In April, nonfarm payroll employment decreased in 44 states and the District of Columbia and rose in 6 states. The largest over-the-month employment decrease occurred in California (-63,700), followed by Texas (-39,500), Michigan (-38,400), Ohio (-25,200), Illinois (-23,100), and Wisconsin (-21,100). Michigan experienced the largest over-the-month percentage decrease in employment (-1.0 percent), followed by New Mexico (-0.9 percent) and Kansas, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin (-0.8 percent each). The largest over-the-month increases in employment occurred in Arkansas and Montana (+1,500 each) and Florida (+1,300). Montana experienced the largest over-the-month percentage increase in employment (+0.3 percent), followed by Vermont (+0.2 percent) and Arkansas, Mississippi, and Nebraska (+0.1 percent each). Over the year, nonfarm employment decreased in 48 states and increased in 2 states and the District of Columbia. The largest over-the-year percentage decreases in employment occurred in Arizona (-6.9 percent), Michigan (-6.8 percent), Nevada (-6.1 percent), and Oregon (-5.6 percent). North Dakota (+0.6 percent) experienced the largest over-the-year percentage increase in employment, followed by the District of Columbia (+0.1 percent) and Alaska (less than +0.1 percent).
Regional Unemployment (Seasonally Adjusted)
In April, the West recorded the highest regional jobless rate, 9.7 percent, followed by the Midwest at 9.2 percent. The Northeast reported the lowest rate, 7.9 percent. No region had a statistically significant rate change from a month earlier. All four regions posted significant jobless rate increases from April 2008, the largest of which was registered in the West (+4.1 percentage points).
Among the nine geographic divisions, the Pacific and East North Central reported the highest unemployment rates in April, 10.7 and 10.3 percent, respectively. The West South Central registered the lowest jobless rate, 6.5 percent, followed by the West North Central at 6.8 percent. No division experienced a statistically significant over-the-month unemployment rate change. In contrast, all nine divisions had significant over-the-year rate increases in excess of 2.0 percentage points, with the Pacific recording the largest of these (+4.5 points).
State Unemployment (Seasonally Adjusted)
In April, Michigan reported the highest jobless rate, 12.9 percent. The states with the next highest rates were Oregon, 12.0 percent; South Carolina, 11.5 percent; Rhode Island, 11.1 percent; California, 11.0 percent; North Carolina, 10.8 percent; Nevada, 10.6 percent; and Ohio, 10.2 percent. The Rhode Island and South Carolina rates were the highest on record for those states. Georgia, at 9.3 percent, also posted a series high. (All state series begin in 1976.) North Dakota again registered the lowest state unemployment rate, 4.0 percent in April. The states with the next lowest rates were Nebraska, 4.4 percent; Wyoming, 4.5 percent; and South Dakota, 4.8 percent. Overall, 29 states had significantly lower jobless rates than the U.S. figure of 8.9 percent, 11 states and the District of Columbia reported measurably higher rates, and 10 states had rates little different from that of the nation.
Four states recorded statistically significant over-the-month unemployment rate increases in April: West Virginia (+0.7 percentage point), Ohio and Rhode Island (+0.5 point each), and Kansas (+0.3 point). Two states, Missouri and Nebraska, posted significant jobless rate decreases from the prior month (-0.6 and -0.3 percentage point, respectively). Forty-four states and the District of Columbia registered April unemployment rates that were not appreciably different from those of a month earlier, though some had changes that were at least as large numerically as the significant changes.
Oregon reported the largest jobless rate increase from a year earlier (+6.4 percentage points), followed by South Carolina (+5.3 points), North Carolina (+5.1 points), and Michigan (+5.0 points). Nine additional states recorded rate increases of 4.0 percentage points or more, and 10 other states and the District of Columbia posted over-the-year rate increases of at least 3.0 points. The remaining 27 states had smaller, but also statistically significant, rate increases from April 2008.
Nonfarm Payroll Employment (Seasonally Adjusted)
Between March and April 2009, 25 states experienced statistically significant changes in employment, all of which were decreases. The
largest statistically significant decreases occurred in California (-63,700), Texas (-39,500), and Michigan (-38,400).
Over the year, 43 states experienced statistically significant changes in employment, all of which were decreases. The largest decreases occurred in California (-706,700), Florida (-380,300), Michigan (-284,800), Ohio (-262,600), and Illinois (-255,400). Two states recorded statistically significant changes that were less than 15,000: New Hampshire (-14,300) and Vermont (-12,600).
