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Eighteen states had jobless rates significantly lower than the U.S. rate of 6.2 percent, July 2014

August 25, 2014

In July 2014, a total of 18 states had jobless rates significantly lower than the U.S. figure of 6.2 percent, 8 states and the District of Columbia had measurably higher rates, and 24 states had rates that were not appreciably different from that of the nation. Mississippi had the highest unemployment rate among states (8.0 percent). North Dakota again had the lowest jobless rate (2.8 percent).

From June to July, 7 states had statistically significant unemployment rate changes, all of which were increases. The significant increases occurred in Tennessee (0.5 percentage point), Georgia (0.4 point), South Carolina (0.4 point), Wyoming (0.4 point), Maryland (0.3 point), Vermont (0.3 point), and Iowa (0.1 point). The remaining 43 states and the District of Columbia had jobless rates that were not measurably different from those of a month earlier, though some had changes that were at least as large numerically as the significant changes.

Unemployment rates by state, seasonally adjusted, July 2014 (U.S. rate = 6.2 percent) Washington, 5.6%Oregon, 6.9%California, 7.4%Idaho, 4.8%Nevada, 7.7%Montana, 4.6%Wyoming, 4.4%Utah, 3.6%Arizona, 7.0%Colorado, 5.3%New Mexico, 6.6%North Dakota, 2.8%South Dakota, 3.7%Nebraska, 3.6%Kansas, 4.9%Oklahoma, 4.6%Texas, 5.1%Louisiana, 5.4%Arkansas, 6.2%Missouri, 6.5%Iowa, 4.5%Minnesota, 4.5%Alaska, 6.5%Hawaii, 4.4%Kentucky, 7.4%Tennessee, 7.1%Mississippi, 8.0%Alabama, 7.0%Florida, 6.2%Georgia, 7.8%South Carolina, 5.7%North Carolina, 6.5%Virginia, 5.4%District of Columbia, 7.4%West Virginia, 6.3%Maryland, 6.1%Delaware, 6.2%Wisconsin, 5.8%Illinois, 6.8%Michigan, 7.7%Indiana, 5.9%Ohio, 5.7%Pennsylvania, 5.7%New Jersey, 6.5%New York, 6.6%Connecticut, 6.6%Rhode Island, 7.7%Massachusetts, 5.6%Vermont, 3.7%New Hampshire, 4.4%Maine, 5.5%

From July 2013 to July 2014, twenty nine states and the District of Columbia had statistically significant changes, all of which were decreases. The largest decline occurred in Illinois (−2.4 percentage points), followed by Nevada (−2.2 points), and South Carolina (−2.0 points).

Among the nine geographic divisions, the East South Central had the highest unemployment rate, 7.3 percent in July. The West North Central again had the lowest rate, 4.9 percent. Over the month, the South Atlantic had the only statistically significant jobless rate change (0.1 percentage point). Seven divisions had significant rate changes from a year earlier, all of which were declines. The largest of these decreases occurred in the East North Central (−1.8 percentage points), Middle Atlantic (−1.5 points), and Pacific (−1.5 points).

These data are from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics program. Data for the most recent month are preliminary and subject to revision. To learn more, see "Regional and State Employment and Unemployment — July 2014" (HTML) (PDF), news release USDL‑14‑1546.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Eighteen states had jobless rates significantly lower than the U.S. rate of 6.2 percent, July 2014 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2014/ted_20140825.htm (visited May 01, 2024).

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