Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released state level jobs and unemployment data that highlight the ongoing vulnerability of families throughout the nation, three full years after the beginning of the Great Recession. In December, 24 states and the District of Columbia had unemployment rates of 9.0% or higher, and 10 states had rates of 10.0% or more. Despite several national economic indicators suggesting the economy is in recovery, millions of Americans are out of work. Today’s data show 20 states with increased unemployment rates, 15 states and the District of Columbia with reduced unemployment rates, and 15 states with no change in their unemployment rate.
These state-level jobs and unemployment numbers, released on the same day as President Obama’s State of the Union address, highlight the ongoing need to focus on putting millions of Americans back to work. Unacceptably high unemployment rates continue to contribute to alarming state revenue shortfalls in many states, given the reliance of most states on income and sales taxes. Putting American workers back to work, in every state of the nation, needs to be the primary goal for lawmakers in 2011.
More state data are available on EPI’s interactive web site EconomyTrack.org
Unemployment Rate by State (Dec. 2010 compared to start of recession, Dec. 2007)
|
Dec-07 |
Dec-10 |
|
| UNITED STATES |
5.0% |
9.4% |
| Alabama |
3.9% |
9.1% |
| Alaska |
6.2% |
8.1% |
| Arizona |
4.3% |
9.4% |
| Arkansas |
5.0% |
7.9% |
| California |
5.8% |
12.5% |
| Colorado |
4.3% |
8.8% |
| Connecticut |
4.9% |
9.0% |
| Delaware |
3.8% |
8.5% |
| District of Columbia |
5.5% |
9.7% |
| Florida |
4.7% |
12.0% |
| Georgia |
5.1% |
10.2% |
| Hawaii |
3.0% |
6.4% |
| Idaho |
3.5% |
9.5% |
| Illinois |
5.5% |
9.3% |
| Indiana |
4.6% |
9.5% |
| Iowa |
3.9% |
6.3% |
| Kansas |
4.0% |
6.8% |
| Kentucky |
5.5% |
10.3% |
| Louisiana |
3.8% |
8.0% |
| Maine |
4.7% |
7.3% |
| Maryland |
3.5% |
7.4% |
| Massachusetts |
4.4% |
8.2% |
| Michigan |
7.1% |
11.7% |
| Minnesota |
4.7% |
7.0% |
| Mississippi |
6.1% |
10.1% |
| Missouri |
5.3% |
9.5% |
| Montana |
3.9% |
7.2% |
| Nebraska |
2.9% |
4.4% |
| Nevada |
5.2% |
14.5% |
| New Hampshire |
3.4% |
5.5% |
| New Jersey |
4.5% |
9.1% |
| New Mexico |
3.6% |
8.5% |
| New York |
4.7% |
8.2% |
| North Carolina |
4.9% |
9.8% |
| North Dakota |
3.0% |
3.8% |
| Ohio |
5.6% |
9.6% |
| Oklahoma |
3.6% |
6.8% |
| Oregon |
5.2% |
10.6% |
| Pennsylvania |
4.5% |
8.5% |
| Rhode Island |
6.0% |
11.5% |
| South Carolina |
5.6% |
10.7% |
| South Dakota |
2.8% |
4.6% |
| Tennessee |
5.5% |
9.4% |
| Texas |
4.4% |
8.3% |
| Utah |
3.1% |
7.5% |
| Vermont |
4.0% |
5.8% |
| Virginia |
3.2% |
6.7% |
| Washington |
4.6% |
9.3% |
| West Virginia |
4.0% |
9.6% |
| Wisconsin |
4.5% |
7.5% |
| Wyoming |
2.8% |
6.4% |
