Regional and state unemployment rates were little changed in July. Eighteen states and the District of Columbia recorded unemployment rate decreases, 14 states registered rate increases, and 18 states had no change, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia reported unemployment rate decreases from a year earlier, 20 states posted increases, and 3 states had no change. The national jobless rate was unchanged in July at 9.5 percent and little different from a year earlier (9.4 percent).

In July, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 37 states and the District of Columbia and decreased in 13 states. The largest over-the-month increases in employment occurred in Michigan (+27,800), the District of Columbia (+17,800), Massachusetts (+13,200), New York (+10,500), and Minnesota (+9,800). The District of Columbia recorded the largest over-the-month percentage increase in employment (+2.5 percent), followed by Hawaii and Maine (+0.9 percent each), Michigan (+0.7 percent), and Oklahoma (+0.5 percent). The largest over-the-month employment decreases were in North Carolina (-29,800), New Jersey (-21,200), Illinois (-20,200), California (-9,400), and Kentucky (-8,000). The largest over-the-month percentage decreases in employment occurred in New Hampshire and North Carolina (-0.8 percent each), Mississippi and New Jersey (-0.5 percent each), and Illinois and Kentucky (-0.4 percent each). Over the year, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 30 states and the District of Columbia, decreased in 19 states, and was unchanged in 1 state. The largest over-the-year percentage increase in employment was reported in the District of Columbia (+3.0 percent), followed by Alaska (+1.9 percent), Indiana and North Dakota (+1.7 percent each), New Hampshire (+1.4 percent), and Texas (+1.3 percent). The largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment occurred in Nevada (-1.8 percent), followed by Mississippi and New Mexico (-1.3 percent each), Rhode Island (-1.2 percent), Colorado (-1.1 percent), and Georgia (-1.0 percent).

Regional Unemployment (Seasonally Adjusted)

The West reported the highest regional unemployment rate in July, 10.8 percent, while the Northeast recorded the lowest rate, 8.8 percent. No region experienced a statistically significant over-the-month unemployment rate change. The Midwest was the only region to register a significant rate change from a year earlier (-0.6 percentage point).

Among the nine geographic divisions, the Pacific continued to report the highest jobless rate, 11.5 percent in July. The West North Central registered the lowest rate, 7.0 percent, followed by the West South Central, at 7.9 percent. The East South Central was the only division to experience a statistically significant unemployment rate change from a month earlier (-0.4 percentage point), and the West North Central was the only division to post a significant over-the-year jobless rate change (-0.6 point).

State Unemployment (Seasonally Adjusted)

Nevada again reported the highest unemployment rate among the states, 14.3 percent in July. The rate in Nevada also set a new series high. (All region, division, and state series begin in 1976.) The states with the next highest rates were Michigan, 13.1 percent, and California, 12.3 percent. North Dakota continued to register the lowest jobless rate, 3.6 percent, followed by South Dakota and Nebraska, 4.4 and 4.7 percent, respectively. In total, 25 states posted jobless rates significantly lower than the U.S. figure of 9.5 percent, 7 states had measurably higher rates, and 18 states and the District of Columbia had rates that were not appreciably different from that of the nation.

In July, four states recorded statistically significant unemployment rate decreases from June, the largest of which was in Alabama (-0.6 percentage point). Nebraska, North Carolina, and Tennessee also posted measurable rate decreases (-0.2 percentage point each). The remaining 46 states and the District of Columbia registered jobless rates that were not measurably different from those of a month earlier, though some had changes that were at least as large numerically as the significant changes.

Nevada recorded the largest jobless rate increase from July 2009 (+2.0 percentage points). Three additional states had smaller, but also statistically significant, increases: Montana and Pennsylvania (+1.0 percentage point each) and Florida (+0.7 point). Eight states reported significant over-the-year rate decreases in July, the largest of which was in Minnesota (-1.5 percentage points). The remaining 38 states and the District of Columbia registered unemployment rates that were not appreciably different from those of a year earier.

Nonfarm Payroll Employment (Seasonally Adjusted)

Between June and July 2010, 13 states and the District of Columbia recorded statistically significant changes in employment. The largest over-the-month statistically significant job gains occurred in Michigan (+27,800), the District of Columbia (+17,800), and Massachusetts (+13,200). The largest over-the-month statistically significant job losses occurred in North Carolina (-29,800), New Jersey (-21,200), and Illinois (-20,200).

Over the year, five states and the District of Columbia reported statistically significant employment increases, while four states experienced statistically significant declines in employment. The largest statistically significant over-the-year employment increases were posted in Texas (+134,600), Indiana (+47,600), Massachusetts (+36,600), and the District of Columbia (+21,300). Two states recorded statistically significant over-the-year increases in employment that were less than 15,000: New Hampshire (+8,700) and North Dakota (+6,200). The four statistically significant job losses occurred in California (-103,900), New York (-51,400), Georgia (-39,100), and New Jersey (-34,000).