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Economic News Release
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LAU LAU Program Links

State Unemployment (Annual) News Release

For release 10:00 a.m. (EST) Wednesday, March 4, 2020				  USDL-20-0377

Technical information:	(202) 691-6392  *  lausinfo@bls.gov  *  www.bls.gov/lau 
Media contact:		(202) 691-5902  *  PressOffice@bls.gov 


		      REGIONAL AND STATE UNEMPLOYMENT -- 2019 ANNUAL AVERAGES


In 2019, annual average unemployment rates decreased in 10 states, increased in 1 state, and
were little changed in 39 states and the District of Columbia, the U.S. Bureau of Labor 
Statistics reported today. Employment-population ratios increased in 16 states, decreased in
2 states, and were little changed in 32 states and the District. The U.S. jobless rate 
declined by 0.2 percentage point from the prior year to 3.7 percent, and the national 
employment-population ratio rose by 0.4 point to 60.8 percent.

Regional Unemployment

Three of the 4 census regions had unemployment rate decreases from 2018: the Northeast and
South (-0.3 percentage point each) and West (-0.2 point). The South had the lowest jobless
rate among the regions, 3.5 percent in 2019, while the West had the highest rate, 3.9 
percent. No other region had a rate significantly different from that of the United States.
In 2019, three regions recorded new series-low unemployment rates: the Northeast (3.7
percent), South (3.5 percent), and West (3.9 percent). All region, division, and state 
series begin in 1976. (See table 1.)

Five of the 9 geographic divisions had over-the-year unemployment rate changes in 2019, all
of which were decreases. These declines occurred in New England and the South Atlantic 
(-0.4 percentage point each) and the Mountain, Pacific, and West South Central (-0.3 point 
each). The lowest jobless rates among the divisions were in New England and the West North 
Central, 3.1 percent each, followed by the South Atlantic, 3.3 percent. The highest rates 
were in the Middle Atlantic and Pacific, 4.0 percent each. The remaining four divisions had
rates that were not significantly different from that of the United States. Five divisions
recorded new series-low unemployment rates in 2019: the East South Central (3.8 percent),
Middle Atlantic (4.0 percent), Pacific (4.0 percent), South Atlantic (3.3 percent), and 
West South Central (3.6 percent).

State Unemployment

Ten states had significant unemployment rate decreases in 2019, the largest of which
occurred in Alabama (-0.9 percentage point) and South Carolina (-0.7 point). Mississippi
had the only over-the-year rate increase (+0.6 percentage point). The remaining 39 states
and the District of Columbia had annual average jobless rates in 2019 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 and Vermont had the lowest unemployment rates in 2019, 2.4 percent each. Alaska
had the highest jobless rate, 6.1 percent. Overall, 17 states had unemployment rates 
significantly lower than the U.S. figure of 3.7 percent, 11 states and the District of 
Columbia had higher rates, and 22 states had rates that were not substantially different from
that of the nation. Eighteen states newly recorded the lowest annual average unemployment
rates in their respective series in 2019: Alabama (3.0 percent), Alaska (6.1 percent),
Arkansas (3.5 percent), California (4.0 percent), Florida (3.1 percent), Georgia (3.4 percent),
Illinois (4.0 percent), Maine (3.0 percent), Nevada (3.9 percent), New Jersey (3.6 percent), 
New York (4.0 percent), North Dakota (2.4 percent), Oregon (3.7 percent), South Carolina (2.8 
percent), Tennessee (3.4 percent), Texas (3.5 percent), Vermont (2.4 percent), and Washington
(4.3 percent). (See table B.)

Regional Employment-Population Ratios

In 2019, three census regions had significant changes in their employment-population ratio--
the proportion of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years of age and over who are 
employed--all of which were increases. These increases occurred in the Northeast (+0.5 
percentage point) and South and West (+0.4 point each). The Midwest had the highest ratio,
62.7 percent, while the South, at 59.6 percent, had the lowest. These two regions had the only
ratios that were notably different from the national figure of 60.8 percent. (See table 2.)

Four of the 9 geographic divisions had increases in their employment-population ratios from
2018 to 2019: the East South Central (+0.7 percentage point), Mountain (+0.6 point), Middle 
Atlantic (+0.5 point), and South Atlantic (+0.4 point). The remaining five divisions had 
little or no change in their ratios over the year. The division with the highest employment-
population ratio in 2019 was the West North Central, 65.8 percent, followed by New England, 
64.7 percent. These two divisions, along with the Mountain and East North Central, at 62.3 
percent and 61.3 percent, respectively, had employment-population ratios significantly above 
that of the United States. The East South Central had the lowest proportion of employed 
persons, 57.2 percent. The Middle Atlantic, at 59.6 percent, South Atlantic, at 59.8 percent,
and Pacific, at 60.2 percent, also had ratios appreciably below the national average of 60.8
percent.

State Employment-Population Ratios

In 2019, the largest employment-population ratio increase among the states occurred in Iowa 
(+1.5 percentage points), followed by West Virginia (+1.2 points) and New Jersey and Tennessee 
(+1.1 points each). Twelve other states also had significant increases in their ratios. Hawaii
and Wisconsin were the only states with over-the-year decreases in their employment-population
ratios (-0.9 percentage point and -0.8 point, respectively). The remaining 32 states and the 
District of Columbia had ratios that were not notably different from those of the previous 
year, though some had changes that were at least as large numerically as the significant 
changes. (See table C.)

Iowa had the highest proportion of employed persons in 2019, 68.5 percent, followed by
Minnesota, 68.0 percent. West Virginia and Mississippi had the lowest employment-population 
ratios among the states, 52.4 percent and 52.8 percent, respectively. Overall, 22 states and
the District of Columbia had employment-population ratios significantly higher than the U.S. 
ratio of 60.8 percent and 17 states had ratios that were appreciably below it. Alaska had the
lowest employment-population ratio in its series (59.9 percent). (See table D.)

_____________
The State Employment and Unemployment news release for January 2020 is scheduled to be 
released on Monday, March 16, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. (EDT). The Metropolitan Area Employment and
Unemployment news release for January 2020 is scheduled to be released on Friday, March 20, 
2020, at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).



Table A.  States with statistically significant unemployment rate changes, 
2018-19 annual averages
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                |          Rate           |               
                                |-------------------------| Over-the-year 
             State              |            |            |  rate change  
                                |    2018    |    2019    |               
--------------------------------|------------|------------|---------------
Alabama ........................|     3.9    |     3.0    |      -0.9
Colorado .......................|     3.2    |     2.8    |       -.4
Florida ........................|     3.6    |     3.1    |       -.5
Georgia ........................|     3.9    |     3.4    |       -.5
Massachusetts ..................|     3.4    |     2.9    |       -.5
Mississippi ....................|     4.8    |     5.4    |        .6
Nevada .........................|     4.4    |     3.9    |       -.5
New Jersey .....................|     4.1    |     3.6    |       -.5
South Carolina .................|     3.5    |     2.8    |       -.7
Texas ..........................|     3.8    |     3.5    |       -.3
Utah ...........................|     3.0    |     2.6    |       -.4
--------------------------------------------------------------------------



Table B.  States with unemployment rates significantly differ-
ent from that of the U.S., 2019 annual averages
--------------------------------------------------------------
                State                |          Rate
--------------------------------------------------------------
United States .......................|           3.7
                                     |              
Alabama .............................|           3.0
Alaska ..............................|           6.1
Arizona .............................|           4.7
California ..........................|           4.0
Colorado ............................|           2.8
District of Columbia ................|           5.5
Florida .............................|           3.1
Hawaii ..............................|           2.7
Idaho ...............................|           2.9
Iowa ................................|           2.7
                                     |              
Kansas ..............................|           3.2
Kentucky ............................|           4.3
Louisiana ...........................|           4.8
Maine ...............................|           3.0
Massachusetts .......................|           2.9
Minnesota ...........................|           3.2
Mississippi .........................|           5.4
Nebraska ............................|           3.0
New Hampshire .......................|           2.5
New Mexico ..........................|           4.9
                                     |              
North Dakota ........................|           2.4
Ohio ................................|           4.1
Pennsylvania ........................|           4.4
South Carolina ......................|           2.8
Utah ................................|           2.6
Vermont .............................|           2.4
Virginia ............................|           2.8
Washington ..........................|           4.3
West Virginia .......................|           4.9
--------------------------------------------------------------



Table C.  States with statistically significant employment-population 
ratio changes, 2018-19 annual averages
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                |          Ratio          |               
                                |-------------------------| Over-the-year 
             State              |            |            | ratio change  
                                |    2018    |    2019    |               
--------------------------------|------------|------------|---------------
Alabama ........................|    55.4    |    56.3    |       0.9
Arizona ........................|    58.2    |    59.2    |       1.0
California .....................|    59.6    |    59.9    |        .3
Florida ........................|    57.1    |    57.5    |        .4
Hawaii .........................|    60.2    |    59.3    |       -.9
Iowa ...........................|    67.0    |    68.5    |       1.5
Maryland .......................|    65.2    |    66.0    |        .8
Massachusetts ..................|    65.2    |    65.8    |        .6
Nevada .........................|    60.5    |    61.1    |        .6
New Jersey .....................|    60.2    |    61.3    |       1.1
                                |            |            |          
New Mexico .....................|    54.7    |    55.4    |        .7
North Carolina .................|    58.8    |    59.2    |        .4
Pennsylvania ...................|    59.9    |    60.4    |        .5
Tennessee ......................|    59.0    |    60.1    |       1.1
Virginia .......................|    63.5    |    64.3    |        .8
Washington .....................|    61.3    |    62.3    |       1.0
West Virginia ..................|    51.2    |    52.4    |       1.2
Wisconsin ......................|    65.6    |    64.8    |       -.8
--------------------------------------------------------------------------



Table D.  States with employment-population ratios significantly
different from that of the U.S., 2019 annual averages
----------------------------------------------------------------
                State                |          Ratio          
----------------------------------------------------------------
United States .......................|           60.8
                                     |               
Alabama .............................|           56.3
Arizona .............................|           59.2
Arkansas ............................|           56.1
California ..........................|           59.9
Colorado ............................|           67.4
Connecticut .........................|           63.9
District of Columbia ................|           67.1
Florida .............................|           57.5
Hawaii ..............................|           59.3
Idaho ...............................|           62.6
                                     |               
Illinois ............................|           61.9
Indiana .............................|           62.4
Iowa ................................|           68.5
Kansas ..............................|           64.6
Kentucky ............................|           56.8
Louisiana ...........................|           55.8
Maryland ............................|           66.0
Massachusetts .......................|           65.8
Michigan ............................|           59.2
Minnesota ...........................|           68.0
                                     |               
Mississippi .........................|           52.8
Missouri ............................|           62.0
Nebraska ............................|           67.8
New Hampshire .......................|           67.3
New Mexico ..........................|           55.4
New York ............................|           58.4
North Carolina ......................|           59.2
North Dakota ........................|           67.6
Oklahoma ............................|           58.8
Oregon ..............................|           59.4
                                     |               
South Carolina ......................|           56.8
South Dakota ........................|           66.7
Texas ...............................|           61.8
Utah ................................|           66.6
Vermont .............................|           64.5
Virginia ............................|           64.3
Washington ..........................|           62.3
West Virginia .......................|           52.4
Wisconsin ...........................|           64.8
Wyoming .............................|           62.6
----------------------------------------------------------------




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 employed and unemployed 
persons 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. 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. 

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. Changes in unemployment rates and employment-population
ratios are cited in the analysis of this release only if they have been determined
to be statistically significant. Furthermore, unemployment rates and
employment-population ratios for the latest year generally are cited only
if they have been determined to be significantly different from the corresponding
U.S. measure. The underlying 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 0.5 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, 2018-19 annual averages
[Numbers in thousands]
Region, division, and state Population Civilian labor force Employed Unemployed Unemployment rate Error range of
rate, 2019(1)
2018 2019 2018 2019 2018 2019 2018 2019 2018 2019

United States

257,791 259,175 162,075 163,539 155,761 157,538 6,314 6,001 3.9 3.7 3.6 – 3.7

Northeast

45,107 45,135 28,423 28,594 27,295 27,523 1,128 1,071 4.0 3.7 3.6 – 3.9

New England

12,090 12,132 8,044 8,095 7,765 7,844 279 251 3.5 3.1 2.9 – 3.3

Connecticut

2,882 2,884 1,901 1,914 1,822 1,842 79 71 4.1 3.7 3.2 – 4.3

Maine

1,104 1,110 696 693 673 672 23 21 3.2 3.0 2.5 – 3.6

Massachusetts

5,613 5,635 3,785 3,817 3,658 3,707 127 111 3.4 2.9 2.6 – 3.2

New Hampshire

1,113 1,121 763 774 743 754 20 20 2.6 2.5 2.2 – 2.9

Rhode Island

861 864 555 556 532 536 22 20 4.0 3.6 3.0 – 4.1

Vermont

517 518 345 342 336 334 9 8 2.5 2.4 2.0 – 2.7

Middle Atlantic

33,017 33,003 20,378 20,499 19,529 19,679 849 821 4.2 4.0 3.8 – 4.2

New Jersey

7,062 7,071 4,433 4,493 4,251 4,333 182 160 4.1 3.6 3.1 – 4.0

New York

15,692 15,656 9,522 9,514 9,128 9,138 394 377 4.1 4.0 3.7 – 4.3

Pennsylvania

10,262 10,277 6,424 6,492 6,151 6,208 273 284 4.2 4.4 4.0 – 4.8

Midwest

53,611 53,780 34,833 35,000 33,546 33,734 1,287 1,266 3.7 3.6 3.5 – 3.8

East North Central

37,030 37,112 23,653 23,679 22,700 22,766 953 912 4.0 3.9 3.7 – 4.0

Illinois

10,020 10,001 6,464 6,447 6,185 6,191 279 256 4.3 4.0 3.6 – 4.3

Indiana

5,209 5,246 3,382 3,387 3,264 3,275 118 112 3.5 3.3 2.9 – 3.7

Michigan

7,975 7,993 4,909 4,937 4,705 4,736 203 201 4.1 4.1 3.7 – 4.5

Ohio

9,215 9,239 5,781 5,802 5,522 5,564 259 239 4.5 4.1 3.7 – 4.5

Wisconsin

4,610 4,633 3,118 3,105 3,025 3,001 94 104 3.0 3.3 2.9 – 3.8

West North Central

16,581 16,668 11,180 11,321 10,846 10,968 334 353 3.0 3.1 2.9 – 3.3

Iowa

2,459 2,468 1,691 1,739 1,647 1,691 44 48 2.6 2.7 2.3 – 3.2

Kansas

2,222 2,229 1,478 1,487 1,429 1,440 49 47 3.3 3.2 2.7 – 3.6

Minnesota

4,390 4,424 3,071 3,110 2,981 3,009 90 100 2.9 3.2 2.8 – 3.6

Missouri

4,791 4,811 3,053 3,083 2,957 2,982 96 102 3.2 3.3 2.9 – 3.7

Nebraska

1,471 1,481 1,023 1,035 994 1,004 30 32 2.9 3.0 2.7 – 3.4

North Dakota

580 582 404 404 393 394 10 10 2.6 2.4 2.0 – 2.7

South Dakota

667 672 460 464 445 449 14 15 3.1 3.3 2.8 – 3.8

South

97,051 98,053 59,727 60,551 57,445 58,428 2,283 2,122 3.8 3.5 3.4 – 3.6

South Atlantic

51,596 52,147 31,815 32,271 30,629 31,191 1,185 1,080 3.7 3.3 3.2 – 3.5

Delaware

770 778 482 487 464 469 18 18 3.8 3.8 3.2 – 4.3

District of Columbia

574 577 405 410 382 387 23 22 5.7 5.5 4.9 – 6.1

Florida

17,183 17,410 10,174 10,337 9,809 10,016 365 321 3.6 3.1 2.8 – 3.4

Georgia

8,091 8,196 5,080 5,110 4,880 4,935 200 175 3.9 3.4 3.0 – 3.8

Maryland

4,748 4,761 3,222 3,261 3,095 3,144 127 117 3.9 3.6 3.1 – 4.0

North Carolina

8,137 8,243 4,986 5,080 4,788 4,884 198 197 4.0 3.9 3.5 – 4.3

South Carolina

4,003 4,063 2,340 2,376 2,259 2,308 81 68 3.5 2.8 2.4 – 3.3

Virginia

6,634 6,672 4,341 4,412 4,210 4,289 132 123 3.0 2.8 2.4 – 3.1

West Virginia

1,455 1,447 785 797 744 758 41 39 5.2 4.9 4.4 – 5.5

East South Central

14,940 15,023 8,798 8,935 8,447 8,596 351 339 4.0 3.8 3.5 – 4.1

Alabama

3,846 3,862 2,217 2,242 2,131 2,174 86 67 3.9 3.0 2.6 – 3.4

Kentucky

3,484 3,494 2,058 2,073 1,969 1,984 89 89 4.3 4.3 3.7 – 4.9

Mississippi

2,286 2,287 1,269 1,276 1,208 1,207 61 69 4.8 5.4 4.8 – 6.0

Tennessee

5,324 5,379 3,254 3,345 3,140 3,232 114 113 3.5 3.4 3.0 – 3.8

West South Central

30,515 30,883 19,115 19,345 18,369 18,641 746 704 3.9 3.6 3.4 – 3.8

Arkansas

2,333 2,343 1,353 1,363 1,304 1,314 49 48 3.6 3.5 3.1 – 4.0

Louisiana

3,581 3,577 2,104 2,095 2,002 1,994 103 101 4.9 4.8 4.3 – 5.3

Oklahoma

3,011 3,029 1,841 1,841 1,778 1,781 63 61 3.4 3.3 2.8 – 3.8

Texas

21,590 21,934 13,817 14,045 13,285 13,552 532 494 3.8 3.5 3.3 – 3.8

West

60,924 61,513 38,405 38,955 36,816 37,430 1,589 1,525 4.1 3.9 3.8 – 4.1

Mountain

18,998 19,341 12,193 12,512 11,717 12,056 475 456 3.9 3.6 3.4 – 3.9

Arizona

5,598 5,713 3,423 3,551 3,261 3,385 162 167 4.7 4.7 4.2 – 5.2

Colorado

4,471 4,545 3,081 3,149 2,983 3,062 97 87 3.2 2.8 2.3 – 3.2

Idaho

1,335 1,368 857 882 832 856 25 26 2.9 2.9 2.5 – 3.3

Montana

842 850 529 533 510 515 19 19 3.6 3.5 3.0 – 3.9

Nevada

2,375 2,424 1,504 1,542 1,437 1,482 67 60 4.4 3.9 3.4 – 4.4

New Mexico

1,631 1,640 938 955 892 908 46 46 4.9 4.9 4.3 – 5.4

Utah

2,298 2,351 1,570 1,608 1,522 1,566 48 42 3.0 2.6 2.3 – 3.0

Wyoming

448 450 291 292 280 282 11 11 3.9 3.6 3.1 – 4.1

Pacific

41,926 42,171 26,213 26,443 25,099 25,374 1,114 1,069 4.3 4.0 3.9 – 4.2

Alaska

546 545 353 348 330 326 23 21 6.5 6.1 5.5 – 6.8

California

30,983 31,107 19,281 19,412 18,461 18,627 820 784 4.3 4.0 3.8 – 4.3

Hawaii

1,093 1,091 675 665 658 647 17 18 2.5 2.7 2.3 – 3.1

Oregon

3,371 3,409 2,097 2,104 2,012 2,025 85 79 4.1 3.7 3.3 – 4.2

Washington

5,933 6,020 3,807 3,914 3,638 3,748 169 166 4.5 4.3 3.8 – 4.7

Puerto Rico

2,666 2,642 1,078 1,077 979 987 99 89 9.2 8.3 (2)-

Footnotes
(1) Error ranges are shown at the 90-percent confidence level and are based on unrounded data.
(2) Data not available.

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 re-estimation. 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, 2018-19 annual averages
[Percent]
Region, division, and state Employment-population ratio(1) Over-the-year
change
Error range of
ratio, 2019(2)
2018 2019

United States

60.4 60.8 0.4 60.6 – 61.0

Northeast

60.5 61.0 0.5 60.6 – 61.4

New England

64.2 64.7 0.5 64.0 – 65.3

Connecticut

63.2 63.9 0.7 62.6 – 65.2

Maine

61.0 60.5 -0.5 59.1 – 62.0

Massachusetts

65.2 65.8 0.6 64.9 – 66.7

New Hampshire

66.8 67.3 0.5 66.2 – 68.3

Rhode Island

61.8 62.0 0.2 60.8 – 63.3

Vermont

65.1 64.5 -0.6 63.3 – 65.7

Middle Atlantic

59.1 59.6 0.5 59.1 – 60.1

New Jersey

60.2 61.3 1.1 60.3 – 62.2

New York

58.2 58.4 0.2 57.7 – 59.1

Pennsylvania

59.9 60.4 0.5 59.6 – 61.2

Midwest

62.6 62.7 0.1 62.3 – 63.1

East North Central

61.3 61.3 0.0 60.9 – 61.8

Illinois

61.7 61.9 0.2 61.0 – 62.8

Indiana

62.7 62.4 -0.3 61.3 – 63.5

Michigan

59.0 59.2 0.2 58.3 – 60.2

Ohio

59.9 60.2 0.3 59.4 – 61.0

Wisconsin

65.6 64.8 -0.8 63.7 – 65.9

West North Central

65.4 65.8 0.4 65.2 – 66.4

Iowa

67.0 68.5 1.5 67.3 – 69.8

Kansas

64.3 64.6 0.3 63.4 – 65.7

Minnesota

67.9 68.0 0.1 66.9 – 69.2

Missouri

61.7 62.0 0.3 61.0 – 63.0

Nebraska

67.5 67.8 0.3 66.8 – 68.8

North Dakota

67.8 67.6 -0.2 66.1 – 69.2

South Dakota

66.8 66.7 -0.1 65.4 – 68.1

South

59.2 59.6 0.4 59.3 – 59.9

South Atlantic

59.4 59.8 0.4 59.4 – 60.2

Delaware

60.2 60.2 0.0 59.0 – 61.5

District of Columbia

66.5 67.1 0.6 65.8 – 68.4

Florida

57.1 57.5 0.4 56.9 – 58.2

Georgia

60.3 60.2 -0.1 59.3 – 61.1

Maryland

65.2 66.0 0.8 64.9 – 67.2

North Carolina

58.8 59.2 0.4 58.4 – 60.1

South Carolina

56.4 56.8 0.4 55.9 – 57.7

Virginia

63.5 64.3 0.8 63.3 – 65.3

West Virginia

51.2 52.4 1.2 50.6 – 54.1

East South Central

56.5 57.2 0.7 56.5 – 57.9

Alabama

55.4 56.3 0.9 55.3 – 57.3

Kentucky

56.5 56.8 0.3 55.6 – 58.0

Mississippi

52.8 52.8 0.0 51.6 – 54.0

Tennessee

59.0 60.1 1.1 59.0 – 61.2

West South Central

60.2 60.4 0.2 59.9 – 60.9

Arkansas

55.9 56.1 0.2 55.1 – 57.1

Louisiana

55.9 55.8 -0.1 54.7 – 56.8

Oklahoma

59.0 58.8 -0.2 57.5 – 60.0

Texas

61.5 61.8 0.3 61.2 – 62.3

West

60.4 60.8 0.4 60.5 – 61.2

Mountain

61.7 62.3 0.6 61.7 – 62.9

Arizona

58.2 59.2 1.0 58.2 – 60.3

Colorado

66.7 67.4 0.7 66.2 – 68.6

Idaho

62.4 62.6 0.2 61.5 – 63.7

Montana

60.5 60.6 0.1 59.5 – 61.6

Nevada

60.5 61.1 0.6 60.2 – 62.1

New Mexico

54.7 55.4 0.7 54.3 – 56.5

Utah

66.2 66.6 0.4 65.6 – 67.6

Wyoming

62.5 62.6 0.1 61.3 – 64.0

Pacific

59.9 60.2 0.3 59.7 – 60.6

Alaska

60.4 59.9 -0.5 58.4 – 61.4

California

59.6 59.9 0.3 59.4 – 60.4

Hawaii

60.2 59.3 -0.9 58.1 – 60.5

Oregon

59.7 59.4 -0.3 58.2 – 60.6

Washington

61.3 62.3 1.0 61.3 – 63.2

Puerto Rico

36.7 37.4 0.7 (3)-

Footnotes
(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.
(3) 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 re-estimation. Data for Puerto Rico are derived from a monthly household survey similar to the Current Population Survey.


Last Modified Date: March 04, 2020