The State and Regional Employment report for December, released on this morning by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), showed continued job gains in 44 states and the District of Columbia, with six states experiencing job losses. Additionally, in 38 states and the District of Columbia the unemployment rate either declined or held steady.
“In 2018, the unemployment rate fell in 41 states and the District of Columbia, and the economy added 220,000 jobs every month on average,” said Economic Analyst Jessica Schieder. “This is good news, but 2019 could potentially bring tighter Fed policy and slower government spending. With any boost from the tax cuts behind us, these factors could rein in growth even as workers are still continuing to rejoin the labor market.”
From September to December, 48 states and the District of Columbia added jobs, with South Carolina (1.7 percent), Nevada (1.4 percent), South Dakota (1.1 percent), Wyoming (1.0 percent), and Alabama (0.9 percent) having the highest percent change in job growth. Over the last three months, the number of jobs fell in two states, Alaska (-0.3 percent) and Maine (-0.2 percent).
From July to October, unemployment rates fell in 26 states and the District of Columbia. Delaware (-0.3 percentage points), Maryland (-0.3 percentage points), Massachusetts (-0.3 percentage points), and Oklahoma (-0.3 percentage points) saw the largest declines in unemployment rates. The unemployment rate increased in 12 states. The largest increases in unemployment rates occurred in Colorado (0.4 percentage points), Hawaii (0.3 percentage points), and Oregon (0.3 percentage points).
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.