Technical information: (202) 691-6392 USDL 09-0186
http://www.bls.gov/lau/
For release: 10:00 A.M. (EST)
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Friday, February 27, 2009
REGIONAL AND STATE UNEMPLOYMENT, 2008 ANNUAL AVERAGES
Annual average unemployment rates rose in 2008 in all 4 regions and
in 46 states and the District of Columbia, declined in 1 state, and
were unchanged in 3 states, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S.
Department of Labor reported today. Employment-population ratios
decreased in all 4 regions and in 45 states and the District of
Columbia, increased in 3 states, and were unchanged in 2 states. The
U.S. jobless rate climbed by 1.2 percentage points over the year to
5.8 percent, while the national employment-population ratio fell by
0.8 point to 62.2 percent. Most of the deterioration in the labor
market occurred late in the year.
Regional Unemployment
All four regions posted statistically significant unemployment rate
increases from 2007: the West (+1.5 percentage points), South (+1.2
points), and Midwest and Northeast (+1.0 point each). In 2008, the West
and Midwest registered jobless rates, 6.2 and 6.1 percent, respectively,
that were significantly higher than the U.S. rate (5.8 percent), while
the Northeast and South both had rates that were significantly below it,
5.4 and 5.5 percent, respectively. (See table 1.)
All nine geographic divisions reported statistically significant
over-the-year unemployment rate increases in 2008: the Pacific (+1.6
percentage points), South Atlantic (+1.5 points), Mountain (+1.3
points), East South Central (+1.2 points), East North Central (+1.1
points), Middle Atlantic (+1.0 point), New England (+0.9 point), West
North Central (+0.6 point), and West South Central (+0.5 point). The
Pacific registered the highest unemployment rate in 2008, 6.8 percent,
followed by the East North Central at 6.6 percent. The divisions
with the lowest jobless rates in 2008 were the West South Central at
4.8 percent, and West North Central at 4.9 percent. Five divisions
reported jobless rates that were significantly below the national rate
of 5.8 percent in 2008: the Middle Atlantic, Mountain, New England,
West North Central, and West South Central. Two divisions--the East
North Central and Pacific--recorded rates that were significantly
higher than the U.S. rate.
State Unemployment
In 2008, 39 states and the District of Columbia posted statistically
significant unemployment rate increases, while the remaining 11 states
recorded unemployment rates that were not appreciably different from
the previous year, even though some had changes that were at least as
large numerically as the significant changes. Rhode Island had the larg-
est jump in its jobless rate (+2.6 percentage points). Florida and
Nevada reported the next largest rate increases (+2.1 and +2.0 percent-
age points, respectively). Twenty-one additional states and the
District of Columbia recorded increases in their unemployment rates
of at least 1.0 percentage point. The remaining 15 states with signi-
ficant rate changes experienced increases ranging from +0.4 to +0.9
percentage point. (See table A.)
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Michigan reported the highest unemployment rate, 8.4 percent in
2008, followed by Rhode Island and California, 7.8 and 7.2 percent,
respectively. The District of Columbia recorded an unemployment
rate of 7.0 percent in 2008. South Dakota posted the lowest job-
less rate among the states, 3.0 percent, followed closely by Wyoming
at 3.1 percent, and North Dakota at 3.2 percent. Twenty-six states
had unemployment rates that were significantly lower than the U.S.
rate of 5.8 percent, and 14 states and the District of Columbia re-
corded rates significantly above it. (See table B.)
Regional Employment-Population Ratios
In 2008, all four regions registered statistically significant de-
clines in their employment-population ratios--the proportion of the
civilian noninstitutional population 16 years and over with a job.
The Midwest experienced the largest over-the-year decrease in its em-
ployment-population ratio (-1.1 percentage points), followed by the
South (-0.9 point), West (-0.8 point), and Northeast (-0.4 point).
Despite the large decline in its employment-population ratio, the Mid-
west continued to report the highest proportion of employed persons,
63.8 percent, while the South, at 61.1 percent, and Northeast, at 61.8
percent, recorded the lowest proportions in 2008. The West posted an
employment-population ratio of 62.6 percent. The Midwest and West
both had ratios that were significantly higher than the national fig-
ure of 62.2 percent, and the South had an appreciably lower ratio.
(See table 2.)
Seven of the 9 divisions registered statistically significant de-
creases in their employment-population ratios in 2008. The East
North Central and East South Central reported the greatest declines
(-1.2 percentage points each), followed closely by the South Atlantic
(-1.1 points). Significant over-the-year decreases in employment-
population ratios also occurred in the Mountain and Pacific (-0.8 per-
centage point each) and New England and West North Central (-0.7 point
each). In 2008, the East South Central again recorded the lowest pro-
portion of employed persons (57.8 percent), with the Middle Atlantic
(61.0 percent), West South Central (61.7 percent), and Pacific and South
Atlantic (61.8 percent each) posting the next lowest ratios. The West
North Central again registered the highest employment-population ratio
(67.1 percent), followed by the Mountain (64.6 percent), New England
(64.1 percent), and East North Central (62.4 percent). Five of the 9
divisions reported statistically significant differences in their
ratios from that of the U.S.--the Mountain, New England, and West North
Central divisions recorded employment-population ratios that were mea-
surably higher, and the East South Central and Middle Atlantic divisions
had ratios that were significantly lower.
State Employment-Population Ratios
In 2008, 28 states registered statistically significant decreases
in the proportion of employed persons, while the remaining 22 states
and the District of Columbia did not have significant changes. Rhode
Island experienced the largest over-the-year decline (-2.2 percentage
points), followed by Idaho (-2.0 points). Fifteen other states re-
ported significant decreases in their employment-population ratios
from -1.0 to -1.9 percentage points, and the remaining 11 states had
significant declines from -0.4 to -0.9 point.
West Virginia and Mississippi again reported the lowest ratios
among the states (53.2 and 55.9 percent, respectively). Nine other
states had employment-population ratios in 2008 that were below 60.0
percent. Three states in the West North Central division again re-
corded the highest ratios: North Dakota (71.8 percent), Nebraska
(71.0 percent), and South Dakota (70.6 percent). Twenty states and
the District of Columbia registered employment-population ratios that
were significantly above the U.S. ratio of 62.2 percent, and 15 states
had ratios that were appreciably below it. The remaining 15 states
recorded ratios that were not measurably different from that of the
nation. (See tables C and D.)
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Table A. States with statistically significant unemployment rate changes,
2007-08 annual averages
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Rate |
|------------------------| Over-the-year
State | | | rate change
| 2007 | 2008 |
--------------------------------|-----------|------------|---------------
| | |
Alabama .......................| 3.5 | 5.0 | 1.5
Arizona .......................| 3.8 | 5.5 | 1.7
California ....................| 5.4 | 7.2 | 1.8
Colorado ......................| 3.9 | 4.9 | 1.0
Connecticut ...................| 4.6 | 5.7 | 1.1
Delaware ......................| 3.4 | 4.8 | 1.4
District of Columbia ..........| 5.5 | 7.0 | 1.5
Florida .......................| 4.1 | 6.2 | 2.1
Georgia .......................| 4.6 | 6.2 | 1.6
Hawaii ........................| 2.6 | 3.9 | 1.3
| | |
Idaho .........................| 3.0 | 4.9 | 1.9
Illinois ......................| 5.1 | 6.5 | 1.4
Indiana .......................| 4.6 | 5.9 | 1.3
Iowa ..........................| 3.7 | 4.1 | .4
Kentucky ......................| 5.5 | 6.4 | .9
Louisiana .....................| 3.8 | 4.6 | .8
Maine .........................| 4.6 | 5.4 | .8
Maryland ......................| 3.5 | 4.4 | .9
Massachusetts .................| 4.5 | 5.3 | .8
Michigan ......................| 7.1 | 8.4 | 1.3
| | |
Minnesota .....................| 4.6 | 5.4 | .8
Missouri ......................| 5.1 | 6.1 | 1.0
Montana .......................| 3.4 | 4.5 | 1.1
Nebraska ......................| 2.9 | 3.3 | .4
Nevada ........................| 4.7 | 6.7 | 2.0
New Jersey ....................| 4.3 | 5.5 | 1.2
New Mexico ....................| 3.5 | 4.2 | .7
New York ......................| 4.5 | 5.4 | .9
North Carolina ................| 4.7 | 6.3 | 1.6
Ohio ..........................| 5.6 | 6.5 | .9
| | |
Oregon ........................| 5.1 | 6.4 | 1.3
Pennsylvania ..................| 4.4 | 5.4 | 1.0
Rhode Island ..................| 5.2 | 7.8 | 2.6
South Carolina ................| 5.6 | 6.9 | 1.3
Tennessee .....................| 4.8 | 6.4 | 1.6
Texas .........................| 4.4 | 4.9 | .5
Utah ..........................| 2.7 | 3.4 | .7
Vermont .......................| 4.0 | 4.8 | .8
Virginia ......................| 3.0 | 4.0 | 1.0
Washington ....................| 4.5 | 5.3 | .8
| | |
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Table B. States with unemployment rates significantly different
from that of the U.S., 2008 annual averages
----------------------------------------------------------------
State | Rate
----------------------------------------------------------------
|
United States ..................| 5.8
|
Alaska .........................| 6.7
Arkansas .......................| 5.1
California .....................| 7.2
Colorado .......................| 4.9
Delaware .......................| 4.8
District of Columbia ...........| 7.0
Florida ........................| 6.2
Hawaii .........................| 3.9
Idaho ..........................| 4.9
Illinois .......................| 6.5
|
Iowa ...........................| 4.1
Kansas .........................| 4.4
Kentucky .......................| 6.4
Louisiana ......................| 4.6
Maryland .......................| 4.4
Massachusetts ..................| 5.3
Michigan .......................| 8.4
Mississippi ....................| 6.9
Montana ........................| 4.5
Nebraska .......................| 3.3
|
Nevada .........................| 6.7
New Hampshire ..................| 3.8
New Mexico .....................| 4.2
New York .......................| 5.4
North Carolina .................| 6.3
North Dakota ...................| 3.2
Ohio ...........................| 6.5
Oklahoma .......................| 3.8
Oregon .........................| 6.4
Pennsylvania ...................| 5.4
|
Rhode Island ...................| 7.8
South Carolina .................| 6.9
South Dakota ...................| 3.0
Tennessee ......................| 6.4
Texas ..........................| 4.9
Utah ...........................| 3.4
Vermont ........................| 4.8
Virginia .......................| 4.0
West Virginia ..................| 4.3
Wisconsin ......................| 4.7
Wyoming ........................| 3.1
|
----------------------------------------------------------------
- 5 -
Table C. States with statistically significant employment-population
ratio changes, 2007-08 annual averages
------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Ratio |
|-----------------------| Over-the-year
State | | | ratio change
| 2007 | 2008 |
------------------------------------------------------------------------
| | |
Alabama ........................| 59.0 | 57.2 | -1.8
California .....................| 62.1 | 61.1 | -1.0
Colorado .......................| 69.8 | 68.7 | -1.1
Delaware .......................| 63.9 | 62.4 | -1.5
Florida ........................| 60.9 | 59.9 | -1.0
Georgia ........................| 64.7 | 63.1 | -1.6
Idaho ..........................| 65.5 | 63.5 | -2.0
Illinois .......................| 64.7 | 63.4 | -1.3
Indiana ........................| 63.6 | 62.4 | -1.2
Kentucky .......................| 58.9 | 57.9 | -1.0
| | |
Maryland .......................| 66.6 | 65.8 | -.8
Massachusetts ..................| 63.8 | 63.0 | -.8
Michigan .......................| 59.9 | 58.1 | -1.8
Minnesota ......................| 69.3 | 68.6 | -.7
Missouri .......................| 63.6 | 62.2 | -1.4
Montana ........................| 64.8 | 63.8 | -1.0
New Hampshire ..................| 68.6 | 68.0 | -.6
New Jersey .....................| 63.6 | 62.9 | -.7
North Carolina .................| 62.4 | 60.7 | -1.7
Ohio ...........................| 63.6 | 62.7 | -.9
| | |
Oregon .........................| 62.3 | 61.5 | -.8
Rhode Island ...................| 65.0 | 62.8 | -2.2
South Carolina .................| 59.6 | 58.4 | -1.2
Tennessee ......................| 60.4 | 59.2 | -1.2
Texas ..........................| 62.9 | 62.5 | -.4
Utah ...........................| 69.6 | 68.7 | -.9
Virginia .......................| 67.3 | 66.8 | -.5
Wisconsin ......................| 67.7 | 66.9 | -.8
| | |
------------------------------------------------------------------------
- 6 -
Table D. States with employment-population ratios significantly
different from that of the U.S., 2008 annual averages
----------------------------------------------------------------
State | Ratio
----------------------------------------------------------------
|
United States ...................| 62.2
|
Alabama .........................| 57.2
Alaska ..........................| 66.5
Arizona .........................| 60.7
Arkansas ........................| 59.7
California ......................| 61.1
Colorado ........................| 68.7
Connecticut .....................| 64.9
District of Columbia ............| 64.2
Florida .........................| 59.9
Illinois ........................| 63.4
|
Iowa ............................| 69.1
Kansas ..........................| 67.6
Kentucky ........................| 57.9
Louisiana .......................| 59.4
Maryland ........................| 65.8
Michigan ........................| 58.1
Minnesota .......................| 68.6
Mississippi .....................| 55.9
Montana .........................| 63.8
Nebraska ........................| 71.0
|
Nevada ..........................| 65.0
New Hampshire ...................| 68.0
New Mexico ......................| 61.0
New York ........................| 59.6
North Carolina ..................| 60.7
North Dakota ....................| 71.8
South Carolina ..................| 58.4
South Dakota ....................| 70.6
Tennessee .......................| 59.2
Utah ............................| 68.7
|
Vermont .........................| 67.2
Virginia ........................| 66.8
Washington ......................| 64.7
West Virginia ...................| 53.2
Wisconsin .......................| 66.9
Wyoming .........................| 69.2
|
---------------------------------------------------------------
- 7 -
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 co-
operative 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 Sta-
tistics (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
over. 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 per-
sons. The unemployment rate is the number of unemployed as a percent
of the labor force. The employment-population ratio is the proportion
of the civilian noninstitutional population aged 16 years and over 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 tech-
niques. This method, which underwent substantial enhancement at the
beginning of 2005, 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 sum-
ming 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 com-
ponent divisions and then calculating the unemployment rate. Each month,
census division estimates are controlled to national totals; state esti-
mates are then controlled to their respective division totals. Estimates
for Puerto Rico are derived from a monthly household survey similar to
the CPS. A detailed description of the estimation procedures is available
from BLS upon request.
- 8 -
Annual revisions. Labor force and unemployment data for prior years
reflect adjustments made at the end of each year. The adjusted esti-
mates reflect updated population data from the U.S. Census Bureau,
any revisions in the other data sources, and model reestimation. In
most years, historical data for the most recent 5 years (both sea-
sonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted) are revised near the be-
ginning of each calendar year, prior to or coincident with the release
of January estimates.
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. The sums of
individual items may not always equal the totals shown in the same
tables because of rounding. Unemployment rates are computed from
unrounded data and thus may differ slightly from rates computed using
the rounded data displayed in the tables.
Use of error measures. In 2005, the LAUS program introduced several
improvements to its methodology. Among these was the development of
model-based error measures for the monthly estimates and the estimates
of over-the-month changes. Annual average error measures became avail-
able for the first time after 2006. The introductory section of this
release preserves the long-time practice of highlighting the direction
of the movements in regional and state unemployment rates regardless
of their statistical significance. The remainder of the analysis in
the release takes statistical significance into consideration. Model-
based error measures are available online at http://www.bls.gov/lau/
lastderr.htm. BLS uses a 90-percent confidence level in determining
whether changes in LAUS unemployment rates are statistically significant.
The average magnitude of the over-the-year change in an annual average
state unemployment rate that is required in order to be statistically
significant at the 90-percent confidence level is between 0.4 and 0.5
percentage point. More details can be found on the Web site. Mea-
sures of nonsampling error are not available, but additional infor-
mation on the subject is provided in Employment and Earnings Online
available on the BLS Web site at http://www.bls.gov/opub/ee/home.htm.
Additional information
More complete information on the technical procedures used to develop
these estimates and additional data appear in Employment and Earnings
Online.
Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired
individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; TDD message re-
ferral phone: 1-800-877-8339.
Table 1. Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years of age and over by region, division, and state,
2007-08 annual averages
(Numbers in thousands)
Population Civilian labor Employed Unemployed Unemployment
force rate Error range of
Region, division, and state rate, 2008 (1)
2007 2008 2007 2008 2007 2008 2007 2008 2007 2008
United States............. 231,867 233,788 153,124 154,287 146,047 145,362 7,078 8,924 4.6 5.8 5.7 - 5.9
Northeast...................... 42,991 43,230 27,967 28,240 26,729 26,709 1,239 1,531 4.4 5.4 5.3 - 5.6
New England................. 11,255 11,319 7,633 7,669 7,293 7,254 340 415 4.5 5.4 5.1 - 5.7
Connecticut.............. 2,713 2,728 1,850 1,876 1,766 1,769 85 107 4.6 5.7 5.3 - 6.1
Maine.................... 1,057 1,061 703 707 670 669 33 38 4.6 5.4 4.9 - 5.9
Massachusetts............ 5,112 5,148 3,416 3,424 3,263 3,244 153 180 4.5 5.3 4.8 - 5.8
New Hampshire............ 1,038 1,045 738 739 712 711 26 28 3.5 3.8 3.5 - 4.1
Rhode Island............. 834 834 572 568 543 523 30 44 5.2 7.8 7.2 - 8.4
Vermont.................. 502 504 354 355 340 339 14 17 4.0 4.8 4.3 - 5.2
Middle Atlantic............. 31,736 31,911 20,334 20,571 19,435 19,455 899 1,116 4.4 5.4 5.2 - 5.6
New Jersey............... 6,719 6,756 4,462 4,497 4,272 4,251 191 246 4.3 5.5 5.0 - 5.9
New York................. 15,259 15,351 9,575 9,680 9,141 9,153 434 527 4.5 5.4 5.2 - 5.7
Pennsylvania............. 9,758 9,804 6,297 6,395 6,023 6,051 274 344 4.4 5.4 5.0 - 5.8
Midwest........................ 51,027 51,330 34,881 34,847 33,092 32,735 1,789 2,112 5.1 6.1 5.9 - 6.2
East North Central.......... 35,657 35,833 24,005 23,919 22,678 22,343 1,327 1,576 5.5 6.6 6.4 - 6.8
Illinois................. 9,806 9,885 6,690 6,697 6,349 6,264 341 434 5.1 6.5 6.0 - 6.9
Indiana.................. 4,834 4,873 3,221 3,230 3,074 3,040 147 191 4.6 5.9 5.3 - 6.5
Michigan................. 7,785 7,783 5,024 4,936 4,667 4,519 357 416 7.1 8.4 7.9 - 9.0
Ohio..................... 8,875 8,904 5,977 5,972 5,641 5,582 336 390 5.6 6.5 6.0 - 7.0
Wisconsin................ 4,357 4,389 3,094 3,084 2,948 2,938 146 146 4.7 4.7 4.3 - 5.1
West North Central.......... 15,370 15,497 10,876 10,928 10,414 10,393 463 536 4.3 4.9 4.7 - 5.1
Iowa..................... 2,309 2,325 1,664 1,676 1,602 1,607 62 69 3.7 4.1 3.7 - 4.5
Kansas................... 2,100 2,117 1,485 1,497 1,425 1,431 60 66 4.1 4.4 4.0 - 4.8
Minnesota................ 4,007 4,043 2,911 2,933 2,776 2,773 135 160 4.6 5.4 5.1 - 5.8
Missouri................. 4,511 4,547 3,023 3,012 2,870 2,829 153 183 5.1 6.1 5.5 - 6.7
Nebraska................. 1,344 1,355 985 996 956 962 29 33 2.9 3.3 3.0 - 3.7
North Dakota............. 495 498 366 370 355 358 11 12 3.1 3.2 2.8 - 3.5
South Dakota............. 604 611 442 445 429 431 13 14 2.9 3.0 2.7 - 3.3
South.......................... 83,787 84,960 54,286 54,940 51,932 51,924 2,355 3,017 4.3 5.5 5.4 - 5.6
South Atlantic.............. 44,423 44,992 29,154 29,480 27,935 27,797 1,219 1,683 4.2 5.7 5.5 - 5.9
Delaware................. 666 676 441 443 426 422 15 21 3.4 4.8 4.3 - 5.2
District of Columbia..... 478 482 327 333 309 310 18 23 5.5 7.0 6.4 - 7.6
Florida.................. 14,318 14,454 9,088 9,231 8,717 8,660 372 572 4.1 6.2 5.9 - 6.5
Georgia.................. 7,076 7,204 4,798 4,848 4,579 4,546 219 302 4.6 6.2 5.8 - 6.7
Maryland................. 4,331 4,357 2,988 2,998 2,882 2,867 105 131 3.5 4.4 4.0 - 4.7
North Carolina........... 6,880 7,011 4,506 4,544 4,293 4,257 213 287 4.7 6.3 5.9 - 6.7
South Carolina........... 3,367 3,431 2,125 2,153 2,006 2,004 119 149 5.6 6.9 6.3 - 7.6
Virginia................. 5,862 5,927 4,068 4,125 3,945 3,960 122 165 3.0 4.0 3.6 - 4.4
West Virginia............ 1,445 1,450 813 806 778 772 35 34 4.3 4.3 3.6 - 4.9
East South Central.......... 13,745 13,891 8,532 8,561 8,115 8,035 417 526 4.9 6.1 5.8 - 6.5
Alabama.................. 3,558 3,591 2,176 2,162 2,100 2,054 76 109 3.5 5.0 4.2 - 5.9
Kentucky................. 3,266 3,301 2,036 2,043 1,923 1,911 113 132 5.5 6.4 5.8 - 7.1
Mississippi.............. 2,175 2,190 1,307 1,314 1,225 1,224 82 91 6.3 6.9 6.1 - 7.7
Tennessee................ 4,746 4,808 3,013 3,041 2,868 2,846 146 195 4.8 6.4 5.8 - 7.0
West South Central.......... 25,619 26,077 16,600 16,899 15,881 16,092 719 807 4.3 4.8 4.5 - 5.0
Arkansas................. 2,160 2,180 1,361 1,370 1,292 1,301 69 70 5.1 5.1 4.5 - 5.7
Louisiana................ 3,294 3,337 2,026 2,079 1,949 1,983 76 96 3.8 4.6 3.9 - 5.3
Oklahoma................. 2,720 2,749 1,738 1,748 1,667 1,682 71 67 4.1 3.8 3.4 - 4.3
Texas.................... 17,445 17,812 11,475 11,702 10,972 11,126 503 575 4.4 4.9 4.6 - 5.2
West........................... 52,993 53,845 35,278 35,971 33,617 33,725 1,661 2,246 4.7 6.2 6.1 - 6.4
Mountain.................... 16,040 16,378 10,887 11,133 10,486 10,579 401 554 3.7 5.0 4.8 - 5.2
Arizona.................. 4,762 4,877 3,036 3,133 2,920 2,960 116 172 3.8 5.5 4.9 - 6.1
Colorado................. 3,702 3,778 2,686 2,730 2,582 2,596 104 134 3.9 4.9 4.5 - 5.3
Idaho.................... 1,109 1,131 749 755 726 718 23 37 3.0 4.9 4.2 - 5.5
Montana.................. 748 758 502 506 485 483 17 23 3.4 4.5 3.9 - 5.1
Nevada................... 1,932 1,971 1,323 1,373 1,260 1,282 62 91 4.7 6.7 6.1 - 7.2
New Mexico............... 1,487 1,507 946 959 912 919 34 40 3.5 4.2 3.6 - 4.7
Utah..................... 1,897 1,945 1,357 1,384 1,320 1,336 37 48 2.7 3.4 3.0 - 3.8
Wyoming.................. 403 410 288 293 280 284 8 9 2.9 3.1 2.7 - 3.5
Pacific..................... 36,953 37,468 24,391 24,838 23,131 23,146 1,261 1,692 5.2 6.8 6.6 - 7.0
Alaska................... 497 502 352 357 330 333 22 24 6.2 6.7 6.0 - 7.4
California............... 27,541 27,910 18,078 18,392 17,109 17,060 969 1,332 5.4 7.2 7.0 - 7.5
Hawaii................... 981 991 646 654 629 628 17 26 2.6 3.9 3.5 - 4.4
Oregon................... 2,932 2,980 1,925 1,958 1,826 1,833 99 125 5.1 6.4 5.8 - 6.9
Washington............... 5,002 5,086 3,391 3,477 3,237 3,291 154 186 4.5 5.3 4.9 - 5.8
Puerto Rico.................... 3,023 3,050 1,394 1,366 1,241 1,209 152 158 10.9 11.5 NA
1 Error ranges are shown at the 90-percent confidence level and are based on unrounded data.
NA = Data not available.
NOTE: Data refer to place of residence. Unemployment rates are in percent and are based on unrounded levels. Data for sub-
national areas reflect revised population controls and model reestimation. As a result, they will not add to U.S. totals. Data for
Puerto Rico are derived from a monthly household survey similar to the Current Population Survey.
Table 2. Employment-population ratios of persons 16 years of age and over by region, division,
and state, 2007-08 annual averages
(Percent)
Employment-population
ratio (1) Over-the- Error range of
Region, division, and state year employment-population ratio,
change 2008 (2)
2007 2008
United States............. 63.0 62.2 -0.8 62.0 - 62.4
Northeast...................... 62.2 61.8 -.4 61.3 - 62.2
New England................. 64.8 64.1 -.7 63.4 - 64.8
Connecticut.............. 65.1 64.9 -.2 63.7 - 66.0
Maine.................... 63.4 63.0 -.4 61.8 - 64.2
Massachusetts............ 63.8 63.0 -.8 61.9 - 64.1
New Hampshire............ 68.6 68.0 -.6 67.0 - 69.0
Rhode Island............. 65.0 62.8 -2.2 61.6 - 63.9
Vermont.................. 67.8 67.2 -.6 66.0 - 68.4
Middle Atlantic............. 61.2 61.0 -.2 60.4 - 61.5
New Jersey............... 63.6 62.9 -.7 62.0 - 63.9
New York................. 59.9 59.6 -.3 59.0 - 60.3
Pennsylvania............. 61.7 61.7 .0 60.9 - 62.5
Midwest........................ 64.9 63.8 -1.1 63.4 - 64.2
East North Central.......... 63.6 62.4 -1.2 61.8 - 62.9
Illinois................. 64.7 63.4 -1.3 62.4 - 64.3
Indiana.................. 63.6 62.4 -1.2 61.0 - 63.8
Michigan................. 59.9 58.1 -1.8 57.1 - 59.0
Ohio..................... 63.6 62.7 -.9 61.9 - 63.5
Wisconsin................ 67.7 66.9 -.8 65.6 - 68.3
West North Central.......... 67.8 67.1 -.7 66.5 - 67.7
Iowa..................... 69.4 69.1 -.3 68.0 - 70.2
Kansas................... 67.9 67.6 -.3 66.5 - 68.7
Minnesota................ 69.3 68.6 -.7 67.4 - 69.8
Missouri................. 63.6 62.2 -1.4 60.9 - 63.6
Nebraska................. 71.1 71.0 -.1 69.9 - 72.1
North Dakota............. 71.6 71.8 .2 70.2 - 73.5
South Dakota............. 71.1 70.6 -.5 69.4 - 71.8
South.......................... 62.0 61.1 -.9 60.8 - 61.4
South Atlantic.............. 62.9 61.8 -1.1 61.3 - 62.2
Delaware................. 63.9 62.4 -1.5 61.3 - 63.5
District of Columbia..... 64.7 64.2 -.5 63.0 - 65.4
Florida.................. 60.9 59.9 -1.0 59.0 - 60.8
Georgia.................. 64.7 63.1 -1.6 62.1 - 64.1
Maryland................. 66.6 65.8 -.8 64.9 - 66.7
North Carolina........... 62.4 60.7 -1.7 59.7 - 61.7
South Carolina........... 59.6 58.4 -1.2 57.4 - 59.4
Virginia................. 67.3 66.8 -.5 65.9 - 67.7
West Virginia............ 53.8 53.2 -.6 51.6 - 54.9
East South Central.......... 59.0 57.8 -1.2 57.0 - 58.7
Alabama.................. 59.0 57.2 -1.8 55.5 - 58.9
Kentucky................. 58.9 57.9 -1.0 56.6 - 59.2
Mississippi.............. 56.3 55.9 -.4 54.3 - 57.4
Tennessee................ 60.4 59.2 -1.2 58.0 - 60.4
West South Central.......... 62.0 61.7 -.3 61.1 - 62.3
Arkansas................. 59.8 59.7 -.1 58.4 - 60.9
Louisiana................ 59.2 59.4 .2 57.8 - 61.0
Oklahoma................. 61.3 61.2 -.1 59.9 - 62.5
Texas.................... 62.9 62.5 -.4 61.7 - 63.2
West........................... 63.4 62.6 -.8 62.3 - 63.0
Mountain.................... 65.4 64.6 -.8 64.0 - 65.2
Arizona.................. 61.3 60.7 -.6 59.3 - 62.1
Colorado................. 69.8 68.7 -1.1 67.2 - 70.2
Idaho.................... 65.5 63.5 -2.0 62.1 - 64.9
Montana.................. 64.8 63.8 -1.0 62.4 - 65.1
Nevada................... 65.2 65.0 -.2 63.9 - 66.2
New Mexico............... 61.3 61.0 -.3 60.0 - 62.0
Utah..................... 69.6 68.7 -.9 67.2 - 70.2
Wyoming.................. 69.5 69.2 -.3 67.8 - 70.5
Pacific..................... 62.6 61.8 -.8 61.4 - 62.2
Alaska................... 66.4 66.5 .1 64.7 - 68.2
California............... 62.1 61.1 -1.0 60.7 - 61.6
Hawaii................... 64.1 63.4 -.7 62.2 - 64.7
Oregon................... 62.3 61.5 -.8 60.5 - 62.5
Washington............... 64.7 64.7 .0 63.7 - 65.7
Puerto Rico.................... 41.1 39.6 -1.5 NA
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.
NA = Data not available.
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. Data for Puerto Rico are derived from a monthly household survey similar to
the Current Population Survey.
United States Department of Labor
