Between March and April, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 10 states and the District of Columbia, decreased in 39 states, and was unchanged in 1 state (Missouri). The largest employment increases were recorded in Texas (+15,400), South Carolina (+4,500), Colorado (+3,800), and Pennsylvania (+2,300). Colorado, New Hampshire, and South Carolina posted the largest over-the-month percentage increase in employment (+0.2 percent each), followed by Alaska, Idaho, Texas, and Utah (+0.1 percent each). The largest employment decreases occurred in Florida (-25,300), Michigan (-18,600), North Carolina (-14,700), and Georgia (-14,200).
Hawaii experienced the largest over-the-month percentage decline in employment (-1.0 percent), followed by Maine, Vermont, and Wisconsin (-0.5 percent each). Over the year, nonfarm employment increased in 41 states and the District of Columbia and decreased in 9 states. The largest over-the-year percentage gains in employment were reported in Wyoming (+3.1 percent), Texas (+2.5 percent), Utah (+2.1 percent), and New Hampshire (+2.0 percent). The largest over-the-year percentage declines in employment occurred in Rhode Island (-1.8 percent), Michigan (-1.7 percent), Florida (-0.8 percent), and Wisconsin (-0.6 percent).
Regional Unemployment
In April, the South and Northeast again recorded the lowest unemployment rates among the regions, 4.6 and 4.7 percent, respectively. The West posted the highest rate, 5.3 percent, followed by the Midwest at 5.1 percent. No region had a statistically significant unemployment rate change from a month earlier. The West registered the largest over-the-year rate increase among the regions (+0.8 percentage point). The Northeast and South also reported statistically significant jobless rate changes from a year earlier (+0.4 percentage point each).
Among the nine geographic divisions, the Mountain continued to report the lowest unemployment rate, 4.0 percent in April, while the Pacific again recorded the highest rate, 5.9 percent. The New England division registered the only statistically significant jobless rate change from March (-0.3 percentage point). The West South Central division had the only significant rate decrease from a year earlier (-0.2 percentage point), while five divisions posted significant over-the-year rate increases: the Pacific (+0.9 point); South Atlantic (+0.8 point); and East South Central, Middle Atlantic, and Mountain (+0.5 point each).
State Unemployment
In April, South Dakota and Wyoming recorded the lowest unemployment rates, 2.6 percent each. Michigan continued to report the highest jobless rate, 6.9 percent. The states with the next highest rates were Alaska, 6.7 percent; California, 6.2 percent; and Rhode Island, 6.1 percent. The District of Columbia had an unemployment rate of 6.0 percent. Overall, 21 states registered unemployment rates that were significantly below the U.S. rate, 6 states and the District of Columbia recorded measurably higher rates, and 23 states had rates that were statistically little different from that of the nation.
Connecticut and Wisconsin reported statistically significant over-the- month jobless rate decreases in April (-0.6 and -0.5 percentage point, respectively). Montana registered the only significant rate increase from the prior month (+0.2 percentage point). The remaining 47 states and the District of Columbia recorded April unemployment rates that were not appreciably different from those of a month earlier, even though some had changes that were at least as large numerically as the significant changes.
Oklahoma continued to report the largest over-the-year jobless rate decrease (-1.2 percentage points). Six additional states had smaller, but also statistically significant, rate decreases. Florida, Nevada, and Rhode Island registered the largest unemployment rate increases from April 2007 (+1.1 percentage points each), followed by California and Georgia (+1.0 point each). Seventeen additional states also had statistically significant over-the-year rate increases. The remaining 21 states and the District of Columbia recorded jobless rates that were not appreciably different from those of a year earlier.
Nonfarm Payroll Employment
Between March and April, seven states reported statistically significant changes in employment, all of which were decreases. The largest losses were in Florida (-25,300), Michigan (-18,600), North Carolina (-14,700), and Georgia (-14,200).
Over the year, nine states posted statistically significant changes in employment. All but one reported gains. The largest employment gains occurred in Texas (+262,000), North Carolina (+45,900), Washington (+43,800), and Colorado (+41,700). The only statistically significant over-the-year decline was reported in Michigan (-72,100). Two states recorded statistically significant gains in employment that were less than 15,000: New Hampshire (+13,100) and Wyoming (+8,900).
