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Unemployment rates rose in 29 states and the District of Columbia in March 2020
April 23, 2020
Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia had statistically significant unemployment rate increases in March 2020. Rates were lower over the month in 3 states and stable in 18 states. The national unemployment rate rose from 3.5 percent in February to 4.4 percent in March.
Change in unemployment rates for states from February to March 2020
State
Change from February to March 2020
March 2020 rate
February 2020 rate
Statistically significant change?
Nevada
2.7 percentage points
6.3%
3.6%
Yes
Colorado
2.0
4.5
2.5
Yes
Louisiana
1.7
6.9
5.2
Yes
Kentucky
1.6
5.8
4.2
Yes
Florida
1.5
4.3
2.8
Yes
California
1.4
5.3
3.9
Yes
Ohio
1.4
5.5
4.1
Yes
Arkansas
1.3
4.8
3.5
Yes
Nebraska
1.3
4.2
2.9
Yes
Pennsylvania
1.3
6.0
4.7
Yes
Washington
1.3
5.1
3.8
Yes
Delaware
1.2
5.1
3.9
Yes
Illinois
1.2
4.6
3.4
Yes
Rhode Island
1.2
4.6
3.4
Yes
Texas
1.2
4.7
3.5
Yes
West Virginia
1.2
6.1
4.9
Yes
Georgia
1.1
4.2
3.1
Yes
New Mexico
1.1
5.9
4.8
Yes
Utah
1.1
3.6
2.5
Yes
Arizona
1.0
5.5
4.5
Yes
Missouri
1.0
4.5
3.5
Yes
District of Columbia
0.9
6.0
5.1
Yes
Iowa
0.9
3.7
2.8
Yes
Alabama
0.8
3.5
2.7
Yes
New York
0.8
4.5
3.7
Yes
North Carolina
0.8
4.4
3.6
Yes
Vermont
0.8
3.2
2.4
Yes
Virginia
0.7
3.3
2.6
Yes
Michigan
0.5
4.1
3.6
Yes
Indiana
0.1
3.2
3.1
No
Massachusetts
0.1
2.9
2.8
No
South Carolina
0.1
2.6
2.5
Yes
Tennessee
0.1
3.5
3.4
No
Kansas
0.0
3.1
3.1
No
Maine
0.0
3.2
3.2
No
Maryland
0.0
3.3
3.3
No
Minnesota
0.0
3.1
3.1
No
Montana
0.0
3.5
3.5
No
New Hampshire
0.0
2.6
2.6
No
New Jersey
0.0
3.8
3.8
No
North Dakota
0.0
2.2
2.2
No
Oregon
0.0
3.3
3.3
No
South Dakota
0.0
3.3
3.3
No
Wyoming
0.0
3.7
3.7
No
Connecticut
-0.1
3.7
3.8
No
Hawaii
-0.1
2.6
2.7
No
Idaho
-0.1
2.6
2.7
Yes
Mississippi
-0.1
5.3
5.4
No
Oklahoma
-0.1
3.1
3.2
Yes
Wisconsin
-0.1
3.4
3.5
No
Alaska
-0.2
5.6
5.8
Yes
The largest unemployment rate increases in March occurred in Nevada (+2.7 percentage points) and Colorado (+2.0 points). Rates rose over the month by at least a full percentage point in 19 other states. Alaska had the largest jobless rate decrease from February (−0.2 percentage point).
North Dakota had the lowest unemployment rate in March, 2.2 percent, while Louisiana had the highest rate, 6.9 percent. The rates in Alaska (5.6 percent) and Idaho (2.6 percent) set new lows. (All state data begin in 1976.) In total, 25 states had unemployment rates lower than the U.S. figure of 4.4 percent, 13 states and the District of Columbia had higher rates, and 12 states had rates that were not appreciably different from that of the nation.
United States Department of Labor
