Unemployment Rates for States Monthly Rankings Seasonally Adjusted Mar. 2011
New York ranked 21st in unemployment at 8%
Unemployment dropped in 34 states in March 2011, according to figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on April 19. Unemployment went up in only seven states and Puerto Rico, while rates in nine states and the District of Columbia remained unchanged. Compared to a year ago, 44 states have lower unemployment rates than in March 2010.
Job growth continues to fuel the recovery. Texas added more than 37,000 jobs, Missouri gained almost 25,000 jobs, and Florida increased employment by 22,600 positions during March. Missouri and Oklahoma saw employment grow by .9 percent and Kentucky and hard-hit Nevada each had job growth of .7 percent in March.
Nevada again led the states with the highest unemployment rate, at 13.2 percent for March, but that still was a decrease from 13.6 percent in February. California had the second highest rate, at 12.0 percent, with Florida at 11.1 percent and Rhode Island at 11.0 percent, but all three states saw their unemployment rates decrease in March. California and Rhode Island each dropped by .2 percent and Florida’s rate fell by .4 percent.
New Mexico saw the steepest drop in unemployment for the month, with a .6 percent decline over February figures. Other states with statistically significant decreases in unemployment were Florida and Oklahoma, dropping by .4 percent; Missouri and Ohio both down by .3 percent; and New Hampshire, New York and Pennsylvania each down by .2 percent.
Compared to a year ago, Michigan saw the biggest decline in unemployment, down a full 3.0 percent from March 2010. Michigan had led the states with the highest unemployment rate for 50 straight months during the recession but has experienced a steady recovery in the last year. Other hard hit Midwestern states also saw significant improvement over the last year, with unemployment dropping by 2.2 percent in Illinois and 2.1 percent in Indiana.
North Dakota, Nebraska and South Dakota continued to experience the lowest unemployment rates among the states, at 3.6 percent, 4.2 percent and 4.9 percent respectively.
State unemployment rates for April will be released on Friday, May 20, 2011.
| Rank | State | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | NORTH DAKOTA | 3.6 |
| 2 | NEBRASKA | 4.2 |
| 3 | SOUTH DAKOTA | 4.9 |
| 4 | NEW HAMPSHIRE | 5.2 |
| 5 | VERMONT | 5.4 |
| 6 | IOWA | 6.1 |
| 6 | OKLAHOMA | 6.1 |
| 8 | WYOMING | 6.2 |
| 9 | HAWAII | 6.3 |
| 9 | VIRGINIA | 6.3 |
| 11 | MINNESOTA | 6.6 |
| 12 | KANSAS | 6.8 |
| 13 | MARYLAND | 6.9 |
| 14 | ALASKA | 7.4 |
| 14 | MONTANA | 7.4 |
| 14 | WISCONSIN | 7.4 |
| 17 | MAINE | 7.6 |
| 17 | UTAH | 7.6 |
| 19 | ARKANSAS | 7.8 |
| 19 | PENNSYLVANIA | 7.8 |
| 21 | MASSACHUSETTS | 8.0 |
| 21 | NEW YORK | 8.0 |
| 23 | LOUISIANA | 8.1 |
| 23 | NEW MEXICO | 8.1 |
| 23 | TEXAS | 8.1 |
| 26 | DELAWARE | 8.4 |
| 27 | INDIANA | 8.5 |
| 28 | ILLINOIS | 8.8 |
| 29 | OHIO | 8.9 |
| 30 | CONNECTICUT | 9.1 |
| 30 | MISSOURI | 9.1 |
| 30 | WEST VIRGINIA | 9.1 |
| 33 | ALABAMA | 9.2 |
| 33 | COLORADO | 9.2 |
| 33 | WASHINGTON | 9.2 |
| 36 | NEW JERSEY | 9.3 |
| 37 | ARIZONA | 9.5 |
| 37 | DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA | 9.5 |
| 37 | TENNESSEE | 9.5 |
| 40 | IDAHO | 9.7 |
| 40 | NORTH CAROLINA | 9.7 |
| 42 | SOUTH CAROLINA | 9.9 |
| 43 | GEORGIA | 10.0 |
| 43 | OREGON | 10.0 |
| 45 | KENTUCKY | 10.2 |
| 45 | MISSISSIPPI | 10.2 |
| 47 | MICHIGAN | 10.3 |
| 48 | RHODE ISLAND | 11.0 |
| 49 | FLORIDA | 11.1 |
| 50 | CALIFORNIA | 12.0 |
| 51 | NEVADA | 13.2 |
p = preliminary.
NOTE: Rates shown are a percentage of the labor force. Data refer to place of residence. Estimates for the current month are subject to revision the following month.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics and National Conference of State Legislatures
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