska .......................| 328,500 | 338,600 | 10,100 | 3.1
Arizona ......................| 3,187,700 | 3,261,200 | 73,500 | 2.3
Arkansas .....................| 1,349,300 | 1,372,300 | 23,000 | 1.7
California ...................| 17,791,000 | 18,075,400 | 284,400 | 1.6
Colorado .....................| 2,950,800 | 2,994,000 | 43,200 | 1.5
Florida ......................| 9,760,300 | 9,989,800 | 229,500 | 2.4
Georgia ......................| 4,903,300 | 4,980,900 | 77,600 | 1.6
Idaho ........................| 847,200 | 870,500 | 23,300 | 2.8
Indiana ......................| 3,233,900 | 3,284,400 | 50,500 | 1.6
| | | |
Kansas .......................| 1,440,400 | 1,461,500 | 21,100 | 1.5
Massachusetts ................| 3,709,000 | 3,750,200 | 41,200 | 1.1
Missouri .....................| 2,983,200 | 3,045,600 | 62,400 | 2.1
Montana ......................| 519,800 | 535,200 | 15,400 | 3.0
Nebraska .....................| 1,049,200 | 1,072,300 | 23,100 | 2.2
Nevada .......................| 1,534,700 | 1,584,600 | 49,900 | 3.3
New Jersey ...................| 4,316,400 | 4,375,000 | 58,600 | 1.4
New Mexico ...................| 873,000 | 887,300 | 14,300 | 1.6
New York .....................| 9,728,900 | 9,920,900 | 192,000 | 2.0
North Carolina ...............| 4,941,000 | 5,019,900 | 78,900 | 1.6
| | | |
Oklahoma .....................| 1,751,900 | 1,777,400 | 25,500 | 1.5
Pennsylvania .................| 6,086,000 | 6,191,000 | 105,000 | 1.7
South Carolina ...............| 2,305,000 | 2,390,800 | 85,800 | 3.7
Texas ........................| 13,900,900 | 14,166,400 | 265,500 | 1.9
Utah .........................| 1,722,400 | 1,759,200 | 36,800 | 2.1
Vermont ......................| 309,300 | 316,400 | 7,100 | 2.3
Virginia .....................| 4,171,800 | 4,256,200 | 84,400 | 2.0
Washington ...................| 3,598,800 | 3,672,200 | 73,400 | 2.0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(p) = preliminary.
United States Department of Labor
