In May, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 38 states and decreased in 12 states and the District of Columbia. The largest employment increases were recorded in Texas (+22,700), Illinois (+12,200), California (+10,800), New York (+10,700), and Washington (+9,100). Hawaii posted the largest over-the-month percentage increase in employment (+1.1 percent), followed by South Dakota (+0.8 percent), Utah (+0.5 percent), and North Dakota (+0.4 percent). The largest employment decreases occurred in Michigan (-18,400), Florida (-4,800), Wisconsin (-3,100), and Indiana (-2,100). Michigan experienced the largest over-the-month percentage decline in employment (-0.4 percent), followed by Maine and Wyoming (-0.2 percent each). Over the year, nonfarm employment increased in 47 states and the District of Columbia and decreased in 3 states. The largest over-the-year percentage gains in employment were reported in Utah (+4.6 percent), Arizona (+3.4 percent), Louisiana (+3.3 percent), and South Dakota and Wyoming (+3.0 percent each). The largest over-the-year percentage decline in employment was in Michigan (-1.3 percent), followed by Ohio and Wisconsin (-0.2 percent each).
Regional Unemployment (Seasonally Adjusted)
In May, the South registered the lowest unemployment rate among the ffour regions, 4.2 percent. The Midwest continued to report the highest rate, 5.1 percent. The Northeast recorded the only statistically significant jobless rate change from April (+0.2 percentage point). Over the year, the Northeast and South posted significant unemployment rate decreases (-0.3 percentage point each), while the Midwest recorded the only significant rate increase (+0.3 point).
Among the nine geographic divisions, the Mountain continued to report the lowest jobless rate, 3.4 percent in May. This was a series low for the Mountain division. (All region, division, and state series begin in 1976.) The divisions recording the next lowest rates were the South Atlantic at 3.9 percent, the West North Central at 4.2 percent, and the Middle Atlantic and West South Central at 4.3 percent each. The East North Central again posted the highest unemployment rate, 5.5 percent. The New England division registered the only statistically significant jobless rate change from April (+0.3 percentage point). Four of the nine divisions reported significant unemployment rate declines from a year earlier: the Mountain and West South Central (-0.6 percentage point each) and the East South Central and Middle Atlantic (-0.4 point each). The West North Central recorded the only significant over-the-year rate increase (+0.3 percentage point).
State Unemployment (Seasonally Adjusted)
Idaho and Montana recorded the lowest unemployment rates in May, 2.3 percent each, followed by Hawaii and Utah at 2.5 percent each. Three states posted the lowest jobless rates in their series—Arizona (3.6 percent), Idaho (2.3 percent), and Texas (4.1 percent). In May, Michigan again reported the highest unemployment rate, 6.9 percent. The states recording the next highest rates were Mississippi at 6.0 percent and Alaska at 5.9 percent. Over-all, 17 states registered unemployment rates that were significantly below the U.S. rate, 7 states and the District of Columbia reported measurably higher rates, and 26 states had rates that were statistically little different from that of the nation.
In May, Massachusetts and Wyoming registered the largest statistically significant unemployment rate increases from a month earlier (+0.5 and +0.4 percentage point, respectively). Four other states also reported significant over-the-month jobless rate increases: Kansas and Nebraska (+0.3 percentage point each) and Iowa and Nevada (+0.2 point each). Four states posted significant over-the-month decreases: Mississippi (-0.8 percentage point), Idaho (-0.5 point), Delaware (-0.4 point), and South Dakota (-0.2 point). The remaining 40 states and the District of Columbia recorded May unemployment rates that were not appreciably different from those of April, even though some had changes that were at least as large numerically as those with statistically significant changes.
Idaho reported the largest over-the-year jobless rate decrease (-1.2 percentage points), followed by Montana and South Carolina (-1.0 point each). Fourteen additional states had smaller, but also statistically significant, rate decreases. Seven states registered statistically significant over-the-year rate increases. The largest of these increases occurred in Louisiana (+1.0 percentage point) and Minnesota (+0.7 point). The remaining 26 states and the District of Columbia recorded May 2007 unemployment rates that were not appreciably different from those of a year earlier.
Nonfarm Payroll Employment (Seasonally Adjusted)
Between April and May, five states reported statistically significant changes in nonfarm payroll employment, four of which were increases. The gains were in Washington (+9,100), Hawaii (+6,900), Utah (+6,300), and South Dakota (+3,200). The only statistically significant employment decline occurred in Michigan (-18,400).
Over the year, 32 states and the District of Columbia posted statistically significant increases in employment. The largest employment gains occurred in Texas (+239,000), California (+228,600), and Florida (+125,900). The only statistically significant over-the-year employment decline was reported in Michigan (-55,500). Six states and the District of Columbia recorded statistically significant gains in employment that were less than 15,000: Hawaii (+14,600), New Mexico (+14,000), Montana (+12,500), South Dakota (+12,000), the District of Columbia (+10,100), Wyoming (+8,300), and North Dakota (+7,700).
