Updated March 2019
The unemployment rate and the change in the number of jobs are important indicators of state labor market health. The unemployment rate is the share of the state’s labor force that is not currently employed and is actively looking for work. Healthy job growth is growth that provides regular employment for all individuals wanting a job.
The map below shows the current unemployment rate in each state, and the percent change in the number of jobs in each state over the preceding 12 months. Clicking on a state will also show the change in that state’s unemployment rate or change in the number of jobs over the last 3 months, 12 months, and since December 2007—the peak of the previous business cycle.
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.
When workers lose a job or cannot find work, they and their families lose wages and benefits, and the adverse effects may last a very long time as career trajectories are interrupted. When more workers are unemployed, it also depresses wage growth for those workers who have a job, since employers have little need to raise pay to attract or retain staff. Although the country remains on a positive trend of job growth and falling unemployment, many states still have rates of job growth that are leaving many unable to find work and paychecks falling behind. To ensure workers in every community have access to jobs and rising pay, policymakers should prioritize a full employment agenda.
Data come from the State and Regional Employment report, released monthly by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Explore the map to see how these indicators differ across the country and read EPI’s recent research analyzing jobs and unemployment.
