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Nevada had the highest unemployment rate in February 2023, 5.5 percent, followed by Oregon, 4.7 percent. North Dakota and South Dakota had the lowest jobless rates, 2.1 percent each. The next lowest rates were in Nebraska, 2.3 percent, and Montana and Utah, 2.4 percent each. The rates in Maryland (2.9 percent), Montana (2.4 percent), and Wisconsin (2.7 percent) were the lowest in those states since data began in 1976. In total, 17 states had unemployment rates lower than the U.S. figure of 3.6 percent, 10 states and the District of Columbia had higher rates, and 23 states had rates that were not appreciably different from that of the nation.
State | February 2023 unemployment rate | February 2022 unemployment rate | 12-month change |
---|---|---|---|
Alabama |
2.5% | 2.6% | -0.1 percentage point(s) |
Alaska |
3.8 | 4.7 | -0.9 |
Arizona |
3.7 | 3.6 | 0.1 |
Arkansas |
3.2 | 3.2 | 0.0 |
California |
4.3 | 4.7 | -0.4 |
Colorado |
2.9 | 3.6 | -0.7 |
Connecticut |
4.0 | 4.6 | -0.6 |
Delaware |
4.6 | 4.5 | 0.1 |
District of Columbia |
4.7 | 5.6 | -0.9 |
Florida |
2.6 | 3.3 | -0.7 |
Georgia |
3.1 | 3.0 | 0.1 |
Hawaii |
3.6 | 3.2 | 0.4 |
Idaho |
2.6 | 2.6 | 0.0 |
Illinois |
4.5 | 4.6 | -0.1 |
Indiana |
3.1 | 2.8 | 0.3 |
Iowa |
2.9 | 2.5 | 0.4 |
Kansas |
2.9 | 2.4 | 0.5 |
Kentucky |
3.9 | 3.9 | 0.0 |
Louisiana |
3.6 | 3.9 | -0.3 |
Maine |
2.8 | 3.2 | -0.4 |
Maryland |
2.9 | 3.4 | -0.5 |
Massachusetts |
3.7 | 3.9 | -0.2 |
Michigan |
4.3 | 4.2 | 0.1 |
Minnesota |
3.0 | 2.6 | 0.4 |
Mississippi |
3.7 | 4.0 | -0.3 |
Missouri |
2.6 | 2.7 | -0.1 |
Montana |
2.4 | 2.5 | -0.1 |
Nebraska |
2.3 | 2.0 | 0.3 |
Nevada |
5.5 | 5.3 | 0.2 |
New Hampshire |
2.7 | 2.2 | 0.5 |
New Jersey |
3.5 | 4.6 | -1.1 |
New Mexico |
3.6 | 5.0 | -1.4 |
New York |
4.2 | 4.7 | -0.5 |
North Carolina |
3.6 | 3.4 | 0.2 |
North Dakota |
2.1 | 2.2 | -0.1 |
Ohio |
3.9 | 4.0 | -0.1 |
Oklahoma |
3.0 | 2.8 | 0.2 |
Oregon |
4.7 | 3.7 | 1.0 |
Pennsylvania |
4.4 | 4.4 | 0.0 |
Rhode Island |
3.1 | 3.2 | -0.1 |
South Carolina |
3.2 | 3.3 | -0.1 |
South Dakota |
2.1 | 1.9 | 0.2 |
Tennessee |
3.5 | 3.4 | 0.1 |
Texas |
4.0 | 4.1 | -0.1 |
Utah |
2.4 | 2.2 | 0.2 |
Vermont |
2.8 | 2.4 | 0.4 |
Virginia |
3.2 | 2.9 | 0.3 |
Washington |
4.6 | 4.0 | 0.6 |
West Virginia |
3.7 | 3.7 | 0.0 |
Wisconsin |
2.7 | 2.8 | -0.1 |
Wyoming |
3.8 | 3.4 | 0.4 |
Puerto Rico |
6.0 | 6.3 | -0.3 |
Nine states had over-the-month unemployment rate decreases in February, the largest of which were in Arkansas, Nebraska, North Carolina, West Virginia, and Wisconsin (-0.2 percentage point each). Three states and the District of Columbia had over-the-month increases, the largest of which were in Massachusetts and the District (0.2 percentage point each). Thirty-eight states had jobless rates that were not notably different from those of a month earlier, though some had changes that were at least as large numerically as the significant changes.
Thirteen states had over-the-year unemployment rate increases, the largest of which was in Oregon (1.0 percentage point). Ten states and the District of Columbia had rate decreases from February 2022, the largest of which were in New Mexico (−1.4 percentage points) and New Jersey (−1.1 points).
These data are from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics program and are seasonally adjusted. To learn more, see "State Employment and Unemployment — February 2023." We also have 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, Nevada had the highest unemployment rate in February 2023 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2023/nevada-had-the-highest-unemployment-rate-in-february-2023.htm (visited October 31, 2024).