unemployment rate was essentially unchanged in April at 4.5 percent, but was down from 4.7 percent a year earlier.
Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 26 states and the District of Columbia and decreased in 22 states. Two states, South Dakota and Vermont, reported no change in over-the-month employment. The largest employment gains occurred in Texas (+23,500), Georgia (+14,300), Florida (+11,100), Virginia (+7,800), and California (+7,400). Montana experienced the largest percentage increase in employment (+0.7 percent), followed by the District of Columbia, Rhode Island, and Utah (+0.4 percent each) and Georgia, New Hampshire, and Oregon (+0.3 percent each). The largest over-the-month decreases in employment were reported in Tennessee (-8,300), Ohio (-5,800), and Kentucky (-5,100). The largest over-the-month percentage losses in employment were in Wyoming (-0.7 percent), Hawaii (-0.6 percent), Idaho (-0.4 percent), and Kentucky and Tennessee (-0.3 percent each). Over the year, nonfarm employment increased in 48 states and the District of Columbia and decreased in 2 states (Michigan and Ohio). The largest over-the-year percentage gains in employment were reported in Utah (+4.6 percent), Arizona and Louisiana (+3.8 percent each), Wyoming (+3.6 percent), and Montana (+3.2 percent).
Regional Unemployment (Seasonally Adjusted)
In April, the Northeast and South again registered the lowest unemployment rates among the four regions, 4.2 percent each. The Midwest continued to report the highest rate, 5.1 percent. The Midwest recorded the only regional statistically significant jobless rate change from March (+0.4 percentage point). The Northeast and South posted the only significant over-the-year unemployment rate changes (-0.5 and -0.3 percentage point, respectively).
Among the nine geographic divisions, the Mountain continued to report the lowest jobless rate, 3.5 percent in April. The divisions recording the next lowest rates were the South Atlantic at 4.0 percent and the Middle Atlantic and West North Central at 4.1 percent each. The East North Central again posted the highest unemployment rate, 5.5 percent. This division also registered the only statistically significant rate change from March (+0.5 percentage point). Four of the nine divisions reported significant unemployment rate changes, all declines, from a year earlier: the Middle Atlantic (-0.7 percentage point), East South Central and West South Central (-0.6 point each), and Mountain (-0.5 point).
State Unemployment (Seasonally Adjusted)
Montana again recorded the lowest unemployment rate, 2.2 percent in April. The states with the next lowest rates were Hawaii at 2.4 percent and Utah at 2.5 percent. Three states posted the lowest jobless rates in their series-Alaska (5.8 percent), Texas (4.2 percent), and Washington (4.4 percent). (All state series begin in 1976.) In April, Michigan and Mississippi reported the highest unemployment rates, 7.1 and 6.8 percent, respectively. Overall, 16 states registered unemployment rates that were significantly below the U.S. rate, 8 states and the District of Columbia recorded measurably higher rates,and 26 states had rates that were statistically little different from that of
the nation.
In April, Illinois and Michigan registered the largest unemployment rate increases from a month earlier (+0.6 percentage point each). Ten other states also reported statistically significant over-the-month jobless rate increases: Ohio (+0.5 percentage point); California, Delaware, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Wisconsin (+0.3 point each); and Iowa (+0.2 point). The remaining 38 states and the District of Columbia recorded April unemployment rates that were not appreciably different from those of March, even though some had changes that were at least as large numerically as those with statistically significant changes.
Montana reported the largest over-the-year jobless rate decrease from April 2006 (-1.1 percentage points), followed by Alaska (-1.0 point). Fourteen additional states had smaller, but also statistically significant, rate decreases. Six states recorded statistically significant over-the-year rate increases. The largest of these increases occurred in New Hampshire and Vermont (+0.6 percentage point each) and Minnesota and Wisconsin (+0.5 point each). The remaining 28 states and the District of Columbia recorded April 2007 unemployment rates that were not appreciably different from those of a year earlier.
Nonfarm Payroll Employment (Seasonally Adjusted)
Between March and April, three states reported statistically significant changes in employment. Montana experienced the only statistically significant gain (+2,900), while Hawaii (-3,500) and Wyoming (-1,900) both reported losses.
Over the year, 34 states and the District of Columbia posted statistically significant changes in employment. The only significant over-the-year loss in employment occurred in Michigan (-41,600). The largest employment gains were in California (+266,300), Texas (+240,800), Florida (+148,600), and Arizona (+100,100). Five states and the District of Columbia recorded statistically significant increases in employment that were less than 15,000: Montana (+13,600), the District of Columbia (+11,400), South Dakota and Wyoming (+9,800 each), Hawaii (+8,500), and North Dakota (+6,500).
