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Unemployment rates were significantly lower in September 2018 than a year earlier in 16 states, while 34 states and the District of Columbia had little or no change. Hawaii had the lowest unemployment rate in September, at 2.2 percent.
State | Unemployment rate | 12-month change | Number of unemployed |
---|---|---|---|
Alabama |
4.1% | 0.2 percentage point | 90,830 |
Alaska |
6.5 | -0.7 | 23,339 |
Arizona |
4.7 | 0.0 | 157,377 |
Arkansas |
3.5 | -0.2 | 47,244 |
California |
4.1 | -0.4 | 802,959 |
Colorado |
3.1 | 0.1 | 94,532 |
Connecticut |
4.2 | -0.3 | 80,072 |
Delaware |
4.0 | -0.5 | 19,263 |
District of Columbia |
5.7 | -0.3 | 23,029 |
Florida |
3.5 | -0.4 | 358,052 |
Georgia |
3.7 | -0.8 | 188,560 |
Hawaii |
2.2 | 0.0 | 15,032 |
Idaho |
2.7 | -0.3 | 23,283 |
Illinois |
4.1 | -0.9 | 266,833 |
Indiana |
3.5 | 0.0 | 117,422 |
Iowa |
2.5 | -0.5 | 41,766 |
Kansas |
3.3 | -0.3 | 48,462 |
Kentucky |
4.5 | -0.2 | 92,558 |
Louisiana |
5.0 | 0.2 | 106,473 |
Maine |
3.3 | 0.0 | 23,188 |
Maryland |
4.2 | 0.2 | 134,261 |
Massachusetts |
3.6 | 0.0 | 135,797 |
Michigan |
4.0 | -0.7 | 193,399 |
Minnesota |
2.8 | -0.5 | 87,117 |
Mississippi |
4.8 | -0.1 | 61,629 |
Missouri |
3.2 | -0.4 | 96,885 |
Montana |
3.6 | -0.5 | 19,090 |
Nebraska |
2.8 | -0.1 | 28,587 |
Nevada |
4.5 | -0.4 | 67,429 |
New Hampshire |
2.7 | 0.1 | 20,242 |
New Jersey |
4.2 | -0.5 | 187,088 |
New Mexico |
4.6 | -1.4 | 43,006 |
New York |
4.1 | -0.6 | 397,818 |
North Carolina |
3.8 | -0.6 | 187,386 |
North Dakota |
2.7 | 0.1 | 10,947 |
Ohio |
4.6 | -0.4 | 265,728 |
Oklahoma |
3.5 | -0.6 | 65,300 |
Oregon |
3.8 | -0.4 | 79,525 |
Pennsylvania |
4.1 | -0.7 | 261,922 |
Rhode Island |
3.9 | -0.6 | 22,060 |
South Carolina |
3.3 | -0.9 | 76,772 |
South Dakota |
3.0 | -0.4 | 13,677 |
Tennessee |
3.6 | 0.3 | 117,359 |
Texas |
3.8 | -0.2 | 525,469 |
Utah |
3.2 | 0.0 | 50,357 |
Vermont |
2.9 | 0.0 | 9,900 |
Virginia |
2.9 | -0.7 | 126,589 |
Washington |
4.4 | -0.3 | 165,162 |
West Virginia |
5.2 | -0.1 | 40,707 |
Wisconsin |
3.0 | -0.3 | 95,075 |
Wyoming |
4.1 | 0.0 | 11,593 |
The rates in Arkansas (3.5 percent), California (4.1 percent), Idaho (2.7 percent), South Carolina (3.3 percent), Texas (3.8 percent), and Washington (4.4 percent) set new series lows. (All state series begin in 1976.) Alaska had the highest jobless rate, 6.5 percent. In total, 13 states had unemployment rates lower than the U.S. figure of 3.7 percent, 12 states and the District of Columbia had higher rates, and 25 states had rates that were not appreciably different from that of the nation.
The state unemployment data are from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics program and are seasonally adjusted. Data for the most recent month are preliminary. See "State Employment and Unemployment — September 2018" to learn more. Also see the Charts related to the latest "State Employment and Unemployment" news release.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, 6 states had historically low unemployment rates in September 2018 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2018/6-states-had-historically-low-unemployment-rates-in-september-2018.htm (visited October 31, 2024).