Unemployment rates declined over the month in 4 states in February 2019

Unemployment rates were lower in February 2019 from January 2019 in 4 states and stable in 46 states and the District of Columbia. Seven states had jobless rate decreases from a year earlier, 2 states had increases, and 41 states and the District had little or no change.

Iowa, New Hampshire, North Dakota, and Vermont had the lowest unemployment rates in February, 2.4 percent each. The rates in Alabama (3.7 percent), North Dakota (2.4 percent), Tennessee (3.2 percent), and Vermont (2.4 percent) set new data series lows. (All state series begin in 1976.) Alaska had the highest jobless rate, 6.5 percent.

In February, four states had unemployment rate decreases: Kentucky, North Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming (-0.1 percentage point each). The remaining 46 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 as large numerically as the significant changes.

These data are from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics program and are seasonally adjusted. Data for the most recent month are preliminary. To learn more, see "State Employment and Unemployment — February 2019." We also have more charts and maps on state employment and unemployment. The historical data for the map in this article are available in the larger collection of maps and charts.