In May, nonfarm payroll employment decreased in 39 states and increased in 11 states and the District of Columbia. The largest over-the-month decrease in the level of employment occurred in California (-68,900), followed by Florida (-61,000), Texas (-24,700), and Michigan (-23,900). Arizona and Florida experienced the largest over-the-month percentage decreases in employment (-0.8 percent each), followed by Oklahoma (-0.7 percent) and Arkansas, Kentucky, and Michigan (-0.6 percent each). The largest over-the-month increases in employment occurred in Massachusetts (4,900), Connecticut (3,600), North Dakota (3,000), and Alaska (2,900). Alaska (+0.9 percent) experienced the largest over-the-month percentage increase, followed by North Dakota (+0.8 percent) and Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Mexico (+0.2 percent each). Over the year, nonfarm employment decreased in 48 states and the District of Columbia, increased in 1 state, and remained unchanged in 1 state. The largest over-the-year percentage decreases occurred in Arizona (-7.4 percent), Michigan (-7.2 percent), Nevada (-6.1 percent), Idaho (-5.5 percent), Oregon (-5.4 percent), and Florida (-5.3 percent). Only North Dakota (+1.4 percent) reported an over-the-year percentage increase, and Alaska (0.0 percent) reported no over-the-year percentage change.
Regional Unemployment (Seasonally Adjusted)
In May, the West reported the highest regional jobless rate, 10.1 percent, followed by the Midwest, 9.8 percent. The last time any region had a rate of at least 10.0 percent was September 1983, when the Midwest posted a rate of 10.1 percent. The Northeast recorded the lowest rate in May, 8.3 percent. All four regions registered statistically significant unemployment rate increases from April, led by the Midwest (+0.6 percentage point). All four regions also reported significant jobless rate increases from May 2008, the largest of which was in the West (+4.2 percentage points).
Among the nine geographic divisions, the Pacific and East North Central reported the highest unemployment rates in May, 11.1 and 11.0 percent, respectively. The Pacific rate was the highest on record for that division; the South Atlantic, at 9.6 percent, also posted a series high. (All region, division, and state series begin in 1976.) The West South Central registered the lowest jobless rate, 7.0 percent in May. Eight of the 9 divisions experienced statistically significant over-the-month unemployment rate changes, all of which were increases: the East North Central and East South Central (+0.7 percentage point each); Mountain, South Atlantic, West North Central, and West South Central (+0.5 point each); and Middle Atlantic and Pacific (+0.4 point each). All nine divisions had significant over-the-year rate increases, with the Pacific and East North Central recording the largest changes (+4.7 and +4.6 percentage points, respectively).
State Unemployment (Seasonally Adjusted)
Michigan again reported the highest jobless rate, 14.1 percent in May. The states with the next highest rates were Oregon, 12.4 percent; Rhode Island and South Carolina, 12.1 percent each; California, 11.5 percent; Nevada, 11.3 percent; and North Carolina, 11.1 percent. Six additional states and the District of Columbia recorded unemployment rates of at least 10.0 percent. The California, Nevada, North Carolina,Oregon, Rhode Island, and South Carolina rates were the highest on record for those states. Florida, at 10.2 percent, and Georgia, at 9.7 percent, also posted series highs. Nebraska and North Dakota registered the lowest unemployment rates, 4.4 percent each. Overall, 12 states and the District of Columbia had significantly higher jobless rates than the U.S. figure of 9.4 percent, 29 states reported measurably lower rates, and 9 states had rates little different from that of the nation.
Thirty-five states and the District of Columbia recorded statistically significant over-the-month unemployment rate increases in May. Michigan reported the largest of these (+1.2 percentage points), followed by Rhode Island (+1.0 point) and Missouri and West Virginia (+0.9 point each). Fifteen states registered May 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 (+6.7 percentage points), followed by Michigan (+5.9 points) and South
Carolina (+5.8 points). Thirteen additional states and the District of Columbia recorded rate increases of 4.0 percentage points or more. The remaining 34 states had smaller, but also statistically significant, rate increases from May 2008.
Nonfarm Payroll Employment (Seasonally Adjusted)
Between April and May 2009, 14 states experienced statistically significant changes in employment; 12 states reported declines and 2 reported gains in that time period. California (-68,900) and Florida (-61,000) reported the largest statistically significant decreases. North Dakota (+3,000) and Alaska (+2,900) experienced statistically significant increases in employment.
Over the year, 45 states experienced statistically significant changes in employment, all decreases. The states with the largest statistically significant job losses were California (-744,000), Florida (-417,500), Michigan (-302,800), Illinois (-273,500), and Ohio (-262,100). Four states recorded statistically significant decreases in employment that were less than 15,000: New Hampshire (-14,800), Vermont (-13,300), Montana (-8,400), and South Dakota (-6,800).
