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Unemployment rates higher in 16 states over year ended August 2023
October 30, 2023
In September 2023, unemployment rates were higher than the previous month in 16 states and stable in 34 states and the District of Columbia. Compared with a year earlier, 24 states had jobless rate decreases, 10 states and the District had increases, and 16 states had little change.
State unemployment rates, September 2023, seasonally adjusted
State unemployment rates, September 2023, seasonally adjusted
State
September 2023 unemployment rate
September 2022 unemployment rate
12-month change, in percentages point(s)
Alabama
2.2
2.6
-0.4
Alaska
4.1
3.7
0.4
Arizona
4.0
4.0
0.0
Arkansas
2.9
3.5
-0.6
California
4.7
4.0
0.7
Colorado
3.2
2.8
0.4
Connecticut
3.5
4.0
-0.5
Delaware
4.1
4.6
-0.5
District of Columbia
5.0
4.1
0.9
Florida
2.8
2.7
0.1
Georgia
3.4
3.1
0.3
Hawaii
2.8
3.7
-0.9
Idaho
3.1
2.8
0.3
Illinois
4.4
4.6
-0.2
Indiana
3.6
3.2
0.4
Iowa
3.0
3.1
-0.1
Kansas
2.8
2.9
-0.1
Kentucky
4.1
4.0
0.1
Louisiana
3.3
3.6
-0.3
Maine
2.7
3.0
-0.3
Maryland
1.6
3.2
-1.6
Massachusetts
2.6
3.7
-1.1
Michigan
3.9
4.3
-0.4
Minnesota
3.1
2.9
0.2
Mississippi
3.2
4.0
-0.8
Missouri
2.9
2.6
0.3
Montana
2.7
2.7
0.0
Nebraska
2.1
2.6
-0.5
Nevada
5.4
5.5
-0.1
New Hampshire
2.0
2.8
-0.8
New Jersey
4.4
3.2
1.2
New Mexico
3.7
3.5
0.2
New York
4.0
4.0
0.0
North Carolina
3.4
3.9
-0.5
North Dakota
1.9
2.1
-0.2
Ohio
3.4
4.1
-0.7
Oklahoma
3.0
3.2
-0.2
Oregon
3.5
4.6
-1.1
Pennsylvania
3.4
4.3
-0.9
Rhode Island
2.6
3.4
-0.8
South Carolina
2.9
3.3
-0.4
South Dakota
1.9
2.2
-0.3
Tennessee
3.2
3.4
-0.2
Texas
4.1
3.8
0.3
Utah
2.6
2.4
0.2
Vermont
1.9
3.0
-1.1
Virginia
2.5
3.0
-0.5
Washington
3.6
4.4
-0.8
West Virginia
3.8
4.1
-0.3
Wisconsin
3.1
3.1
0.0
Wyoming
2.9
3.8
-0.9
Maryland had the lowest jobless rate in September, 1.6 percent. The next lowest rates were in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Vermont, 1.9 percent each. The rates in Maryland, Pennsylvania (3.4 percent), and Rhode Island (2.6 percent) set new series lows. Nevada had the highest unemployment rate, 5.4 percent. In total, 25 states had unemployment rates lower than the U.S. figure of 3.8 percent, 2 states and the District of Columbia had higher rates, and 23 states had rates that were not appreciably different from that of the nation.
Among the 16 states that had over-the-month unemployment rate increases in September 2023, the largest was in Illinois (+0.3 percentage point). Thirty-four 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.
Of the 24 states that had over-the-year unemployment rate decreases, the largest was in Maryland (−1.6 percentage points). Ten states and the District of Columbia had rate increases from September 2022, the largest of which was in New Jersey (+1.2 percentage points). Sixteen states had jobless rates that were not notably different from those of a year earlier, though some changes were as large numerically as the significant changes.
United States Department of Labor
