For release 10:00 a.m. (EST) Friday, February 26, 2016 USDL-16-0364
Technical information: (202) 691-6392 * lausinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/lau
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov
REGIONAL AND STATE UNEMPLOYMENT -- 2015 ANNUAL AVERAGES
In 2015, annual average unemployment rates decreased in 47 states and the District
of Columbia, increased in 2 states, and were unchanged in 1 state, the U.S. Bureau
of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment-population ratios increased in 35
states and the District of Columbia and decreased in 15 states. The U.S. jobless
rate declined by 0.9 percentage point from the prior year to 5.3 percent, and the
national employment-population ratio rose by 0.3 point to 59.3 percent.
Regional Unemployment
All four regions had statistically significant unemployment rate decreases from
2014: the Midwest, Northeast, and West (-1.0 percentage point each) and the South
(-0.7 point). The Midwest, at 4.8 percent, had the only jobless rate significantly
lower than that of the U.S. in 2015, while the West, at 5.7 percent, had the only
rate significantly above the national figure. (See table 1.)
All nine geographic divisions had statistically significant over-the-year
unemployment rate declines in 2015, the largest of which occurred in the East
North Central and Pacific (-1.2 percentage points each). The West North Central
had the lowest jobless rate among divisions, 4.0 percent. The West South Central,
at 4.7 percent, and New England, at 5.0 percent, also had rates significantly
below the U.S. average. Two divisions had unemployment rates that were measurably
higher than that of the U.S.: the Pacific, 6.0 percent, and East South Central,
5.9 percent.
State Unemployment
Thirty-eight states and the District of Columbia had statistically significant
unemployment rate decreases in 2015. The largest of these declines occurred in
Michigan (-1.9 percentage points) and Rhode Island (-1.7 points). The remaining
12 states had annual average jobless rates in 2015 that were not appreciably
different from those of the previous year, though some had changes that were
at least as large numerically as the significant changes. (See table A.)
North Dakota had the lowest unemployment rate, 2.7 percent in 2015, followed
by Nebraska and South Dakota, 3.0 percent and 3.1 percent, respectively. Nevada
and West Virginia had the highest jobless rates among the states, 6.7 percent
each. The District of Columbia had a rate of 6.9 percent. Overall, 20 states
had unemployment rates that were significantly lower than the U.S. figure of
5.3 percent, while 13 states and the District of Columbia had rates measurably
above it. (See table B.)
Regional Employment-Population Ratios
In 2015, three regions had statistically significant changes in their
employment-population ratios--the proportion of the civilian noninstitutional
population 16 years of age and over who are employed--all of which were increases.
These occurred in the Northeast (+0.7 percentage point), Midwest (+0.6 point),
and West (+0.4 point). The Midwest had the highest ratio, 61.9 percent, while
the South, at 57.9 percent, had the lowest. The ratios in these two regions
were the only ones that were significantly different from the national figure
of 59.3 percent. (See table 2.)
Four of the nine geographic divisions had significant changes in their employment-
population ratios from 2014 to 2015, all of which were increases: the Middle
Atlantic (+0.8 percentage point), East North Central (+0.7 point), West North
Central (+0.6 point), and Pacific (+0.5 point). The division with the highest
employment-population ratio in 2015 was the West North Central, at 65.8 percent,
followed by New England, at 62.0 percent. These two divisions, along with
the East North Central and Mountain, at 60.2 percent and 60.1 percent,
respectively, had employment-population ratios measurably above that of the
U.S. The East South Central had the lowest proportion of employed persons,
54.0 percent. The ratios in the South Atlantic (58.0 percent) and Pacific
(58.5 percent) also were appreciably below the national average.
State Employment-Population Ratios
In 2015, the largest employment-population ratio increases among the states
occurred in Missouri (+1.7 percentage points) and Delaware (+1.5 points).
Seventeen other states and the District of Columbia also had statistically
significant increases in their ratios. Four states had significant over-the-year
decreases in their employment-population ratios, the largest of which occurred
in North Dakota (-1.6 percentage points). (See table C.)
North Dakota had the highest proportion of employed persons, 69.1 percent in
2015. Four other states in the West North Central division had the next highest
ratios: Nebraska, 68.0 percent; Minnesota, 67.6 percent; Iowa, 67.3 percent;
and South Dakota, 67.2 percent. West Virginia had the lowest employment-population
ratio among the states, 49.4 percent. (West Virginia has had the lowest
employment-population ratio each year since the series began in 1976.) Overall,
25 states and the District of Columbia had employment-population ratios that
were significantly above the U.S. ratio of 59.3 percent and 17 states had ratios
that were appreciably below it. Three states had the lowest employment-population
ratios in their series in 2015: Alaska, 62.7 percent; Kentucky, 53.7 percent;
and New Mexico, 53.5 percent. (See table D.)
_____________
The Regional and State Employment and Unemployment news release for January 2016
is scheduled to be released on Monday, March 14, 2016, at 10:00 a.m. (EDT). The
Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment news release for January 2016 is
scheduled to be released on Friday, March 18, 2016, at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).
Table A. States with statistically significant unemployment rate changes,
2014-15 annual averages
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Rate |
|-------------------------| Over-the-year
State | | | rate change
| 2014 | 2015 |
--------------------------------|------------|------------|---------------
Alabama ........................| 6.8 | 6.1 | -0.7
Arizona ........................| 6.8 | 6.1 | -.7
Arkansas .......................| 6.1 | 5.2 | -.9
California .....................| 7.5 | 6.2 | -1.3
Colorado .......................| 5.0 | 3.9 | -1.1
Connecticut ....................| 6.6 | 5.6 | -1.0
Delaware .......................| 5.7 | 4.9 | -.8
District of Columbia ...........| 7.8 | 6.9 | -.9
Florida ........................| 6.3 | 5.4 | -.9
Georgia ........................| 7.1 | 5.9 | -1.2
| | |
Hawaii .........................| 4.4 | 3.6 | -.8
Idaho ..........................| 4.8 | 4.1 | -.7
Illinois .......................| 7.1 | 5.9 | -1.2
Indiana ........................| 5.9 | 4.8 | -1.1
Iowa ...........................| 4.2 | 3.7 | -.5
Kentucky .......................| 6.5 | 5.4 | -1.1
Maine ..........................| 5.6 | 4.4 | -1.2
Maryland .......................| 5.8 | 5.2 | -.6
Massachusetts ..................| 5.7 | 5.0 | -.7
Michigan .......................| 7.3 | 5.4 | -1.9
| | |
Minnesota ......................| 4.2 | 3.7 | -.5
Mississippi ....................| 7.6 | 6.5 | -1.1
Missouri .......................| 6.2 | 5.0 | -1.2
Montana ........................| 4.7 | 4.1 | -.6
Nevada .........................| 7.9 | 6.7 | -1.2
New Hampshire ..................| 4.3 | 3.4 | -.9
New Jersey .....................| 6.7 | 5.6 | -1.1
New York .......................| 6.3 | 5.3 | -1.0
North Carolina .................| 6.3 | 5.7 | -.6
Ohio ...........................| 5.8 | 4.9 | -.9
| | |
Oregon .........................| 6.8 | 5.7 | -1.1
Pennsylvania ...................| 5.9 | 5.1 | -.8
Rhode Island ...................| 7.7 | 6.0 | -1.7
Tennessee ......................| 6.5 | 5.8 | -.7
Texas ..........................| 5.1 | 4.5 | -.6
Vermont ........................| 4.0 | 3.7 | -.3
Virginia .......................| 5.2 | 4.4 | -.8
Washington .....................| 6.1 | 5.7 | -.4
Wisconsin ......................| 5.4 | 4.6 | -.8
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table B. States with unemployment rates significantly differ-
ent from that of the U.S., 2015 annual averages
--------------------------------------------------------------
State | Rate
--------------------------------------------------------------
United States .......................| 5.3
|
Alabama .............................| 6.1
Alaska ..............................| 6.5
Arizona .............................| 6.1
California ..........................| 6.2
Colorado ............................| 3.9
District of Columbia ................| 6.9
Georgia .............................| 5.9
Hawaii ..............................| 3.6
Idaho ...............................| 4.1
Illinois ............................| 5.9
|
Iowa ................................| 3.7
Kansas ..............................| 4.2
Louisiana ...........................| 6.3
Maine ...............................| 4.4
Minnesota ...........................| 3.7
Mississippi .........................| 6.5
Montana .............................| 4.1
Nebraska ............................| 3.0
Nevada ..............................| 6.7
New Hampshire .......................| 3.4
|
New Mexico ..........................| 6.6
North Dakota ........................| 2.7
Ohio ................................| 4.9
Oklahoma ............................| 4.2
Rhode Island ........................| 6.0
South Carolina ......................| 6.0
South Dakota ........................| 3.1
Texas ...............................| 4.5
Utah ................................| 3.5
Vermont .............................| 3.7
|
Virginia ............................| 4.4
West Virginia .......................| 6.7
Wisconsin ...........................| 4.6
Wyoming .............................| 4.2
--------------------------------------------------------------
Table C. States with statistically significant employment-population
ratio changes, 2014-15 annual averages
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Ratio |
|-------------------------| Over-the-year
State | | | ratio change
| 2014 | 2015 |
--------------------------------|------------|------------|---------------
Arkansas .......................| 53.6 | 54.8 | 1.2
California .....................| 57.7 | 58.3 | .6
Delaware .......................| 57.9 | 59.4 | 1.5
District of Columbia ...........| 64.0 | 65.3 | 1.3
Hawaii .........................| 59.0 | 59.7 | .7
Illinois .......................| 60.2 | 60.9 | .7
Indiana ........................| 59.6 | 60.7 | 1.1
Kentucky .......................| 54.8 | 53.7 | -1.1
Maryland .......................| 62.9 | 63.4 | .5
Michigan .......................| 56.2 | 57.1 | .9
| | |
Minnesota ......................| 67.1 | 67.6 | .5
Mississippi ....................| 50.8 | 52.2 | 1.4
Missouri .......................| 60.7 | 62.4 | 1.7
Montana ........................| 60.9 | 61.4 | .5
Nebraska .......................| 68.4 | 68.0 | -.4
Nevada .........................| 58.4 | 58.9 | .5
New Jersey .....................| 59.7 | 60.5 | .8
New York .......................| 57.0 | 57.9 | .9
North Dakota ...................| 70.7 | 69.1 | -1.6
Oklahoma .......................| 58.3 | 59.3 | 1.0
| | |
Pennsylvania ...................| 58.9 | 59.6 | .7
Rhode Island ...................| 60.2 | 61.0 | .8
South Carolina .................| 55.1 | 55.5 | .4
Texas ..........................| 61.4 | 60.9 | -.5
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table D. States with employment-population ratios significantly
different from that of the U.S., 2015 annual averages
----------------------------------------------------------------
State | Ratio
----------------------------------------------------------------
United States .......................| 59.3
|
Alabama .............................| 53.0
Alaska ..............................| 62.7
Arizona .............................| 56.1
Arkansas ............................| 54.8
California ..........................| 58.3
Colorado ............................| 64.1
Connecticut .........................| 62.0
District of Columbia ................| 65.3
Florida .............................| 56.1
Georgia .............................| 57.7
|
Idaho ...............................| 61.3
Illinois ............................| 60.9
Indiana .............................| 60.7
Iowa ................................| 67.3
Kansas ..............................| 65.0
Kentucky ............................| 53.7
Louisiana ...........................| 56.7
Maryland ............................| 63.4
Massachusetts .......................| 61.7
Michigan ............................| 57.1
|
Minnesota ...........................| 67.6
Mississippi .........................| 52.2
Missouri ............................| 62.4
Montana .............................| 61.4
Nebraska ............................| 68.0
New Hampshire .......................| 66.0
New Jersey ..........................| 60.5
New Mexico ..........................| 53.5
New York ............................| 57.9
North Carolina ......................| 57.7
|
North Dakota ........................| 69.1
Oregon ..............................| 57.6
Rhode Island ........................| 61.0
South Carolina ......................| 55.5
South Dakota ........................| 67.2
Tennessee ...........................| 55.9
Texas ...............................| 60.9
Utah ................................| 65.7
Vermont .............................| 64.4
Virginia ............................| 62.3
|
West Virginia .......................| 49.4
Wisconsin ...........................| 64.8
Wyoming .............................| 64.9
----------------------------------------------------------------
Technical Note
This release presents labor force and unemployment data for census regions
and divisions and states from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS)
program. The LAUS program is a federal-state cooperative endeavor.
Concepts
Definitions. The labor force and unemployment data are based on the same
concepts and definitions as those used for the official national estimates
obtained from the Current Population Survey (CPS), a sample survey of
households that is conducted for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) by
the U.S. Census Bureau. The LAUS program measures employment and unemployment
on a place-of-residence basis. The universe for each is the civilian
noninstitutional population 16 years of age and older. Employed persons are
those who did any work at all for pay or profit in the reference week (the
week including the 12th of the month) or worked 15 hours or more without
pay in a family business or farm, plus those not working who had a job from
which they were temporarily absent, whether or not paid, for such reasons
as labor management dispute, illness, or vacation. Unemployed persons are
those who were not employed during the reference week (based on the
definition above), had actively looked for a job sometime in the 4-week
period ending with the reference week, and were currently available for
work; persons on layoff expecting recall need not be looking for work to
be counted as unemployed. The labor force is the sum of employed and
unemployed persons. The unemployment rate is the number of unemployed
expressed as a percent of the labor force. The employment-population ratio
is the proportion of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years of
age and older that is employed.
Method of estimation. Estimates for 48 of the 50 states, the District of
Columbia, the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale metropolitan division, New
York City, and the balances of California and New York State are produced
using estimating equations based on regression techniques. This method
utilizes data from several sources, including the CPS, the Current
Employment Statistics (CES) survey of nonfarm payroll employment, and
state unemployment insurance (UI) programs. Estimates for the State of
California are derived by summing the estimates for the Los Angeles-Long
Beach-Glendale metropolitan division and the balance of California.
Similarly, estimates for New York State are derived by summing the
estimates for New York City and the balance of New York State. Estimates
for all nine census divisions are based on a similar regression approach
that does not incorporate CES or UI data. Estimates for census regions
are obtained by summing the model-based estimates for the component
divisions and then calculating the unemployment rate. Each month, census
division estimates are controlled to national totals; state estimates
are then controlled to their respective division totals. A detailed
description of the estimation procedures is available from BLS upon
request.
Annual revisions. Labor force and unemployment data for prior years
reflect adjustments made at the beginning of each year. The adjusted
estimates incorporate updated population controls from the U.S. Census
Bureau, any revisions in the other data sources, and model re-estimation.
The population controls reflect extrapolation from the 2010 Census. In
most years, historical data for the most recent 5 years (both seasonally
adjusted and not seasonally adjusted) are revised near the beginning of
each calendar year, prior to the release of January estimates. Though
the labor force estimates typically are updated for 5 years, the
population estimates are revised back to the decennial estimates base
(April 2010).
Reliability of the estimates
The estimates presented in this release are based on sample surveys,
administrative data, and modeling and, thus, are subject to sampling and
other types of errors. Sampling error is a measure of sampling variability--
that is, variation that occurs by chance because a sample rather than
the entire population is surveyed. Survey data also are subject to
nonsampling errors, such as those which can be introduced into the data
collection and processing operations. Estimates not directly derived
from sample surveys are subject to additional errors resulting from the
specific estimation processes used. In table 1, level estimates for
states may not sum to level estimates for regions and divisions because
of rounding. Unemployment rates and employment-population ratios are
computed from unrounded levels and, thus, may differ slightly from rates
and ratios computed using the rounded level estimates displayed in table 1.
Use of error measures. The introductory section of this release preserves
the long-time practice of highlighting the direction of the movements in
regional and state unemployment rates and employment-population ratios
regardless of their statistical significance. The remainder of the
analysis in the release--other than historical highs and lows--takes
statistical significance into consideration. Model-based error measures
are available online at www.bls.gov/lau/lastderr.htm. BLS uses 90-percent
confidence levels in determining whether changes in LAUS unemployment
rates and employment-population ratios are statistically significant. The
average magnitude of the over-the-year change in an annual state
unemployment rate that is required in order to be statistically significant
at the 90-percent confidence level is about 0.4 percentage point. The
average magnitude of the over-the-year change in an annual state employment-
population ratio that is required in order to be statistically significant
at the 90-percent confidence level is about 0.6 percentage point. Measures
of nonsampling error are not available.
Additional information
Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired
individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay
Service: (800) 877-8339.
Table 1. Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years of age and over by region, division, and state,
2014-15 annual averages
(Numbers in thousands)
Population Civilian labor Employed Unemployed Unemployment
force rate Error range of
Region, division, and state rate, 2015 (1)
2014 2015 2014 2015 2014 2015 2014 2015 2014 2015
United States............. 247,947 250,801 155,922 157,130 146,305 148,834 9,617 8,296 6.2 5.3 5.2 - 5.4
Northeast...................... 44,890 45,078 28,285 28,425 26,543 26,941 1,742 1,483 6.2 5.2 5.0 - 5.4
New England................. 11,854 11,918 7,785 7,778 7,328 7,392 457 385 5.9 5.0 4.7 - 5.2
Connecticut.............. 2,866 2,873 1,886 1,888 1,762 1,782 125 106 6.6 5.6 5.1 - 6.2
Maine.................... 1,089 1,092 697 680 657 650 39 30 5.6 4.4 3.9 - 4.9
Massachusetts............ 5,454 5,499 3,557 3,570 3,353 3,392 204 178 5.7 5.0 4.6 - 5.4
New Hampshire............ 1,079 1,084 741 741 709 716 32 25 4.3 3.4 3.0 - 3.8
Rhode Island............. 852 855 556 555 513 521 43 33 7.7 6.0 5.3 - 6.6
Vermont.................. 515 515 348 344 334 332 14 13 4.0 3.7 3.3 - 4.0
Middle Atlantic............. 33,036 33,160 20,500 20,647 19,215 19,549 1,286 1,098 6.3 5.3 5.1 - 5.5
New Jersey............... 7,055 7,090 4,514 4,544 4,210 4,289 304 255 6.7 5.6 5.2 - 6.1
New York................. 15,771 15,837 9,595 9,679 8,989 9,166 606 513 6.3 5.3 5.0 - 5.6
Pennsylvania............. 10,209 10,232 6,391 6,424 6,016 6,094 376 330 5.9 5.1 4.8 - 5.5
Midwest........................ 52,865 53,093 34,391 34,529 32,383 32,860 2,008 1,669 5.8 4.8 4.7 - 5.0
East North Central.......... 36,619 36,737 23,287 23,324 21,790 22,104 1,497 1,220 6.4 5.2 5.0 - 5.4
Illinois................. 10,049 10,059 6,515 6,512 6,054 6,126 461 386 7.1 5.9 5.5 - 6.3
Indiana.................. 5,097 5,125 3,228 3,266 3,036 3,109 192 157 5.9 4.8 4.3 - 5.3
Michigan................. 7,848 7,874 4,754 4,751 4,408 4,493 346 258 7.3 5.4 5.0 - 5.9
Ohio..................... 9,092 9,124 5,703 5,700 5,373 5,423 330 277 5.8 4.9 4.5 - 5.3
Wisconsin................ 4,534 4,554 3,086 3,095 2,919 2,953 167 143 5.4 4.6 4.1 - 5.1
West North Central.......... 16,246 16,356 11,104 11,204 10,593 10,756 511 448 4.6 4.0 3.8 - 4.2
Iowa..................... 2,421 2,435 1,698 1,701 1,626 1,639 71 62 4.2 3.7 3.2 - 4.1
Kansas................... 2,196 2,208 1,494 1,499 1,426 1,436 68 63 4.6 4.2 3.8 - 4.7
Minnesota................ 4,258 4,289 2,983 3,010 2,859 2,899 124 112 4.2 3.7 3.3 - 4.1
Missouri................. 4,718 4,744 3,052 3,114 2,864 2,958 188 156 6.2 5.0 4.5 - 5.5
Nebraska................. 1,435 1,446 1,014 1,013 981 983 33 30 3.3 3.0 2.6 - 3.4
North Dakota............. 572 584 415 414 404 403 11 11 2.7 2.7 2.4 - 3.0
South Dakota............. 647 652 449 452 433 438 15 14 3.4 3.1 2.7 - 3.6
South.......................... 92,514 93,789 57,020 57,351 53,595 54,323 3,425 3,028 6.0 5.3 5.2 - 5.4
South Atlantic.............. 49,022 49,719 30,276 30,506 28,383 28,841 1,892 1,665 6.3 5.5 5.3 - 5.6
Delaware................. 739 749 454 467 428 445 26 23 5.7 4.9 4.4 - 5.4
District of Columbia..... 545 554 378 388 349 362 29 27 7.8 6.9 6.4 - 7.4
Florida.................. 15,995 16,313 9,607 9,675 8,999 9,153 607 522 6.3 5.4 5.1 - 5.7
Georgia.................. 7,673 7,783 4,754 4,771 4,417 4,491 337 280 7.1 5.9 5.4 - 6.3
Maryland................. 4,683 4,716 3,128 3,152 2,947 2,988 182 164 5.8 5.2 4.7 - 5.7
North Carolina........... 7,689 7,792 4,691 4,769 4,396 4,495 294 274 6.3 5.7 5.3 - 6.2
South Carolina........... 3,761 3,823 2,217 2,257 2,074 2,123 143 135 6.4 6.0 5.4 - 6.5
Virginia................. 6,453 6,509 4,258 4,240 4,036 4,052 222 189 5.2 4.4 4.0 - 4.9
West Virginia............ 1,483 1,481 790 785 737 732 52 53 6.6 6.7 6.2 - 7.3
East South Central.......... 14,598 14,692 8,463 8,435 7,893 7,939 570 496 6.7 5.9 5.6 - 6.2
Alabama.................. 3,785 3,803 2,161 2,146 2,014 2,015 147 131 6.8 6.1 5.6 - 6.6
Kentucky................. 3,424 3,441 2,006 1,953 1,876 1,848 130 105 6.5 5.4 4.8 - 6.0
Mississippi.............. 2,274 2,281 1,249 1,273 1,155 1,190 94 83 7.6 6.5 5.9 - 7.1
Tennessee................ 5,115 5,167 3,047 3,063 2,848 2,886 199 177 6.5 5.8 5.3 - 6.3
West South Central.......... 28,895 29,379 18,282 18,411 17,319 17,544 963 867 5.3 4.7 4.5 - 4.9
Arkansas................. 2,286 2,299 1,304 1,330 1,224 1,261 80 69 6.1 5.2 4.7 - 5.7
Louisiana................ 3,550 3,573 2,157 2,160 2,019 2,025 138 135 6.4 6.3 5.7 - 6.8
Oklahoma................. 2,946 2,975 1,798 1,842 1,717 1,764 81 78 4.5 4.2 3.8 - 4.7
Texas.................... 20,113 20,531 13,023 13,078 12,359 12,494 664 584 5.1 4.5 4.2 - 4.7
West........................... 58,221 59,050 36,566 36,954 34,102 34,831 2,463 2,123 6.7 5.7 5.6 - 5.9
Mountain.................... 17,733 18,045 11,271 11,417 10,618 10,838 653 579 5.8 5.1 4.8 - 5.3
Arizona.................. 5,179 5,275 3,097 3,153 2,886 2,960 211 193 6.8 6.1 5.6 - 6.7
Colorado................. 4,148 4,240 2,815 2,829 2,675 2,719 141 110 5.0 3.9 3.4 - 4.3
Idaho.................... 1,229 1,248 781 797 744 764 38 33 4.8 4.1 3.7 - 4.6
Montana.................. 808 816 516 523 492 501 24 22 4.7 4.1 3.7 - 4.5
Nevada................... 2,210 2,256 1,402 1,426 1,291 1,330 111 96 7.9 6.7 6.1 - 7.4
New Mexico............... 1,602 1,607 921 920 859 859 62 61 6.7 6.6 6.0 - 7.2
Utah..................... 2,106 2,151 1,432 1,464 1,377 1,412 55 52 3.8 3.5 3.1 - 4.0
Wyoming.................. 451 452 307 306 294 293 13 13 4.1 4.2 3.7 - 4.6
Pacific..................... 40,488 41,005 25,294 25,537 23,484 23,993 1,810 1,544 7.2 6.0 5.8 - 6.3
Alaska................... 540 542 366 364 341 340 25 24 6.9 6.5 5.8 - 7.1
California............... 30,163 30,523 18,828 18,982 17,418 17,799 1,410 1,183 7.5 6.2 6.0 - 6.5
Hawaii................... 1,084 1,093 668 677 639 653 29 25 4.4 3.6 3.2 - 4.0
Oregon................... 3,173 3,225 1,939 1,969 1,807 1,857 132 112 6.8 5.7 5.1 - 6.3
Washington............... 5,529 5,622 3,493 3,544 3,279 3,344 214 200 6.1 5.7 5.2 - 6.1
1 Error ranges are shown at the 90-percent confidence level and are based on unrounded data.
NOTE: Data refer to place of residence. Unemployment rates are in percent and are based on unrounded levels. Data for subnational
areas reflect revised population controls and model reestimation. As a result, they do not sum to U.S. totals.
Table 2. Employment-population ratios of persons 16 years of age and over by region, division,
and state, 2014-15 annual averages
(Percent)
Employment-population
ratio (1) Over-the- Error range of
Region, division, and state year ratio,
change 2015 (2)
2014 2015
United States............. 59.0 59.3 0.3 59.2 - 59.5
Northeast...................... 59.1 59.8 .7 59.3 - 60.2
New England................. 61.8 62.0 .2 61.3 - 62.7
Connecticut.............. 61.5 62.0 .5 60.6 - 63.4
Maine.................... 60.3 59.5 -.8 58.1 - 61.0
Massachusetts............ 61.5 61.7 .2 60.6 - 62.8
New Hampshire............ 65.7 66.0 .3 65.0 - 67.0
Rhode Island............. 60.2 61.0 .8 59.9 - 62.2
Vermont.................. 64.9 64.4 -.5 63.2 - 65.6
Middle Atlantic............. 58.2 59.0 .8 58.4 - 59.5
New Jersey............... 59.7 60.5 .8 59.6 - 61.4
New York................. 57.0 57.9 .9 57.1 - 58.7
Pennsylvania............. 58.9 59.6 .7 58.8 - 60.3
Midwest........................ 61.3 61.9 .6 61.5 - 62.3
East North Central.......... 59.5 60.2 .7 59.6 - 60.7
Illinois................. 60.2 60.9 .7 60.0 - 61.8
Indiana.................. 59.6 60.7 1.1 59.4 - 61.9
Michigan................. 56.2 57.1 .9 56.0 - 58.1
Ohio..................... 59.1 59.4 .3 58.4 - 60.4
Wisconsin................ 64.4 64.8 .4 63.5 - 66.2
West North Central.......... 65.2 65.8 .6 65.1 - 66.4
Iowa..................... 67.2 67.3 .1 66.0 - 68.6
Kansas................... 64.9 65.0 .1 63.8 - 66.3
Minnesota................ 67.1 67.6 .5 66.5 - 68.7
Missouri................. 60.7 62.4 1.7 61.0 - 63.7
Nebraska................. 68.4 68.0 -.4 67.0 - 68.9
North Dakota............. 70.7 69.1 -1.6 67.6 - 70.5
South Dakota............. 67.0 67.2 .2 66.0 - 68.4
South.......................... 57.9 57.9 .0 57.6 - 58.2
South Atlantic.............. 57.9 58.0 .1 57.6 - 58.4
Delaware................. 57.9 59.4 1.5 58.1 - 60.6
District of Columbia..... 64.0 65.3 1.3 64.2 - 66.4
Florida.................. 56.3 56.1 -.2 55.4 - 56.8
Georgia.................. 57.6 57.7 .1 56.8 - 58.6
Maryland................. 62.9 63.4 .5 62.4 - 64.3
North Carolina........... 57.2 57.7 .5 56.7 - 58.7
South Carolina........... 55.1 55.5 .4 54.7 - 56.4
Virginia................. 62.6 62.3 -.3 61.1 - 63.4
West Virginia............ 49.7 49.4 -.3 48.1 - 50.8
East South Central.......... 54.1 54.0 -.1 53.3 - 54.8
Alabama.................. 53.2 53.0 -.2 51.9 - 54.1
Kentucky................. 54.8 53.7 -1.1 52.3 - 55.1
Mississippi.............. 50.8 52.2 1.4 50.9 - 53.4
Tennessee................ 55.7 55.9 .2 54.7 - 57.1
West South Central.......... 59.9 59.7 -.2 59.1 - 60.3
Arkansas................. 53.6 54.8 1.2 53.7 - 55.9
Louisiana................ 56.9 56.7 -.2 55.6 - 57.7
Oklahoma................. 58.3 59.3 1.0 58.0 - 60.6
Texas.................... 61.4 60.9 -.5 60.1 - 61.6
West........................... 58.6 59.0 .4 58.6 - 59.3
Mountain.................... 59.9 60.1 .2 59.4 - 60.7
Arizona.................. 55.7 56.1 .4 54.9 - 57.3
Colorado................. 64.5 64.1 -.4 62.7 - 65.5
Idaho.................... 60.5 61.3 .8 59.9 - 62.6
Montana.................. 60.9 61.4 .5 60.2 - 62.6
Nevada................... 58.4 58.9 .5 57.8 - 60.1
New Mexico............... 53.6 53.5 -.1 52.3 - 54.7
Utah..................... 65.4 65.7 .3 64.5 - 66.9
Wyoming.................. 65.3 64.9 -.4 63.5 - 66.3
Pacific..................... 58.0 58.5 .5 58.1 - 58.9
Alaska................... 63.1 62.7 -.4 60.9 - 64.6
California............... 57.7 58.3 .6 57.9 - 58.8
Hawaii................... 59.0 59.7 .7 58.6 - 60.9
Oregon................... 57.0 57.6 .6 56.5 - 58.7
Washington............... 59.3 59.5 .2 58.5 - 60.5
1 Employment as a percent of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years of age
and over.
2 Error ranges are shown at the 90-percent confidence level and are based on unrounded
data.
NOTE: Data refer to place of residence. Employment-population ratios are based on
unrounded levels. Data for subnational areas reflect revised population controls and model
reestimation.
United States Department of Labor
