Regional and state unemployment rates were generally little changed in September but up substantially over the year. Overall, 21 states
and the District of Columbia recorded over-the-month unemployment rate increases, 23 states registered decreases, and 6 states had no change, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported. Over the year, jobless rates were up in 47 states and the District of Columbia and down in 3 states. The national unemployment rate was un- changed in September at 6.1 percent but was up from 4.7 percent a year earlier.

In September, nonfarm payroll employment rose in 9 states and fell in 41 states and the District of Columbia. The largest over-the-month gains in the level of employment occurred in Missouri (+3,800), Nebraska (+2,200), Wyoming (+1,800), West Virginia (+1,500), and Virginia (+1,300). Wyoming experienced the largest over-the-month percentage increase in employment (+0.6 percent), followed by Nebraska and West Virginia (+0.2 percent each) and Arkansas, Missouri, and North Dakota (+0.1 percent each). The largest over-the-month employment level decreases occurred in Michigan (-28,300), Georgia (-22,300), Louisiana (-17,500), South Carolina (-14,800), and Arizona and Kentucky (-13,200 each). Montana (-1.5 percent) recorded the largest over-the-month percentage decrease in employment, followed by the District of Columbia (-1.2 percent), Louisiana (-0.9 percent), South Carolina (-0.8 percent), and Idaho, Kentucky, and Michigan (-0.7 percent each). Over the year, nonfarm employment increased in 24 states and the District of Columbia and decreased in 26 states. The largest over-the year percentage increases in employment occurred in Wyoming (+2.8 percent), Texas (+2.4 percent), the District of Columbia (+2.0 percent), and South Dakota (+1.6 percent). Rhode Island recorded the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment (-2.6 percent), followed by Arizona (-2.2 percent), Michigan (-1.8 percent), Georgia (-1.5 percent), Florida (-1.4 percent), and Idaho (-1.2 percent).

Regional Unemployment (Seasonally Adjusted)

In September, the West and Midwest regions posted the highest jobless rates, 6.6 and 6.5 percent, respectively. The Northeast and South recorded the lowest unemployment rates, 5.7 and 5.9 percent, respectively. No region registered a statistically significant unemployment rate change from the previous month. In contrast, all four regions reported signifi- cant jobless rate increases from September 2007: the West (+1.8 percent- age points), South (+1.5 points), Northeast (+1.3 points), and Midwest (+1.2 points).

Among the nine geographic divisions, the Pacific and East North Central reported the highest unemployment rates in September, 7.2 and 7.0 percent, respectively. The West South Central again recorded the lowest jobless rate, 5.1 percent, followed closely by the Mountain and West North Central, at 5.2 percent each. No division reported a statistically significant over- the-month unemployment rate change. Over the year, however, all nine divisions had significant rate increases: the East South Central, Pacific, and South Atlantic (+1.8 percentage points each); Mountain (+1.5 points); East North Central and New England (+1.3 points each); Middle Atlantic (+1.2 points); West North Central (+0.8 point); and West South Central (+0.7 point).

State Unemployment (Seasonally Adjusted)

In September, Rhode Island and Michigan posted the highest jobless rates, 8.8 and 8.7 percent, respectively. Eight additional states recorded rates of 7.0 percent or more: Mississippi, 7.8 percent; California, 7.7 percent; Nevada and South Carolina, 7.3 percent each; Ohio and Tennessee, 7.2 percent each; Kentucky, 7.1 percent; and North Carolina, 7.0 percent. The District of Columbia also had a rate of 7.0 percent. South Dakota again registered the lowest unemployment rate, 3.2 percent, followed by Wyoming, at 3.3 percent, Nebraska and Utah, at 3.5 percent each, North Dakota, at 3.6 percent, and Oklahoma, at 3.8 percent. Overall, 11 states recorded significantly higher jobless rates than the U.S. figure of 6.1 percent, 23 states reported measurably lower rates, and 16 states and the District of Columbia had rates little different from that of the nation.

Six states reported statistically significant over-the-month jobless rate increases in September: Tennessee (+0.6 percentage point), Idaho (+0.4 point), Hawaii (+0.3 point), Montana and Nevada (+0.2 point each), and Texas (+0.1 point). Four states had statistically significant unemployment rate decreases between August and September: New Mexico and Wyoming (-0.6 percentage point each) and Iowa and Virginia (-0.3 point each). The remaining 40 states and the District of Columbia registered September 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.

Forty-five states and the District of Columbia had statistically significant jobless rate increases from September 2007. Rhode Island reported the largest rate increase (+3.7 percentage points) from a year earlier. The states with the next largest rate increases were Florida (+2.4 points); Idaho, Nevada, North Carolina, and Tennessee (+2.3 points each); Arizona and California (+2.1 points each); and Georgia (+2.0 points). Twenty-four other states and the District of Columbia posted over-the-year rate increases of 1.0 percentage point or more, and 12 additional states had smaller, but also statistically significant, rate increases from September 2007. Two states experienced statistically significant unemployment rate decreases from a year earlier--Arkansas (-0.6 percentage point) and Oklahoma (-0.5 point). The remaining three states recorded September 2008 jobless rates that were not appreciably different from those of a year earlier.