Regional and state unemployment rates were generally little changed in February. Twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia recorded unemployment rate decreases, 7 states registered rate increases, and 16 states had no change, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Forty-one states and the District of Columbia posted unemployment rate decreases from a year earlier, 7 states reported increases, and 2 states had no change. The national jobless rate was 8.9 percent in February, little changed from January but 0.8 percentage point lower than a year earlier.

In February nonfarm payroll employment increased in 35 states, decreased in 14 states and the District of Columbia, and was unchanged in 1 state. The largest over-the-month increase in employment occurred in California (+96,500), followed by Pennsylvania (+23,700), Florida and Texas (+22,700 each), and Illinois (+17,600). South Carolina experienced the largest over-the-month percentage increase in employment (+0.9 percent), followed by California and Delaware (+0.7 percent each) and Oregon and Rhode Island (+0.6 percent each). The largest over-the-month decrease in employment occurred in Kansas (-12,800), followed by Missouri (-10,100), Washington (-8,500), Indiana (-7,900), and Oklahoma (-5,200). Kansas experienced the largest over-the-month percentage decrease in employment (-1.0 percent), followed by Montana (-0.6 percent), Maine and New Mexico (-0.5 percent each), and Missouri and Wyoming (-0.4 percent each). Over the year, nonfarm employment increased in 44 states and the District of Columbia and decreased in 6 states. The largest over-the-year percentage increase occurred in North Dakota (+4.4 percent), followed by Vermont (+2.8 percent) and Alaska and Texas (+2.5 percent each). The largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment occurred in Kansas (-1.0 percent), followed by New Mexico (-0.8 percent) and Nevada (-0.7 percent).

Regional Unemployment (Seasonally Adjusted)

The West reported the highest regional unemployment rate in February, 10.8 percent, while the Northeast and Midwest recorded the lowest rates, 8.3 and 8.4 percent, respectively. Over the month, the Midwest, South, and West each experienced statistically significant jobless rate changes (-0.1 percentage point each). Three of the 4 regions registered significant rate changes from a year earlier, all of which were declines: the Midwest (-1.6 percentage points), Northeast (-0.7 point), and South (-0.4 point).

Among the nine geographic divisions, the Pacific continued to report the highest jobless rate, 11.4 percent in February. The West North Central again registered the lowest rate, 7.0 percent. The South Atlantic and Pacific were the only divisions with statistically significant over-the-month unemployment rate changes (-0.2 and -0.1 percentage point, respectively). Over the year, two divisions posted significant rate changes: the East North Central (-2.1 percentage points) and the Middle Atlantic (-0.6 point).

State Unemployment (Seasonally Adjusted)

Nevada continued to register the highest unemployment rate among the states, 13.6 percent in February. The states with the next highest rates were California, 12.2 percent, Florida, 11.5 percent, and Rhode Island, 11.2 percent. North Dakota reported the lowest jobless rate, 3.7 percent, followed by Nebraska and South Dakota, 4.3 and 4.8 percent, respectively. One state, Colorado, set a new series high, 9.3 percent. (All state series begin in 1976.) In total 22 states posted jobless rates significantly lower than the U.S. figure of 8.9 percent, 10 states recorded measurably higher rates, and 18 states and the District of Columbia had rates that were not appreciably different from that of the nation.

Nevada experienced the largest over-the-month unemployment rate decrease in February (-0.6 percentage point). Six other states also posted statistically significant rate declines from January: Florida (-0.4 percentage point); Indiana, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina (-0.3 point each); California (-0.2 point); and Maryland (-0.1 point). The remaining 43 states and the District of Columbia registered jobless rates that were not measurably different from those of a month earlier, though some had changes that were at least as large numerically as the significant changes.

Sixteen states reported statistically significant over-the-year jobless rate decreases in February, the largest of which were in Michigan (-3.1 percentage points) and Illinois (-2.2 points). The remaining 34 states and the District of Columbia registered unemployment rates that were not appreciably different from those of a year earlier.

Nonfarm Payroll Employment (Seasonally Adjusted)

Over the month, 19 states recorded statistically significant changes in employment. The largest over-the-month statistically significant job gains occurred in California (+96,500), Pennsylvania (+23,700), Florida (+22,700), and Illinois (+17,600). Six states experienced statistically significant over-the-month declines in employment: Kansas (-12,800), Missouri (-10,100), Washington (-8,500), New Mexico (-4,000), Maine (-3,100), and Montana (-2,500).

Over the year, 27 states experienced statistically significant changes in employment, all of which were increases. The largest increase occurred in Texas (+254,200), followed by California (+196,400), Pennsylvania (+106,800), Ohio (+77,600), and Illinois (+75,200).