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News from EPI The march toward full employment continues in a majority of states

The State and Regional Employment report for June, released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, shows continues jobs gains in most states, with six only experiencing job losses. In 40 states and the District of Columbia, the unemployment rate either decreased or remained the same.

“While unemployment rates continue to fall across the country, we would like to see this accompanied with real wage growth to definitively say we are at full employment for workers,” said EPI economic analyst Janelle Jones. “States should continue on their current path by not just adding jobs, but focus on well paid, high quality jobs.”

From March to June, 44 states added jobs, with North Dakota (1.4 percent), Massachusetts (1.0 percent), North Carolina (1.0 percent), New Hampshire (0.9 percent), and Texas (0.9 percent) having the highest percent change in job growth. Similar to last month’s report, North Dakota had the largest percent growth of jobs. Over the last three months, the number of jobs fell in six states: Alaska (-0.6 percent), Indiana (-0.2 percent), Kentucky (-0.2 percent), and Maryland (-0.1 percent). In New Jersey, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia, the number of jobs was essentially unchanged.

From March to June, unemployment rates fell in 29 states. New Mexico (-0.7 percentage points), South Carolina (-0.6 percentage points), Pennsylvania (-0.5 percentage points), Delaware (-0.4 percentage points), and Georgia (-0.3 percentage points) saw the largest declines in unemployment rates. The unemployment rate increased in 10 states. The largest increases in unemployment rates occurred in Alabama (0.3 percentage points), Louisiana (0.3 percentage points), Kentucky (0.2 percentage points), and Maine (0.2 percentage points).

June

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 2.5% -0.1% -0.1% -0.9% 6 2.0% 41500 0.4% 8800 2.5% 51600
Alaska 3.8% 0.1% -0.9% -1.4% 37 3.1% 9700 0.6% 1900 -1.0% -3200
Arizona 3.7% -0.3% 0.1% -1.3% 35 2.6% 78800 0.8% 23900 5.1% 151600
Arkansas 3.2% -0.3% 0.0% -0.4% 25 2.5% 32500 0.4% 6000 4.5% 58400
California 4.3% 0.2% -0.4% 0.2% 44 2.8% 486500 0.4% 79700 1.6% 277700
Colorado 2.9% 0.1% -0.7% 0.1% 17 1.6% 46700 0.4% 11000 2.4% 68100
Connecticut 4.0% 0.0% -0.6% 0.6% 41 1.7% 28700 0.8% 12900 -0.7% -11500
Delaware 4.6% -0.1% 0.1% 0.9% 48 2.3% 10800 0.6% 2900 2.3% 10800
Washington D.C. 4.7% 0.5% -0.9% -0.7% 50 1.7% 13000 0.1% 900 -4.3% -34600
Florida 2.6% -0.1% -0.7% -0.1% 9 4.6% 427400 1.0% 100200 6.7% 606400
Georgia 3.1% 0.0% 0.1% -0.5% 22 2.8% 135100 0.6% 27100 4.5% 209400
Hawaii 3.6% -0.1% 0.4% 1.4% 31 4.0% 24400 0.7% 4300 -4.6% -30400
Idaho 2.6% -0.2% 0.0% -0.4% 8 3.0% 24900 1.1% 9200 9.2% 70900
Illinois 4.5% -0.1% -0.1% 0.7% 46 2.4% 144900 0.3% 18200 -0.5% -30000
Indiana 3.1% -0.1% 0.3% -0.3% 21 2.3% 73600 0.3% 8200 2.2% 69500
Iowa 2.9% -0.2% 0.4% 0.3% 16 1.5% 22800 0.6% 9100 0.0% -200
Kansas 2.9% 0.0% 0.5% -0.2% 15 2.9% 41300 0.5% 7200 1.3% 18500
Kentucky 3.9% 0.0% 0.0% -0.2% 39 2.2% 43000 0.8% 15700 1.7% 32500
Louisiana 3.6% 0.0% -0.3% -1.6% 30 1.9% 35500 0.6% 11600 -2.4% -47300
Maine 2.8% -0.3% -0.4% 0.0% 13 2.0% 12500 0.2% 1400 1.0% 6700
Maryland 2.9% -0.2% -0.5% -1.3% 14 0.7% 18200 0.3% 7200 -2.0% -56700
Massachusetts 3.7% 0.0% -0.2% 0.8% 34 2.5% 91700 0.4% 15700 -0.1% -4300
Michigan 4.3% -0.1% 0.1% 0.5% 43 2.1% 91700 0.6% 27000 -0.8% -36300
Minnesota 3.0% 0.0% 0.4% -0.9% 19 2.5% 73600 0.6% 16800 -0.4% -12500
Mississippi 3.7% -0.4% -0.3% -2.0% 33 1.5% 17600 0.5% 6400 1.5% 17300
Missouri 2.6% -0.1% -0.1% -0.7% 7 2.0% 58000 0.2% 4900 1.3% 36600
Montana 2.4% -0.3% -0.1% -1.3% 5 2.5% 12600 0.9% 4800 5.9% 28800
Nebraska 2.3% -0.4% 0.3% -0.7% 3 2.1% 21700 0.6% 6200 1.0% 10500
Nevada 5.5% 0.0% 0.2% 1.5% 51 5.1% 74700 0.9% 13200 6.1% 88100
New Hampshire 2.7% -0.2% 0.5% 0.0% 11 2.7% 18400 0.8% 5600 1.5% 10100
New Jersey 3.5% 0.2% -1.1% 0.0% 27 2.5% 105400 0.7% 29700 2.2% 93000
New Mexico 3.6% 0.1% -1.4% -1.8% 29 2.6% 22100 0.9% 7300 0.1% 1100
New York 4.2% 0.1% -0.5% 0.3% 42 2.9% 269400 0.6% 54500 -1.6% -161500
North Carolina 3.6% -0.3% 0.2% -0.1% 28 3.0% 144100 0.8% 39100 5.7% 264200
North Dakota 2.1% 0.0% -0.1% -0.1% 2 2.5% 10500 0.9% 3900 -1.5% -6400
Ohio 3.9% -0.2% -0.1% -0.7% 38 1.4% 77800 0.4% 21800 -0.7% -38300
Oklahoma 3.0% -0.2% 0.2% -0.2% 18 2.7% 45400 0.5% 8300 1.5% 25300
Oregon 4.7% -0.1% 1.0% 1.3% 49 3.0% 58800 0.8% 15100 0.9% 17400
Pennsylvania 4.4% 0.0% 0.0% -0.6% 45 2.8% 164800 0.7% 41500 0.0% -1300
Rhode Island 3.1% -0.2% -0.1% -0.6% 20 1.9% 9400 0.6% 3100 -1.3% -6800
South Carolina 3.2% -0.1% -0.1% 0.3% 24 2.4% 53900 0.7% 15800 3.7% 80300
South Dakota 2.1% -0.1% 0.2% -0.5% 1 2.3% 10500 0.5% 2500 3.8% 16700
Tennessee 3.5% 0.0% 0.1% -0.1% 26 3.2% 103300 0.7% 23300 5.0% 156700
Texas 4.0% 0.2% -0.1% 0.5% 40 4.6% 611400 1.1% 144100 6.7% 865700
Utah 2.4% 0.0% 0.2% -0.2% 4 3.2% 52600 1.0% 16600 8.8% 137800
Vermont 2.8% -0.3% 0.4% 0.2% 12 2.2% 6500 1.2% 3600 -2.6% -8200
Virginia 3.2% 0.0% 0.3% 0.5% 23 2.4% 96100 0.6% 22900 0.9% 38500
Washington 4.6% 0.0% 0.6% 0.7% 47 3.5% 122500 1.0% 35700 2.7% 96300
West Virginia 3.7% -0.4% 0.0% -1.4% 32 0.4% 2500 -0.4% -3000 -3.0% -21300
Wisconsin 2.7% -0.3% -0.1% -0.3% 10 1.7% 50300 0.3% 9400 0.1% 1500
Wyoming 3.8% -0.1% 0.4% -1.1% 36 2.1% 6000 0.4% 1200 -0.4% -1200

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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