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Unemployment rates lower in 49 states and D.C. from January 2021 to January 2022
March 22, 2022
From January 2021 to January 2022, unemployment rates decreased in 49 states and the District of Columbia, and were essentially unchanged in 1 state. The largest unemployment rate decrease since January 2021 occurred in Nevada, at −5.0 percentage points. An additional three states experienced declines of 3.0 percentage points or more: Hawaii (−3.9 percentage points), New York (−3.3 percentage points), and California (−3.0 percentage points).
Change in unemployment rates for states from January 2021 to January 2022
State
12-month change
January 2021 unemployment rate
January 2022 unemployment rate
Alabama
-0.9 percentage point(s)
4.0%
3.1%
Alaska
-1.5
7.1
5.6
Arizona
-2.4
6.1
3.7
Arkansas
-1.7
4.9
3.2
California
-3.0
8.8
5.8
Colorado
-2.1
6.2
4.1
Connecticut
-2.0
7.3
5.3
Delaware
-0.9
5.7
4.8
District of Columbia
-0.6
6.9
6.3
Florida
-2.5
6.0
3.5
Georgia
-1.6
4.8
3.2
Hawaii
-3.9
8.3
4.4
Idaho
-1.0
4.0
3.0
Illinois
-2.1
7.1
5.0
Indiana
-2.1
4.5
2.4
Iowa
-0.7
4.4
3.7
Kansas
-1.2
3.8
2.6
Kentucky
-0.4
4.8
4.4
Louisiana
-2.2
6.5
4.3
Maine
-0.3
4.4
4.1
Maryland
-0.5
5.9
5.4
Massachusetts
-2.3
7.1
4.8
Michigan
-1.5
6.4
4.9
Minnesota
-1.3
4.2
2.9
Mississippi
-2.0
6.6
4.6
Missouri
-1.2
5.0
3.8
Montana
-1.1
3.8
2.7
Nebraska
-0.5
2.7
2.2
Nevada
-5.0
10.2
5.2
New Hampshire
-1.3
4.2
2.9
New Jersey
-2.1
7.3
5.2
New Mexico
-1.5
7.4
5.9
New York
-3.3
8.6
5.3
North Carolina
-1.6
5.5
3.9
North Dakota
-1.6
4.7
3.1
Ohio
-1.7
6.0
4.3
Oklahoma
-2.3
5.0
2.7
Oregon
-2.1
6.4
4.3
Pennsylvania
-2.1
7.5
5.4
Rhode Island
-2.1
6.3
4.2
South Carolina
-1.1
4.6
3.5
South Dakota
-0.5
3.3
2.8
Tennessee
-1.7
5.2
3.5
Texas
-1.9
6.7
4.8
Utah
-1.1
3.3
2.2
Vermont
-0.9
3.9
3.0
Virginia
-1.5
4.8
3.3
Washington
-1.9
6.3
4.4
West Virginia
-1.8
5.9
4.1
Wisconsin
-1.5
4.5
3.0
Wyoming
-1.3
5.1
3.8
Nine of the 12 states that set all-time lows in unemployment rates in December 2021 also did so in January 2022: Arkansas (3.2 percent), Georgia (3.2 percent), Indiana (2.4 percent), Mississippi (4.6 percent), Montana (2.7 percent), Nebraska (2.2 percent), Oklahoma (2.7 percent), Utah (2.2 percent), and West Virginia (4.1 percent). (All state data begin in January 1976). In January 2022, Kansas also had its all-time lowest unemployment rate, at 2.6 percent.
The national unemployment rate, 4.0 percent, was little changed over the month, but was 2.4 percentage points lower than in January 2021.
United States Department of Labor
