month and 1.7 points over the year.
In October, nonfarm payroll employment rose in 10 states plus the District of Columbia and fell in 40 states. The largest over-the- month gains in the level of employment occurred in Texas (+23,000), Missouri (+5,300), Louisiana (+5,000), the District of Columbia (+1,500), and Kansas (+1,400). Louisiana and Wyoming experienced the largest over-the-month percentage increase in employment (+0.3 percent each), followed by the District of Columbia, Missouri, Montana, Texas, and Vermont (+0.2 percent each). The largest over-the-month decrease occurred in Washington (-29,300), where some 27,000 aerospace workers in the transportation equipment industry were off payrolls in October due to a strike. The states with the next largest decreases were Florida (-27,300), California (-26,400), Michigan (-19,600), and Arizona (-17,700). Washington (-1.0 percent) recorded the largest over-the-month percentage decrease in employment, followed by Oregon (-0.8 percent), Arizona (-0.7 percent), Mississippi (-0.6 percent), and Michigan, Rhode Island, and South Dakota (-0.5 percent each). Over the year, nonfarm employment increased in 19 states and the District of Columbia, decreased in 29 states, and was unchanged in 2 states. The largest over-the-year percentage increases in employment occurred in Wyoming (+3.3 percent) and Texas (+2.2 percent), followed by the District of Columbia (+1.5 percent), North Dakota (+1.3 percent), and Montana and South Dakota (+1.2 percent each). Rhode Island recorded the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment (-3.0 percent), followed by Arizona (-2.6 percent), Florida (-1.9 percent), and Idaho and Michigan (-1.7 percent each).
Regional Unemployment (Seasonally Adjusted)
In October, the West and Midwest regions again posted the highest jobless rates, 7.1 and 6.7 percent, respectively. The Northeast at 5.8 percent and the South at 6.1 percent recorded the lowest unemployment rates. The West and South registered statistically significant rate changes from the previous month (+0.5 and +0.2 percentage point, respectively). All four regions reported significant jobless rate increases from October 2007: the West (+2.2 percentage points), South (+1.7 points), Midwest (+1.4 points), and Northeast (+1.3 points).
Among the nine geographic divisions, the Pacific and East North Central again posted the highest unemployment rates in October, 7.8 and 7.3 percent, respectively. The West North Central recorded the lowest jobless rate, 5.3 percent, followed closely by the West South Central at 5.4 percent and the Mountain at 5.5 percent. Four divisions reported statistically significant over-the-month unemployment rate changes, all increases: the Pacific (+0.6 percentage point) and the Mountain, South Atlantic, and West South Central (+0.3 point each). Over the year, all nine divisions had significant rate increases: the Pacific (+2.4 percentage points), South Atlantic (+2.1 points), East South Central and Mountain (+1.7 points each), East North Central (+1.6 points), New England (+1.5 points), Middle Atlantic (+1.3 points), West South Central (+1.1 points), and West North Central (+0.9 point).
State Unemployment (Seasonally Adjusted)
In October, Michigan and Rhode Island reported the highest jobless rates, 9.3 percent each. Twelve additional states recorded rates of 7.0 percent or more: California, 8.2 percent; South Carolina, 8.0 percent; Nevada, 7.6 percent; Alaska, 7.4 percent; Illinois, Ohio, and Oregon, 7.3 percent each; Mississippi, 7.2 percent; and Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee, 7.0 percent each. The District of Columbia had a rate of 7.4 percent. South Dakota and Wyoming recorded the lowest unemployment rates, 3.3 percent each, followed by North Dakota, 3.4 percent; Utah, 3.5 percent; and Nebraska, 3.6 percent. Overall, 9 states and the District of Columbia registered significantly higher jobless rates than the U.S. figure of 6.5 percent, 26 states reported measurably lower rates, and 15 states had rates little different from that of the nation.
Oregon recorded the largest over-the-month unemployment rate increase in October (+0.9 percentage point). Eighteen additional states and the District of Columbia also experienced statistically significant rate increases. The remaining 31 states registered October 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.
Forty-five states and the District of Columbia had statistically significant jobless rate increases from October 2007. Rhode Island reported the largest rate increase from a year earlier (+4.2 percentage points). The states with the next largest rate increases were Florida (+2.7 points), Idaho (+2.6 points), and California, Georgia, and Nevada (+2.5 points each). Thirty other states and the District of Columbia posted over-the-year rate increases of more than 1.0 percentage point, and 9 additional states had smaller, but also statistically significant, rate increases from October 2007. The remaining five states recorded October 2008 jobless rates that were not appreciably different from those of a year earlier.
Nonfarm Payroll Employment (Seasonally Adjusted)
Between September and October 2008, seven states registered statistically significant changes in employment, all of which were decreases. The statistically significant job losses occurred in Washington (-29,300), Florida (-27,300), Michigan (-19,600), Arizona (-17,700), Oregon (-14,100), Colorado (-10,600), and Mississippi (-6,900).
Over the year, 10 states experienced statistically significant changes in employment with only 2 of those being increases. The statistically significant job gains occurred in Texas (+230,400) and Wyoming (+9,500). The largest statistically significant over-the-year decreases occurred in Florida (-156,200), California (-101,300), Michigan (-71,200), Arizona (-70,400), and Georgia (-61,100).
