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Hawaii and South Dakota unemployment rates 2.2 percent in December 2025
February 04, 2026
In December 2025, Hawaii and South Dakota had the lowest unemployment rates, 2.2 percent each. North Dakota, Vermont, and Alabama also had unemployment rates below 3.0 percent. The District of Columbia had the highest unemployment rate, 6.7 percent. The next highest rates were in California and New Jersey, 5.5 percent and 5.4 percent, respectively.
States with unemployment rates significantly different from that of the United States, December 2025, seasonally adjusted
State
Unemployment rate (in percent)
District of Columbia
6.7
California
5.5
New Jersey
5.4
Delaware
5.2
Nevada
5.2
Oregon
5.2
United States
4.4
Georgia
3.6
Idaho
3.6
Oklahoma
3.6
Tennessee
3.6
Utah
3.6
Virginia
3.6
Indiana
3.5
Iowa
3.5
Montana
3.4
Wyoming
3.4
Maine
3.2
New Hampshire
3.1
Wisconsin
3.1
Nebraska
3.0
Alabama
2.7
North Dakota
2.6
Vermont
2.6
Hawaii
2.2
South Dakota
2.2
Note: State data are preliminary.
In total, 19 states had unemployment rates lower than the national U.S. rate of 4.4 percent, 5 states and the District of Columbia had higher rates, and 26 states had rates that were not appreciably different from that of the nation.
From December 2024 to December 2025, unemployment rates decreased in 8 states. The largest decrease was in Indiana (down 0.9 percentage point to 3.5 percent). Jobless rates increased in 21 states and the District of Columbia over the year. The largest of these were in Delaware (up 1.6 percentage points to 5.2 percent) and the District (up 1.4 points). Jobless rates were not notably different from a year earlier in 21 states.
United States Department of Labor
