Regional and state unemployment rates were generally little changed in November. All four regions and 47 states and the District of Columbia recorded changes in their jobless rates of 0.3 percentage point or less from October, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Over the year, jobless rates declined in all four regions and in 42 states. The national unemployment rate was essentially unchanged over the month at 5.4 percent in November. Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 35 states and the District of Columbia over the month.
Regional Unemployment (Seasonally Adjusted)
In November, the Northeast and South reported the lowest unemployment rates among the four regions, 4.8 and 4.9 percent, respectively. The last time the Northeast had the lowest rate among all regions was June 2003. The Midwest recorded the highest rate, 5.6 percent. All regions experienced over-the-year jobless rate declines, led by the Northeast and West (-0.9 percentage point each).The New England and South Atlantic divisions continued to register the lowest unemployment rates among the nine geographic divisions in November, 4.4 and 4.5 percent, respectively. The Mountain and West North Central divisions had the next lowest rates, 4.6 percent each. The East North Central division reported the highest rate, 6.1 percent, followed by the Pacific division, 5.8 percent. The Middle Atlantic division experienced the largest over-the-month rate change, -0.3 percentage point, while the remaining eight divisions had little or no change. All divisions recorded over-the-year jobless rate declines, with the largest decreases in the West South Central (-1.0 percentage point) and the Middle Atlantic, New England, and Pacific divisions (-0.9 point each).
State Unemployment (Seasonally Adjusted)
Two New England states--New Hampshire and Vermont--reported the lowest unemployment rates in November, 3.1 percent each, while eight additional states recorded rates below 4.0 percent. Alaska again posted the highest state jobless rate, 7.2 percent, followed closely by Oregon and Michigan, with rates of 7.1 and 7.0 percent, respectively. Four other states registered rates of 6.0 percent or more in November. The District of Columbia had an unemployment rate of 8.8 percent.From October, unemployment rates declined in 29 states, increased in 12 states and the District of Columbia, and were unchanged in 9 states. The neighboring states of Montana and North Dakota recorded the largest over-the-month unemployment rate decreases (-0.6 and -0.5 percentage point, respectively). No state had a rate increase greater than 0.4 percentage point.
Unemployment rates were lower than a year earlier in 42 states, higher in 7 states and the District of Columbia, and unchanged in 1 state. Washington again registered the largest over-the-year unemployment rate decrease (-1.7 percentage points), followed by Kentucky and Vermont (-1.5 points each). Ten additional states recorded rate decreases of 1.0 percentage point or more from November 2003, and another 27 states posted decreases of one-half point or more. Mississippi reported the largest unemployment rate increase from November 2003 (+0.8 percentage point). No other state had a rate increase larger than 0.4 percentage point. The District of Columbia had a rate increase of 1.8 percentage points over the year.
