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Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia had statistically significant unemployment rate increases in March 2020. Rates were lower over the month in 3 states and stable in 18 states. The national unemployment rate rose from 3.5 percent in February to 4.4 percent in March.
State | Change from February to March 2020 | March 2020 rate | February 2020 rate | Statistically significant change? |
---|---|---|---|---|
Nevada |
2.7 percentage points | 6.3% | 3.6% | Yes |
Colorado |
2.0 | 4.5 | 2.5 | Yes |
Louisiana |
1.7 | 6.9 | 5.2 | Yes |
Kentucky |
1.6 | 5.8 | 4.2 | Yes |
Florida |
1.5 | 4.3 | 2.8 | Yes |
California |
1.4 | 5.3 | 3.9 | Yes |
Ohio |
1.4 | 5.5 | 4.1 | Yes |
Arkansas |
1.3 | 4.8 | 3.5 | Yes |
Nebraska |
1.3 | 4.2 | 2.9 | Yes |
Pennsylvania |
1.3 | 6.0 | 4.7 | Yes |
Washington |
1.3 | 5.1 | 3.8 | Yes |
Delaware |
1.2 | 5.1 | 3.9 | Yes |
Illinois |
1.2 | 4.6 | 3.4 | Yes |
Rhode Island |
1.2 | 4.6 | 3.4 | Yes |
Texas |
1.2 | 4.7 | 3.5 | Yes |
West Virginia |
1.2 | 6.1 | 4.9 | Yes |
Georgia |
1.1 | 4.2 | 3.1 | Yes |
New Mexico |
1.1 | 5.9 | 4.8 | Yes |
Utah |
1.1 | 3.6 | 2.5 | Yes |
Arizona |
1.0 | 5.5 | 4.5 | Yes |
Missouri |
1.0 | 4.5 | 3.5 | Yes |
District of Columbia |
0.9 | 6.0 | 5.1 | Yes |
Iowa |
0.9 | 3.7 | 2.8 | Yes |
Alabama |
0.8 | 3.5 | 2.7 | Yes |
New York |
0.8 | 4.5 | 3.7 | Yes |
North Carolina |
0.8 | 4.4 | 3.6 | Yes |
Vermont |
0.8 | 3.2 | 2.4 | Yes |
Virginia |
0.7 | 3.3 | 2.6 | Yes |
Michigan |
0.5 | 4.1 | 3.6 | Yes |
Indiana |
0.1 | 3.2 | 3.1 | No |
Massachusetts |
0.1 | 2.9 | 2.8 | No |
South Carolina |
0.1 | 2.6 | 2.5 | Yes |
Tennessee |
0.1 | 3.5 | 3.4 | No |
Kansas |
0.0 | 3.1 | 3.1 | No |
Maine |
0.0 | 3.2 | 3.2 | No |
Maryland |
0.0 | 3.3 | 3.3 | No |
Minnesota |
0.0 | 3.1 | 3.1 | No |
Montana |
0.0 | 3.5 | 3.5 | No |
New Hampshire |
0.0 | 2.6 | 2.6 | No |
New Jersey |
0.0 | 3.8 | 3.8 | No |
North Dakota |
0.0 | 2.2 | 2.2 | No |
Oregon |
0.0 | 3.3 | 3.3 | No |
South Dakota |
0.0 | 3.3 | 3.3 | No |
Wyoming |
0.0 | 3.7 | 3.7 | No |
Connecticut |
-0.1 | 3.7 | 3.8 | No |
Hawaii |
-0.1 | 2.6 | 2.7 | No |
Idaho |
-0.1 | 2.6 | 2.7 | Yes |
Mississippi |
-0.1 | 5.3 | 5.4 | No |
Oklahoma |
-0.1 | 3.1 | 3.2 | Yes |
Wisconsin |
-0.1 | 3.4 | 3.5 | No |
Alaska |
-0.2 | 5.6 | 5.8 | Yes |
The largest unemployment rate increases in March occurred in Nevada (+2.7 percentage points) and Colorado (+2.0 points). Rates rose over the month by at least a full percentage point in 19 other states. Alaska had the largest jobless rate decrease from February (−0.2 percentage point).
North Dakota had the lowest unemployment rate in March, 2.2 percent, while Louisiana had the highest rate, 6.9 percent. The rates in Alaska (5.6 percent) and Idaho (2.6 percent) set new lows. (All state data begin in 1976.) In total, 25 states had unemployment rates lower than the U.S. figure of 4.4 percent, 13 states and the District of Columbia had higher rates, and 12 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 — March 2020." Also see more charts and maps on state employment and unemployment.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Unemployment rates rose in 29 states and the District of Columbia in March 2020 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2020/unemployment-rates-rose-in-29-states-and-the-district-of-columbia-in-march-2020.htm (visited October 31, 2024).