43 states at historically high unemployment rates in April 2020

In April 2020, unemployment rates in 43 states were at their highest levels since the state unemployment data began in January 1976. Unemployment rates in Hawaii and Nevada exceeded their previous highs by more than 10.0 percentage points each, while the rates in Michigan, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont exceeded their previous highs by more than 5.0 points each.

In April 2020, Nevada had the highest unemployment rate (28.2 percent), followed by Michigan (22.7 percent), and Hawaii (22.3 percent). Connecticut had the lowest unemployment rate, 7.9 percent. The next lowest rates were in Minnesota (8.1 percent) and Nebraska (8.3 percent).

The District of Columbia and 27 states had unemployment rates lower than the U.S. rate of 14.7 percent in April 2020, 10 states had higher rates, and 13 states had rates that were not appreciably different from that of the nation.

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 — April 2020." Also see more charts and maps on state employment and unemployment.