In August, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 41 states and decreased in 9 states and the District of Columbia. The largest over-the-month increases in the levels of employment occurred in California (+21,000), Washington (+12,300), Tennessee (+11,700), Missouri (+11,000), and Texas (+10,400). Mississippi and South Carolina reported the largest over-the-month percentage increases in employment (+0.5 percent each), followed by Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Utah, and Washington (+0.4 percent each). The largest over-the-month decreases in employment occurred in New York (-6,400), Nevada (-3,000), the District of Columbia (-2,100), North Dakota (-1,900), and Arkansas (-1,800). North Dakota experienced the largest over-the-month percentage decrease in employment (-0.5 percent), followed by the District of Columbia at -0.3 percent and Nevada and New Hampshire at -0.2 percent each. Over the year, nonfarm employment increased in 48 states and the District of Columbia and decreased in 2 states. The largest over-the-year percentage gains in employment were reported in Utah (+4.5 percent), Montana and Wyoming (+3.4 percent each), Kansas (+3.3 percent), and Louisiana (+3.0 percent). Michigan experienced an over-the-year percentage decrease in employment (-1.3 percent); Ohio had a decrease of less than -0.05 percent.
Regional Unemployment (Seasonally Adjusted)
The South continued to record the lowest unemployment rate among the regions, 4.2 percent in August, while the Midwest region again posted the highest rate, 5.4 percent. The only statistically significant jobless rate change from July was registered by the South (-0.2 percentage point). The South also reported the only significant over-the-year rate decrease (-0.2 percentage point), while the Midwest and West regions had significant rate increases from a year earlier (+0.4 and +0.3 point, respectively). Among the nine geographic divisions, the Mountain again reported the lowest jobless rate, 3.6 percent in August, while the East North Central division continued to register the highest rate, 5.8 percent. The only statistically significant over-the-month unemployment rate changes were recorded by the West South Central (-0.4 percentage point) and New England (-0.3 point). Significant over-the-year rate decreases were posted by the West South Central and East South Central divisions (-0.5 and -0.4 percentage point, respectively), while significant rate increases were reported by the Pacific and East North Central divisions (+0.5 and +0.4 point, respectively).
State Unemployment (Seasonally Adjusted)
In August, Idaho again recorded the lowest jobless rate, 2.4 percent. Three additional states posted rates below 3.0 percent: Hawaii and Utah at 2.6 percent each and Montana at 2.8 percent. Michigan continued to report the highest unemployment rate, 7.4 percent, followed by Alaska at 6.3 percent. Overall, 19 states registered unemployment rates that were significantly below the U.S. rate, 11 states and the District of Columbia recorded measurably higher rates, and 20 states had rates that were statistically little different from that of the nation.
Mississippi registered the largest over-the-month unemployment rate decrease in August (-0.8 percentage point). Five additional states also
reported statistically significant jobless rate decreases from July: Massachusetts and Oklahoma (-0.6 percentage point each), Delaware (-0.4 point), Maryland (-0.3 point), and Texas (-0.2 point). Wisconsin posted the only significant over-the-month rate increase (+0.3 percentage point). The remaining 43 states and the District of Columbia recorded August 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.
Tennessee reported the largest over-the-year jobless rate decrease in August (-1.2 percentage points), followed by Idaho and South Carolina (-1.0 point each). Ten additional states and the District of Columbia had smaller, but also statistically significant, rate decreases. Nine states registered significant unemployment rate increases from a year earlier. The largest of these occurred in Illinois (+1.0 percentage point) and in Minnesota and Nevada (+0.8 point each). The remaining 28 states recorded jobless rates that were not appreciably different from those of August 2006.
Nonfarm Payroll Employment (Seasonally Adjusted)
Between July and August 2007, six states recorded statistically significant changes in employment, five of which were increases. The statistically significant job gains occurred in Washington (+12,300), Tennessee (+11,700), Missouri (+11,000), South Carolina (+9,200), and Mississippi (+6,200). The only statistically significant decline occurred in North Dakota (-1,900). Over the year, 34 states posted statistically significant changes in employment. Of these states, all posted gains but one. The largest employment gains occurred in Texas (+229,000), California (+163,300), and Florida (+119,500). The statistically significant over-the-year employment decline occurred in Michigan (-56,400). Seven states recorded statistically significant increases in employment that were less than 15,000: Montana (+14,600), New Mexico (+12,900), Hawaii (+11,800), South Dakota and Wyoming (+9,300 each), North Dakota (+8,200), and Delaware (+6,100).
