Hawaii had the lowest unemployment rate in November 2017

Hawaii had the lowest unemployment rate in November 2017 (2.0 percent), followed by North Dakota (2.6 percent), and Nebraska and New Hampshire (2.7 percent each). Alaska had the highest jobless rate, at 7.2 percent. The national unemployment rate was 4.1 percent in November 2017.

The November 2017 unemployment rates for Alabama (3.5 percent), California (4.6 percent), Hawaii (2.0 percent), Mississippi (4.8 percent), and Texas (3.8 percent) set new lows for these data series.

Over the 12 months ending November 2017, 23 states had jobless rate decreases, 2 states had increases, and 25 states and the District of Columbia had little or no change. The national unemployment rate in November 2017 was 0.5 percentage point lower than it was in November 2016.

These data are from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics program and are seasonally adjusted. State unemployment data for November 2017 are preliminary and may be revised. Unemployment data for the states are available beginning in January 1976. For more information, see “Regional and State Employment and Unemployment — November 2017” (HTML) (PDF). For more charts and tables related to state employment and unemployment, see the State unemployment chart package.