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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 2.1% -0.1% -0.5% -1.3% 7 2.0% 42500 0.7% 14300 3.5% 72800
Alaska 3.8% 0.1% 0.0% -1.4% 43 1.6% 5200 -0.1% -400 -1.5% -4800
Arizona 3.6% 0.2% -0.3% -1.4% 41 1.8% 56600 0.1% 3700 5.4% 162300
Arkansas 2.6% -0.2% -0.7% -1.0% 14 1.8% 24300 0.6% 8200 5.3% 68800
California 4.6% 0.1% 0.8% 0.5% 49 2.0% 363600 0.4% 76000 2.4% 424200
Colorado 2.9% 0.1% 0.2% 0.1% 23 1.4% 38800 0.4% 11200 3.1% 88200
Connecticut 3.6% -0.2% -0.4% 0.2% 40 1.3% 21400 0.3% 5700 -0.4% -6800
Delaware 4.1% -0.2% -0.3% 0.4% 48 2.4% 11200 -0.1% -400 3.0% 14200
Washington D.C. 5.0% 0.0% 0.9% -0.4% 50 0.9% 6600 0.3% 2200 -3.8% -30400
Florida 2.7% 0.1% 0.0% 0.0% 19 3.2% 300600 0.6% 63000 7.7% 696100
Georgia 3.2% 0.1% 0.2% -0.4% 29 1.8% 88300 0.3% 14400 5.2% 241900
Hawaii 2.8% -0.5% -0.7% 0.6% 22 2.0% 12700 0.8% 4900 -4.1% -27500
Idaho 2.8% 0.2% 0.1% -0.2% 21 2.8% 23600 0.8% 6800 10.2% 78800
Illinois 4.0% -0.2% -0.4% 0.2% 46 1.5% 89700 0.4% 26300 0.1% 8900
Indiana 3.3% 0.3% 0.3% -0.1% 32 1.8% 57500 0.3% 10500 3.1% 98900
Iowa 2.7% 0.0% -0.1% 0.1% 18 0.9% 14400 -0.7% -11200 -0.3% -5100
Kansas 2.7% -0.2% 0.0% -0.4% 17 1.6% 23100 0.2% 2600 1.1% 16200
Kentucky 3.8% 0.1% -0.1% -0.3% 42 2.6% 50200 0.5% 10400 2.8% 54100
Louisiana 3.4% -0.2% -0.1% -1.8% 35 1.6% 30200 -0.1% -1400 -1.8% -36400
Maine 2.4% 0.0% -0.3% -0.4% 9 0.5% 3200 -0.4% -2500 0.5% 3100
Maryland 1.8% -0.7% -1.4% -2.4% 3 0.8% 21100 0.2% 5800 -1.4% -39500
Massachusetts 2.5% -0.6% -1.2% -0.4% 12 2.4% 90300 0.6% 21200 1.1% 41100
Michigan 3.6% -0.2% -0.5% -0.2% 39 1.4% 63100 0.3% 13600 -0.3% -13500
Minnesota 3.0% 0.2% 0.4% -0.9% 26 1.4% 41200 0.1% 3600 -0.4% -12900
Mississippi 3.0% -0.4% -0.8% -2.7% 25 0.3% 3200 -0.4% -5000 0.9% 11000
Missouri 2.7% 0.2% 0.5% -0.6% 16 2.0% 58900 0.9% 27200 2.6% 75800
Montana 2.5% 0.2% -0.2% -1.2% 11 0.5% 2700 -0.4% -2300 5.2% 25400
Nebraska 2.0% 0.0% -0.4% -1.0% 6 2.0% 20100 0.3% 3600 1.3% 13800
Nevada 5.3% -0.1% 0.0% 1.3% 51 3.8% 56500 0.7% 10600 6.9% 100400
New Hampshire 1.7% -0.4% -0.8% -1.0% 1 1.5% 10400 -0.2% -1300 1.2% 8600
New Jersey 3.9% 0.4% 0.7% 0.4% 45 1.7% 73300 0.2% 9100 2.5% 106700
New Mexico 3.6% 0.1% 0.0% -1.8% 38 2.6% 21700 0.6% 5100 1.0% 8900
New York 3.9% -0.1% -0.1% 0.0% 44 1.3% 124900 0.4% 35600 -1.4% -142100
North Carolina 3.3% -0.1% -0.4% -0.4% 31 2.2% 108000 0.7% 33300 6.7% 308000
North Dakota 2.0% -0.1% 0.0% -0.2% 5 2.0% 8800 1.0% 4500 -0.5% -2300
Ohio 3.3% -0.4% -0.7% -1.3% 30 1.6% 89200 0.6% 31200 0.5% 25400
Oklahoma 2.7% -0.2% -0.4% -0.5% 15 1.7% 28400 0.4% 6700 1.7% 29800
Oregon 3.4% -0.6% -0.7% 0.0% 34 2.6% 49900 0.8% 16700 1.7% 33300
Pennsylvania 3.5% -0.6% -0.8% -1.5% 36 2.4% 143100 0.6% 34400 0.9% 53300
Rhode Island 2.8% -0.2% -0.4% -0.9% 20 -1.1% -5600 -0.4% -1900 -2.8% -14200
South Carolina 3.1% 0.0% -0.1% 0.2% 28 2.3% 52900 0.6% 14300 4.9% 108500
South Dakota 1.9% 0.0% -0.2% -0.7% 4 1.6% 7400 -0.1% -300 4.0% 17600
Tennessee 3.1% -0.2% -0.2% -0.5% 27 2.2% 72400 0.6% 19600 5.6% 175200
Texas 4.1% 0.1% 0.3% 0.6% 47 3.3% 441700 0.7% 101400 7.7% 1002900
Utah 2.4% 0.1% 0.1% -0.2% 8 2.4% 40700 0.3% 4900 9.6% 151000
Vermont 1.8% -0.6% -0.7% -0.8% 2 0.7% 2100 -0.4% -1300 -2.4% -7500
Virginia 2.5% -0.6% -0.1% -0.2% 10 1.6% 64400 0.2% 7100 1.3% 54400
Washington 3.6% -0.7% -0.5% -0.3% 37 2.6% 92500 0.3% 11400 3.3% 117800
West Virginia 3.4% 0.1% -0.6% -1.7% 33 1.0% 6800 0.3% 2100 -2.8% -20200
Wisconsin 2.6% 0.2% -0.4% -0.4% 13 1.3% 39500 0.2% 5300 0.4% 11300
Wyoming 3.0% -0.5% -0.5% -1.9% 24 2.2% 6200 0.8% 2200 0.5% 1400

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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