State employment and unemployment, April 2012

From April 2011 to April 2012, nonfarm employment increased in 43 states and the District of Columbia and decreased in 7 states. The largest over-the-year percentage increase in employment occurred in North Dakota (+7.2 percent). The largest over-the-year percentage decrease occurred in Rhode Island (-0.9 percent).

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Over the year, 24 states and the District of Columbia experienced statistically significant changes in employment, all of which were increases. The largest increase occurred in Texas (+225,800), followed by California (+175,600) and New York (+131,000).

Michigan registered the largest jobless rate decrease from April 2011 to April 2012 (-2.2 percentage points). Twenty-three additional states reported smaller but also statistically significant declines over the year. The remaining 26 states and the District of Columbia recorded unemployment rates that were not appreciably different from those of a year earlier.

These data are from the Current Employment Statistics (State and Metro Area) and Local Area Unemployment Statistics programs. Data for the most recent month are preliminary and subject to revision. To learn more, see "Regional and State Employment and Unemployment – April 2012" (HTML) (PDF), news release USDL-12-0956.