Regional and state unemployment rates were generally little changed in November. Overall, 23 states recorded over-the-month unemployment rate increases, 17 states and the District of Columbia registered decreases, and 10 states had no changes, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported. Over the year, jobless rates were down in 23 states and the District of Columbia, up in 23 states, and unchanged in 4 states. The national unemployment rate held at 4.7 percent in November.

From October to November, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 38 states and the District of Columbia, decreased in 10 states, and was unchanged in 2 states. The largest over-the-month increases in the levels of employment occurred in Texas (+12,300), Maryland (+9,200), Ohio (+7,800), Oregon (+7,500), and Minnesota (+6,900). Alaska recorded the largest over-the-month percentage increase in employment (+0.7 percent), followed by Idaho, Maryland, Nevada, Oregon, and Utah (+0.4 percent each), and Delaware, Mississippi, New Mexico, and South Carolina (+0.3 percent each). The largest over-the-month employment decreases occurred in New York (-5,200), Wisconsin (-3,800), Missouri (-3,200), Hawaii (-2,200), and Arizona (-1,800). Hawaii experienced the largest over-the-month percentage decrease in employment (-0.3 percent), followed by Arizona, Missouri, New York, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin (-0.1 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 increases in employment occurred in Utah (+4.3 percent), Wyoming (+3.6 percent), Montana (+3.3 percent), Louisiana (+2.2 percent), Texas (+2.0 percent), and Colorado (+1.9 percent). The two states reporting over-the-year percentage declines in employment were Michigan (-1.8 percent) and Ohio (-0.2 percent).

Regional Unemployment (Seasonally Adjusted)

In November, the Midwest continued to record the highest unemployment rate among the regions, 5.2 percent. The South again registered the lowest rate, 4.3 percent. No region posted a statistically significant unemployment rate change from October. The West and Midwest had the only significant over-the-year jobless rate changes (+0.5 and +0.3 percentage point, respectively).

Among the nine geographic divisions, the East North Central again reported the highest jobless rate, 5.7 percent in November, while the Mountain continued to record the lowest rate, 3.8 percent. The Mountain division posted the only statistically significant unemployment rate change from October (+0.3 percentage point). The Pacific and East North Central divisions registered the only significant unemployment rate changes from a year earlier (+0.6 and +0.5 percentage point, respectively).

State Unemployment (Seasonally Adjusted)

In November, Michigan again reported the highest unemployment rate, 7.4 percent, followed by Alaska and Mississippi, at 6.4 and 6.3 percent, respectively. Idaho continued to record the lowest jobless rate, 2.7 percent. Four additional states posted rates below 3.0 percent in November: South Dakota and Utah at 2.8 percent each, and Hawaii and Wyoming at 2.9 percent each. Overall, 20 states registered unemployment rates that were significantly below the U.S. rate of 4.7 percent, 9 states and the District of Columbia recorded measurably higher rates, and 21 states had rates that were statistically little different from that of the nation.

Arizona registered the largest over-the-month unemployment rate increase in November (+0.6 percentage point). Five other states also had statistically significant rate increases from a month earlier: Alabama and Colorado (+0.4 percentage point each), Montana and New Mexico (+0.3 point each), and Idaho (+0.2 point). Kentucky posted the largest rate decrease from a month earlier (-0.6 percentage point). Maryland, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania reported the only other significant rate decreases from October (-0.3 percentage point each). The remaining 40 states and the District of Columbia recorded 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.

Massachusetts and Louisiana reported the largest jobless rate decreases from November 2006 (-0.9 and -0.8 percentage point, respectively). Eleven additional states and the District of Columbia had smaller, but also statistically significant, rate decreases. Eleven states registered statistically significant over-the-year unemployment rate increases. The largest of these occurred in Illinois (+1.2 percentage points), Nevada (+1.1 points), and Florida (+1.0 point). The remaining 26 states recorded jobless rates that were not appreciably different
from those of a year earlier.

Nonfarm Payroll Employment (Seasonally Adjusted)

Between October and November 2007, only one state recorded a statistically significant change in employment. The statistically significant job gains occurred in Oregon (+7,500). Over the year, 27 states experienced statistically significant changes in employment with only one of those changes being a decrease. The largest statistically significant job gains occurred in Texas (+204,400), Florida (+90,200), California (+85,700), New York (+72,600), and Georgia (+72,300). The statistically significant over-the-year employment decrease occurred in Michigan (-76,500). Three states recorded statistically significant increases in employment that were less than 15,000: Montana (+14,300), Idaho (+11,000), and Wyoming (+10,000).