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In October 2018, 14 states had unemployment rates lower than the U.S. rate of 3.7 percent, and 11 states and the District of Columbia had higher rates. The remaining 25 states had unemployment rates that were not significantly different from that of the nation as a whole.
State | Unemployment rate | Significantly different from U.S. rate? |
---|---|---|
United States |
3.7% | — |
Alabama |
4.1 | Not significantly different from U.S. rate |
Alaska |
6.4 | Significantly higher than U.S. rate |
Arizona |
4.7 | Significantly higher than U.S. rate |
Arkansas |
3.5 | Not significantly different from U.S. rate |
California |
4.1 | Significantly higher than U.S. rate |
Colorado |
3.2 | Significantly lower than U.S. rate |
Connecticut |
4.2 | Not significantly different from U.S. rate |
Delaware |
3.9 | Not significantly different from U.S. rate |
District of Columbia |
5.6 | Significantly higher than U.S. rate |
Florida |
3.4 | Not significantly different from U.S. rate |
Georgia |
3.6 | Not significantly different from U.S. rate |
Hawaii |
2.3 | Significantly lower than U.S. rate |
Idaho |
2.7 | Significantly lower than U.S. rate |
Illinois |
4.2 | Not significantly different from U.S. rate |
Indiana |
3.5 | Not significantly different from U.S. rate |
Iowa |
2.4 | Significantly lower than U.S. rate |
Kansas |
3.3 | Not significantly different from U.S. rate |
Kentucky |
4.5 | Significantly higher than U.S. rate |
Louisiana |
5.0 | Significantly higher than U.S. rate |
Maine |
3.4 | Not significantly different from U.S. rate |
Maryland |
4.1 | Not significantly different from U.S. rate |
Massachusetts |
3.5 | Not significantly different from U.S. rate |
Michigan |
3.9 | Not significantly different from U.S. rate |
Minnesota |
2.8 | Significantly lower than U.S. rate |
Mississippi |
4.7 | Significantly higher than U.S. rate |
Missouri |
3.1 | Significantly lower than U.S. rate |
Montana |
3.7 | Not significantly different from U.S. rate |
Nebraska |
2.8 | Significantly lower than U.S. rate |
Nevada |
4.4 | Significantly higher than U.S. rate |
New Hampshire |
2.6 | Significantly lower than U.S. rate |
New Jersey |
4.1 | Not significantly different from U.S. rate |
New Mexico |
4.6 | Significantly higher than U.S. rate |
New York |
4.0 | Not significantly different from U.S. rate |
New York City |
4.0 | Not significantly different from U.S. rate |
North Carolina |
3.6 | Not significantly different from U.S. rate |
North Dakota |
2.8 | Significantly lower than U.S. rate |
Ohio |
4.6 | Significantly higher than U.S. rate |
Oklahoma |
3.4 | Not significantly different from U.S. rate |
Oregon |
3.8 | Not significantly different from U.S. rate |
Pennsylvania |
4.1 | Not significantly different from U.S. rate |
Rhode Island |
3.8 | Not significantly different from U.S. rate |
South Carolina |
3.3 | Not significantly different from U.S. rate |
South Dakota |
3.0 | Significantly lower than U.S. rate |
Tennessee |
3.7 | Not significantly different from U.S. rate |
Texas |
3.7 | Not significantly different from U.S. rate |
Utah |
3.2 | Significantly lower than U.S. rate |
Vermont |
2.8 | Significantly lower than U.S. rate |
Virginia |
2.9 | Significantly lower than U.S. rate |
Washington |
4.3 | Significantly higher than U.S. rate |
West Virginia |
5.2 | Significantly higher than U.S. rate |
Wisconsin |
3.0 | Significantly lower than U.S. rate |
Wyoming |
4.1 | Not significantly different from U.S. rate |
Note: Data are preliminary. |
Hawaii had the lowest unemployment rate in October, 2.3 percent. Iowa, New Hampshire, Idaho, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Vermont, and Virginia also had unemployment rates below 3.0 percent.
Alaska had the highest jobless rate, 6.4 percent. Louisiana, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia also had jobless rates of 5.0 percent or higher.
The unemployment rates in Texas (3.7 percent) and Washington (4.3 percent) set new series lows in October 2018. (All state data series begin in 1976.)
There were 18 states that had unemployment rate changes from October 2017 to October 2018, all of which were decreases. The largest decrease occurred in New Mexico, where the unemployment rate decreased from 6.0 percent to 4.6 percent, a change of −1.4 percentage points.
These data are from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics program and are seasonally adjusted. Data for the most recent month are preliminary. To learn more, see "State Employment and Unemployment — October 2018." Also see more charts and maps on state employment and unemployment.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Unemployment rate lowest in Hawaii, highest in Alaska, in October 2018 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2018/unemployment-rate-lowest-in-hawaii-highest-in-alaska-in-october-2018.htm (visited October 31, 2024).