For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Wednesday, March 5, 2025 USDL-25-0294
Technical information: (202) 691-6392 * lausinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/lau
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov
REGIONAL AND STATE UNEMPLOYMENT -- 2024 ANNUAL AVERAGES
In 2024, annual average unemployment rates increased in 21 states and were little changed in
29 states and the District of Columbia, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.
Employment-population ratios decreased in 5 states and were little changed in 45 states and
the District. The U.S. jobless rate increased by 0.4 percentage point from the prior year to
4.0 percent, while the national employment-population ratio fell by 0.2 point to 60.1 percent.
Regional Unemployment
All four census regions had unemployment rate increases from 2023: the Midwest and West
(+0.5 percentage point each), South (+0.4 point), and Northeast (+0.3 point). The South
registered the lowest jobless rate in 2024, 3.7 percent, while the West had the highest
rate, 4.7 percent. (See table 1.)
Seven of the 9 geographic divisions had over-the-year unemployment rate changes in 2024,
all of which were increases. The largest of these increases occurred in the East North Central
(+0.6 percentage point). The West North Central had the lowest jobless rate, 3.2 percent.
The highest jobless rate among the divisions was in the Pacific, 5.0 percent. The East South
Central, New England, South Atlantic, and West North Central divisions had rates below the
national figure, while the East North Central and Pacific divisions had rates above it.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
| |
| Changes to Local Area Unemployment Statistics Data |
| |
| Effective with this release, data for regions, divisions, states, the District of Columbia, |
| the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale metropolitan division, and New York City have been re- |
| estimated from 1976 through 2024. The annual average data shown in tables 1 and 2 were |
| affected, as were monthly seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted data. Information |
| on these data revisions is available at |
| www.bls.gov/lau/geography-and-data-changes-in-2025.htm. |
|______________________________________________________________________________________________|
State Unemployment
Twenty-one states had unemployment rate increases in 2024, the largest of which were in Rhode
Island (+1.3 percentage points), South Carolina (+1.1 points), and Colorado (+1.0 point). The
remaining 29 states and the District of Columbia had annual average jobless rates in 2024 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.)
South Dakota had the lowest jobless rate among the states in 2024, 1.8 percent. Nevada had the
highest unemployment rate, 5.6 percent. Overall, 24 states had unemployment rates lower than the
U.S. figure of 4.0 percent, 5 states and the District of Columbia had higher rates, and 21 states
had rates that were not appreciably different from that of the nation. Two states set new annual
average series low unemployment rates in 2024: Arizona and Pennsylvania (3.6 percent each). All
state series begin in 1976. (See table B.)
Regional Employment-Population Ratios
In 2024, two census regions had decreases in their employment-population ratios--the proportion of
the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years of age and over who are employed. These decreases
occurred in the West (-0.4 percentage point) and South (-0.3 point). The Midwest had the highest
employment-population ratio, 61.9 percent, while the South had the lowest ratio, 59.0 percent.
(See table 2.)
Two census divisions had over-the-year decreases in their employment-population ratios in 2024:
the South Atlantic (-0.7 percentage point) and Pacific (-0.4 point). Five divisions had ratios
notably higher than the U.S. ratio of 60.1 percent, the highest of which was in the West North
Central, 64.5 percent. Four divisions had ratios that were lower than the national average, the
lowest of which was in the East South Central, 55.9 percent.
State Employment-Population Ratios
Five states had employment-population ratio decreases in 2024: Florida and North Carolina (-0.9
percentage point each), Washington and Wyoming (-0.8 point each), and California (-0.4 point).
The remaining 45 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.)
The District of Columbia had the highest proportion of employed people in 2024, 68.6 percent.
The next highest ratios were in North Dakota, 67.7 percent, and South Dakota, 67.4 percent.
West Virginia and Mississippi had the lowest employment-population ratios among the states,
52.6 percent and 53.5 percent, respectively. Overall, 19 states and the District had employment-
population ratios higher than the U.S. ratio of 60.1 percent, 17 states had lower ratios, and
14 states had ratios that were not appreciably different from that of the nation. (See table D.)
_____________
The State Employment and Unemployment news release for January 2025 is scheduled to be released
on Monday, March 17, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. (ET). The Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment
news release for January 2025 is scheduled to be released on Friday, March 21, 2025, at 10:00 a.m.
(ET).
Table A. States with statistically significant unemployment rate changes,
2023-24 annual averages
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Rate |
|-------------------------| Over-the-year
State | | | rate change
| 2023 | 2024 |
--------------------------------|------------|------------|---------------
Alabama ........................| 2.5 | 3.1 | 0.6
California .....................| 4.7 | 5.3 | .6
Colorado .......................| 3.3 | 4.3 | 1.0
Florida ........................| 3.0 | 3.4 | .4
Idaho ..........................| 3.2 | 3.7 | .5
Illinois .......................| 4.5 | 5.0 | .5
Indiana ........................| 3.4 | 4.2 | .8
Kansas .........................| 2.9 | 3.6 | .7
Kentucky .......................| 4.3 | 5.1 | .8
Louisiana ......................| 3.7 | 4.4 | .7
| | |
Maryland .......................| 2.2 | 3.0 | .8
Massachusetts ..................| 3.5 | 4.0 | .5
Michigan .......................| 3.9 | 4.7 | .8
Missouri .......................| 3.1 | 3.7 | .6
Nebraska .......................| 2.3 | 2.8 | .5
North Dakota ...................| 2.0 | 2.4 | .4
Ohio ...........................| 3.7 | 4.3 | .6
Rhode Island ...................| 3.0 | 4.3 | 1.3
South Carolina .................| 3.0 | 4.1 | 1.1
Utah ...........................| 2.7 | 3.2 | .5
Vermont ........................| 1.9 | 2.3 | .4
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table B. States with unemployment rates significantly differ-
ent from that of the U.S., 2024 annual averages
--------------------------------------------------------------
State | Rate
--------------------------------------------------------------
United States .......................| 4.0
|
Alabama .............................| 3.1
Arkansas ............................| 3.5
California ..........................| 5.3
Connecticut .........................| 3.2
District of Columbia ................| 5.2
Florida .............................| 3.4
Georgia .............................| 3.5
Hawaii ..............................| 3.0
Illinois ............................| 5.0
Iowa ................................| 3.0
|
Kentucky ............................| 5.1
Maine ...............................| 3.1
Maryland ............................| 3.0
Michigan ............................| 4.7
Minnesota ...........................| 3.0
Mississippi .........................| 3.2
Montana .............................| 3.0
Nebraska ............................| 2.8
Nevada ..............................| 5.6
New Hampshire .......................| 2.6
|
North Dakota ........................| 2.4
Oklahoma ............................| 3.3
Pennsylvania ........................| 3.6
South Dakota ........................| 1.8
Tennessee ...........................| 3.4
Utah ................................| 3.2
Vermont .............................| 2.3
Virginia ............................| 2.9
Wisconsin ...........................| 3.0
Wyoming .............................| 3.2
--------------------------------------------------------------
Table C. States with statistically significant employment-population
ratio changes, 2023-24 annual averages
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Ratio |
|-------------------------| Over-the-year
State | | | ratio change
| 2023 | 2024 |
--------------------------------|------------|------------|---------------
California .....................| 59.2 | 58.8 | -0.4
Florida ........................| 57.4 | 56.5 | -.9
North Carolina .................| 59.0 | 58.1 | -.9
Washington .....................| 61.4 | 60.6 | -.8
Wyoming ........................| 62.2 | 61.4 | -.8
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table D. States with employment-population ratios significantly
different from that of the U.S., 2024 annual averages
----------------------------------------------------------------
State | Ratio
----------------------------------------------------------------
United States .......................| 60.1
|
Alabama .............................| 55.7
Arkansas ............................| 56.2
California ..........................| 58.8
Colorado ............................| 65.1
Connecticut .........................| 62.8
Delaware ............................| 57.4
District of Columbia ................| 68.6
Florida .............................| 56.5
Hawaii ..............................| 58.1
Idaho ...............................| 61.6
|
Illinois ............................| 61.8
Iowa ................................| 64.9
Kansas ..............................| 64.7
Kentucky ............................| 55.2
Louisiana ...........................| 55.7
Maine ...............................| 58.3
Maryland ............................| 63.4
Massachusetts .......................| 63.6
Michigan ............................| 58.9
Minnesota ...........................| 66.1
|
Mississippi .........................| 53.5
Nebraska ............................| 67.0
New Hampshire .......................| 63.9
New Jersey ..........................| 61.4
New Mexico ..........................| 55.3
New York ............................| 58.3
North Carolina ......................| 58.1
North Dakota ........................| 67.7
South Carolina ......................| 55.5
South Dakota ........................| 67.4
|
Tennessee ...........................| 57.5
Texas ...............................| 62.3
Utah ................................| 66.7
Vermont .............................| 63.8
Virginia ............................| 64.0
West Virginia .......................| 52.6
Wisconsin ...........................| 64.0
----------------------------------------------------------------
United States Department of Labor
