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The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) updated state-level measures of labor productivity on May 29, 2025 in Productivity by State - 2024. The data cover 50 states, the District of Columbia, and four Census regions, from 2007 to 2024. This page presents data highlights for the four Census regions. Comprised of 16 states and the District of Columbia, the South region employed 37.4 percent of the nation’s workers in 2024, while the West, Midwest, and Northeast regions employed 23.5 percent, 21.2 percent, and 17.9 percent, respectively.
The charts below feature trends of productivity and related series in selected time periods for the four U.S. regions – Midwest, Northeast, South, and West. Productivity gains across all four regions were the result of output growing at a faster pace than hours. From 2019 to 2024, hours declined in the Midwest, remained level in the Northeast, and saw slight growth in the South and West. Hourly compensation growth outpaced productivity growth in each period for all regions, leading to increases in unit labor costs. Explore other areas and measures with our interactive charts.
BLS creates productivity measures for the nonfarm business sector, U.S. states, and individual industries, such as those in the manufacturing and mining sectors. Labor productivity describes the relationship between output and the hours worked involved in its production. Unit labor costs (ULC) represent the cost of labor required to produce one unit of output. ULC also describes the relationship between compensation per hour worked (hourly compensation) and output per hour (labor productivity).
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Last Modified Date: June 18, 2025