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California and Nevada had the highest unemployment rates in September 2021, at 7.5 percent each. Nebraska and Utah had the lowest jobless rates, 2.0 percent and 2.4 percent, respectively. The rates in Georgia (3.2 percent) and Nebraska (2.0 percent) set new lows. (All state data begin in 1976.) In total, 19 states had unemployment rates lower than the U.S. figure of 4.8 percent, 16 states and the District of Columbia had higher rates, and 15 states had rates that were not appreciably different from that of the nation.
State | September 2021 unemployment rate | September 2020 unemployment rate | 12-month change |
---|---|---|---|
Alabama |
3.1% | 6.7% | -3.6 percentage point(s) |
Alaska |
6.3 | 7.0 | -0.7 |
Arizona |
5.7 | 6.9 | -1.2 |
Arkansas |
4.0 | 5.9 | -1.9 |
California |
7.5 | 10.6 | -3.1 |
Colorado |
5.6 | 7.0 | -1.4 |
Connecticut |
6.8 | 8.3 | -1.5 |
Delaware |
5.3 | 7.6 | -2.3 |
District of Columbia |
6.5 | 8.7 | -2.2 |
Florida |
4.9 | 7.2 | -2.3 |
Georgia |
3.2 | 6.5 | -3.3 |
Hawaii |
6.6 | 14.8 | -8.2 |
Idaho |
2.9 | 6.0 | -3.1 |
Illinois |
6.8 | 10.4 | -3.6 |
Indiana |
4.0 | 6.3 | -2.3 |
Iowa |
4.0 | 4.7 | -0.7 |
Kansas |
3.9 | 6.1 | -2.2 |
Kentucky |
4.3 | 5.5 | -1.2 |
Louisiana |
5.8 | 8.0 | -2.2 |
Maine |
4.8 | 4.9 | -0.1 |
Maryland |
5.9 | 7.0 | -1.1 |
Massachusetts |
5.2 | 8.9 | -3.7 |
Michigan |
4.6 | 8.2 | -3.6 |
Minnesota |
3.7 | 5.8 | -2.1 |
Mississippi |
5.8 | 7.2 | -1.4 |
Missouri |
3.8 | 5.4 | -1.6 |
Montana |
3.3 | 5.2 | -1.9 |
Nebraska |
2.0 | 3.8 | -1.8 |
Nevada |
7.5 | 13.0 | -5.5 |
New Hampshire |
2.9 | 5.5 | -2.6 |
New Jersey |
7.1 | 7.8 | -0.7 |
New Mexico |
6.9 | 8.6 | -1.7 |
New York |
7.1 | 10.0 | -2.9 |
North Carolina |
4.2 | 7.3 | -3.1 |
North Dakota |
3.5 | 4.7 | -1.2 |
Ohio |
5.4 | 7.4 | -2.0 |
Oklahoma |
3.0 | 5.7 | -2.7 |
Oregon |
4.7 | 7.5 | -2.8 |
Pennsylvania |
6.2 | 7.1 | -0.9 |
Rhode Island |
5.2 | 10.9 | -5.7 |
South Carolina |
4.1 | 5.4 | -1.3 |
South Dakota |
2.9 | 4.0 | -1.1 |
Tennessee |
4.4 | 7.9 | -3.5 |
Texas |
5.6 | 7.9 | -2.3 |
Utah |
2.4 | 4.2 | -1.8 |
Vermont |
2.9 | 4.6 | -1.7 |
Virginia |
3.8 | 6.6 | -2.8 |
Washington |
4.9 | 8.0 | -3.1 |
West Virginia |
4.6 | 7.9 | -3.3 |
Wisconsin |
3.9 | 5.2 | -1.3 |
Wyoming |
4.5 | 5.7 | -1.2 |
Forty-eight states and the District of Columbia had jobless rate decreases from a year earlier and 2 states were little changed.
The largest unemployment rate decrease from September 2020 occurred in Hawaii (−8.2 percentage points). The next largest over-the-year jobless rate decreases were in Rhode Island (−5.7 points) and Nevada (5.5 points), with another 11 states experiencing declines of 3.0 points or more.
These data are from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics program and are seasonally adjusted. To learn more, see "State Employment and Unemployment — September 2021." Also see more charts and maps on state employment and unemployment. Estimates for the most recent month are preliminary.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, California and Nevada have highest unemployment rates in September 2021, at 7.5 percent at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2021/california-and-nevada-have-highest-unemployment-rates-in-september-2021-at-7-5-percent.htm (visited October 31, 2024).