Regional and state unemployment rates were generally little changed or slightly lower in April. Thirty-nine states recorded unemployment rate decreases, three states and the District of Columbia registered rate increases, and eight states had no rate change, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Forty-six states and the District of Columbia posted unemployment rate decreases from a year earlier, three states reported increases, and one state had no change. The national jobless rate edged up by 0.2 percentage point between March and April to 9.0 percent, but was 0.8 point lower than a year earlier.

In April nonfarm payroll employment increased in 42 states and the District of Columbia and decreased in 8 states. The largest over-the-month increase in employment occurred in New York (+45,700), followed by Texas (+32,900), Pennsylvania (+23,700), Massachusetts (+19,500), and Florida (+14,900). Nebraska experienced the largest over-the-month percentage increase in employment (+0.9 percent), followed by Kansas and Oklahoma (+0.8 percent each) and Louisiana and New Hampshire (+0.7 percent each). The largest over-the-month decrease in employment occurred in Michigan (-10,200), followed by Minnesota (-5,200), South Carolina (-3,800), Indiana (-2,500), and Vermont (-2,200). Vermont experienced the largest over-the-month percentage decline in employment (-0.7 percent), followed by Michigan (-0.3 percent), and Idaho, Minnesota, and South Carolina (-0.2 percent each). Over the year, nonfarm employment increased in 46 states and the District of Columbia and decreased in 4 states. The largest over-the-year percentage increase occurred in North Dakota (+3.9 percent), followed by Alaska and Texas (+2.5 percent each) and Nebraska (+1.9 percent). The four states reporting over-the-year percentage declines in employment were New Jersey (-0.2 percent), and Nevada, New Mexico, and South Dakota (less than -0.1 percent each).

Regional Unemployment (Seasonally Adjusted)

The West reported the highest regional unemployment rate in April, 10.4 percent, while the Northeast and Midwest recorded the lowest rates, 8.0 and 8.1 percent, respectively. Over the month, all four regions experienced statistically significant jobless rate declines, the largest of which was recorded in the West (-0.3 percentage point). All four regions also registered significant rate decreases from a year earlier: the Midwest (-1.6 percentage points), Northeast (-0.8 point), West (-0.7 point), and South (-0.6 point).

Among the nine geographic divisions, the Pacific continued to report the highest jobless rate, 11.1 percent in April. The West North Central again registered the lowest rate, 6.8 percent. Three divisions experienced statistically significant unemployment rate changes from a month earlier, all of which were decreases: the Mountain (-0.4 percentage point) and Pacific and South Atlantic (-0.2 point each).

No division had a statistically significant over-the-month rate increase. Over the year, six divisions posted significant rate decreases, the largest of which was in the East North Central (-2.1 percentage points). No division experienced an unemployment rate increase from a year earlier.

State Unemployment (Seasonally Adjusted)

Nevada continued to register the highest unemployment rate among the states, 12.5 percent in April. California recorded the next highest rate, 11.9 percent. North Dakota reported the lowest jobless rate, 3.3 percent, followed by Nebraska, 4.2 percent, and New Hampshire and South Dakota, 4.9 percent each. In total 24 states posted jobless rates significantly lower than the U.S. figure of 9.0 percent, 7 states recorded measurably higher rates, and 19 states and the District of Columbia had rates that were not appreciably different from that of
the nation.

Nevada experienced the largest over-the-month unemployment rate decrease in April (-0.7 percentage point), followed by New Mexico and Oklahoma (-0.5 point each). Fifteen other states also posted statistically significant rate declines from March. The remaining 32 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.

Michigan recorded the largest jobless rate decrease from April 2010 (-2.9 percentage points). Three other states had rate decreases of more than 2.0 percentage points: Nevada (-2.4 points), Indiana (-2.3 points), and Illinois (-2.1 points). Sixteen additional states had smaller but also statistically significant decreases over the year. The remaining 30 states and the District of Columbia registered unemployment rates that were not appreciably different from those of a year earlier.

Nonfarm Payroll Employment (Seasonally Adjusted)

Over the month, 19 states recorded statistically significant changes in employment. The largest over-the-month statistically significant job gains occurred in New York (+45,700), Texas (+32,900), Pennsylvania (+23,700), and Massachusetts (+19,500). Two states experienced statistically significant over-the-month declines in employment: Michigan (-10,200) and Vermont (-2,200).

Over the year, 23 states experienced statistically significant changes in employment, all of which were increases. The largest increase occurred in Texas (+254,400), followed by California (+144,200), Pennsylvania (+80,000), Ohio (+67,000), and Illinois (+66,600).