Unemployment Rates by State July 2018

According to today’s U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report on Unemployment rates by state, Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for July fell over the previous month in 11 states, were higher in 2 states, and stable in 37 states and the District of Columbia. Ten states saw jobless rate decreases from July 2017 levels and 40 states and D.C.  had little or no change.

Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 6 states in July 2018, decreased in 1 state, and was virtually unchanged in 43 states and D.C. Over the year, 34 states added nonfarm payroll jobs and 16 states and D.C. were essentially unchanged.

In the following map we can see the states with the lowest unemployment are light colored while the higher unemployment states are darker colored.

Unemployment

“Oregon lowest unemployment since 1976”

Hawaii had the lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in July, at 2.1%. At 3.9% Oregon  set a new series low since tracking began in 1976. At 6.9% Alaska had the highest jobless rate, not counting Puerto Rico’s 9.1%. In total, 15 states had unemployment rates lower than the U.S. figure of 3.9 percent, 10 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico had higher rates, and 25 states had rates that were not appreciably different from that of the nation.

In July, 11 states had unemployment rate decreases, the largest of which were in Alaska, Georgia, New Mexico, New York, and South Carolina (-0.2 percentage point
each). Two states had over-the-month rate increases: Louisiana (+0.2 percentage point) and Maine (+0.1 point). The remaining 37 states and the District of Columbia
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.

State Unemployment Rates, July 2018, Seasonally Adjusted

Nonfarm Payroll Employment

Six states had over-the-month increases in nonfarm payroll employment in July 2018. The largest increases occurred in California (+46,700), Florida (+27,400),
and New Jersey (+13,000). In percentage terms, the largest increase occurred in Nevada (+0.7 percent), followed by Minnesota and Washington (+0.4 percent each).
Vermont lost jobs over the month (-2,200, or -0.7 percent).

Thirty-four states had over-the-year increases in nonfarm payroll employment in July. The largest job gains occurred in Texas (+377,100), California (+332,700),
and Florida (+210,600). The largest percentage gain occurred in Utah (+3.5 percent), followed by Idaho and Nevada (+3.4 percent each).

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High Unemployment Rates in Alaska and D.C.