State employment data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows an alarming number of states losing jobs rather than gaining them.  While we technically are in an economic recovery, the jobs crisis is still crippling the economy and scarring working families throughout the nation.

In July, 20 states and the District of Columbia continued to have unemployment rates of 9.0 percent or higher, with unemployment surpassing 10 percent or more in 10 states and the District of Columbia. Even more troubling—since April 2011, 20 states and the District of Columbia have lost jobs.

“This state jobs report highlights the need to shift attention and action to the immediate economic needs of the American people,” said the Economic Policy Institute’s Doug Hall, director of the Economic Analysis and Research Network (EARN). “Creating and preserving jobs for workers in every state should be the primary focus of both state and federal policymakers.”