The State and Regional Employment report for March, released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, shows continued job gains in most states, with 10 states experiencing job losses. Unemployment rates held steady in a majority of states.
“We do see job losses in the construction industry over the last month, with the construction industry in the Mid-Atlantic driving that estimate. Harsh weather in March is likely behind this hiccup in recent trends,” said EPI research assistant Jessica Schieder.
From December to March, 48 states and the District of Columbia added jobs, with Utah (1.1 percent), Nevada (1.0 percent), Alaska (0.9 percent), Delaware (0.9 percent), and Texas (0.9 percent) making the largest percentage gains. Over that same period, employment fell in most in Montana (-0.4 percent).
During the same time period, unemployment rates fell in 25 states and the District of Columbia. Kentucky (-0.5 percentage points), Ohio (-0.5 percentage points), Maine (-0.4 percentage points), New Mexico (0.4 percentage points), and the District of Columbia (-0.3 percentage points) saw the largest declines in unemployment rates. Over the same months, the unemployment rate increased in seven states. Arizona, Maryland, and South Carolina each saw increases of 0.2 percentage points, while Alaska, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Washington each saw increases of 0.1 percentage points. In 18 states, there was no change in the unemployment rate.
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.