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News from EPI March weather likely at play in state jobs report

The State and Regional Employment report for March, released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, shows continued job gains in most states, with 10 states experiencing job losses. Unemployment rates held steady in a majority of states.

“We do see job losses in the construction industry over the last month, with the construction industry in the Mid-Atlantic driving that estimate. Harsh weather in March is likely behind this hiccup in recent trends,” said EPI research assistant Jessica Schieder.

From December to March, 48 states and the District of Columbia added jobs, with Utah (1.1 percent), Nevada (1.0 percent), Alaska (0.9 percent), Delaware (0.9 percent), and Texas (0.9 percent) making the largest percentage gains. Over that same period, employment fell in most in Montana (-0.4 percent).

During the same time period, unemployment rates fell in 25 states and the District of Columbia. Kentucky (-0.5 percentage points), Ohio (-0.5 percentage points), Maine (-0.4 percentage points), New Mexico (0.4 percentage points), and the District of Columbia (-0.3 percentage points) saw the largest declines in unemployment rates. Over the same months, the unemployment rate increased in seven states. Arizona, Maryland, and South Carolina each saw increases of 0.2 percentage points, while Alaska, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Washington each saw increases of 0.1 percentage points. In 18 states, there was no change in the unemployment rate.

March

Current state unemployment rate and percent change in total number of jobs over last 12 months

State Current unemployment rate Change in unemployment rate in last 3 months Change in unemployment rate in last 12 months Change in unemployment rate since February 2020 State unemployment rate raking from lowest to highest Percent change in number of jobs in last 12 months Change in number of jobs in last 12 months Percent change in numbers of jobs in last 3 months Change in number of jobs in last 3 months Percent change in number of jobs since February 2020 Change in number of jobs since February 2020
Alabama 2.7% 0.1% -0.4% -0.7% 10 2.4% 49900 0.5% 11400 0.7% 14900
Alaska 4.5% -0.1% -1.0% -0.7% 48 2.2% 7000 2.4% 7500 -1.9% -6400
Arizona 4.1% 0.6% 0.2% -0.9% 40 3.7% 111300 0.6% 18700 3.7% 110500
Arkansas 3.7% 0.3% 0.4% 0.1% 30 1.4% 18300 -0.5% -6700 1.8% 23800
California 4.1% 0.0% -1.7% 0.0% 39 4.0% 675000 0.5% 91900 0.3% 60700
Colorado 3.5% 0.1% -0.8% 0.7% 26 3.7% 103400 0.9% 24700 2.9% 82300
Connecticut 4.2% 0.1% -1.0% 0.8% 42 2.2% 36500 0.6% 9400 -1.5% -26200
Delaware 4.4% -0.1% -0.4% 0.7% 47 2.3% 10400 -0.3% -1500 -1.4% -6500
Washington D.C. 4.6% -0.5% -1.5% -0.8% 49 1.6% 12300 0.9% 6800 -4.1% -32900
Florida 2.6% -0.1% -0.9% -0.1% 8 4.7% 428200 1.2% 109900 5.4% 487400
Georgia 3.0% 0.2% -0.3% -0.6% 16 3.9% 182200 0.2% 11700 3.6% 167200
Hawaii 3.3% -0.7% -1.1% 1.1% 21 4.3% 25800 1.3% 8200 -6.5% -43000
Idaho 3.0% 0.3% -0.2% 0.0% 15 3.0% 23800 0.2% 2000 6.9% 53200
Illinois 4.7% 0.2% -0.4% 0.9% 50 3.1% 185400 0.6% 38800 -0.6% -37200
Indiana 3.0% 0.2% 0.3% -0.4% 14 2.4% 75900 0.8% 26600 1.3% 42400
Iowa 3.1% 0.5% -0.8% 0.5% 17 2.8% 42800 0.4% 6300 -0.3% -4400
Kansas 2.8% 0.3% 0.0% -0.3% 12 2.7% 36700 0.9% 13100 -1.0% -14800
Kentucky 4.0% 0.2% -0.6% -0.1% 36 3.2% 60500 0.4% 7300 0.8% 15700
Louisiana 3.3% -0.2% -1.2% -1.9% 20 2.6% 49200 0.3% 6000 -2.8% -55900
Maine 3.7% 0.6% -0.5% 0.9% 29 3.4% 21300 1.2% 7800 0.8% 5000
Maryland 4.3% 0.0% -1.1% 0.1% 45 1.9% 49800 -0.1% -4100 -1.7% -47200
Massachusetts 3.4% -0.2% -1.4% 0.5% 24 4.0% 144200 1.4% 50200 -0.3% -12000
Michigan 4.3% 0.2% -0.9% 0.5% 44 2.6% 109800 0.6% 26200 -1.5% -68600
Minnesota 2.3% 0.4% -0.8% -1.6% 3 3.5% 99000 0.9% 27000 -1.2% -34500
Mississippi 3.9% 0.3% -0.8% -1.8% 32 0.1% 1400 0.0% 500 -0.7% -8000
Missouri 2.7% 0.2% -1.2% -0.6% 9 2.5% 72800 0.6% 16500 0.5% 14900
Montana 2.9% 0.1% 0.0% -0.8% 13 1.3% 6500 0.3% 1300 3.6% 17400
Nebraska 2.5% 0.4% 0.1% -0.5% 6 3.0% 30800 1.3% 13000 0.9% 9500
Nevada 4.9% 0.5% -0.4% 0.9% 51 4.0% 57200 1.1% 16600 1.8% 26500
New Hampshire 2.6% 0.6% -0.4% -0.1% 7 2.7% 17900 1.4% 9400 0.0% 300
New Jersey 3.4% -0.6% -1.7% -0.1% 23 3.8% 154500 0.5% 22100 0.7% 29500
New Mexico 4.1% -0.3% -1.9% -1.3% 38 3.0% 24900 0.7% 5700 -0.5% -4100
New York 4.3% -0.4% -1.1% 0.4% 43 3.3% 304000 0.5% 47900 -2.9% -289900
North Carolina 3.9% 0.4% -0.3% 0.2% 31 4.3% 199100 0.7% 36000 4.7% 217700
North Dakota 2.3% 0.0% -0.8% 0.1% 2 1.7% 7100 0.3% 1300 -2.3% -10100
Ohio 4.2% 0.2% -0.3% -0.4% 41 2.2% 116100 0.4% 21800 -1.9% -103900
Oklahoma 3.4% 0.3% 0.6% 0.2% 22 2.8% 45700 0.5% 9200 -0.2% -2600
Oregon 4.4% 0.7% 0.2% 1.0% 46 4.3% 82100 0.7% 13500 1.0% 19100
Pennsylvania 4.0% -0.2% -1.5% -1.0% 35 3.2% 189200 0.6% 35500 -1.2% -73900
Rhode Island 3.6% 0.8% -1.1% -0.1% 28 2.5% 12100 -0.1% -400 -1.9% -9700
South Carolina 3.3% 0.2% -0.3% 0.4% 19 3.7% 79900 0.2% 3800 2.2% 48300
South Dakota 2.4% 0.1% -0.5% -0.2% 4 3.5% 15400 1.0% 4500 3.2% 14400
Tennessee 3.5% 0.1% -0.1% -0.1% 25 3.8% 119400 0.8% 24500 3.6% 114500
Texas 4.0% -0.1% -0.9% 0.5% 34 5.1% 657600 1.0% 141100 5.5% 706700
Utah 2.2% 0.2% -0.1% -0.4% 1 2.6% 43300 0.0% 300 6.6% 103500
Vermont 2.5% 0.4% -0.6% -0.1% 5 1.6% 4800 0.2% 600 -4.3% -13600
Virginia 2.8% 0.2% -0.5% 0.1% 11 2.7% 108300 0.2% 9500 0.1% 2400
Washington 4.0% 0.3% -0.5% 0.1% 33 3.9% 133900 0.8% 27000 1.1% 39000
West Virginia 4.1% 0.2% -0.2% -1.0% 37 3.8% 26000 1.5% 10300 -0.5% -3500
Wisconsin 3.3% 0.2% 0.2% 0.3% 18 2.2% 63900 0.4% 13000 -1.2% -37400
Wyoming 3.6% 0.5% -0.4% -1.3% 27 1.8% 5200 0.6% 1700 -1.0% -3000

Jobs refers to the total number of jobs, part-time or full-time, in nonfarm establishments.

Source: EPI analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics' Local Area Unemployment Statistics data.

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