Unemployment by State: Where Are The Jobs?
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The unemployment rate augmented in just under half of states in March and joblessness continues to be worst in western states that have been hit hard by the recession and housing bust, according to a Labor Department report released Friday.
The unemployment rate augmented in 24 states in March from a month earlier, with 17 states and the District of Columbia showing decreases. The unemployment rate was unchanged in nine states.
Unemployment is generally worse in western states, which together posted an11.0% unemployment rate in March. The best off were eastern states, where the 9.1% unemployment rate was more than half a percentage point lower than the national unemployment rate. The March unemployment rate was 9.8% in the south and 10.1% in the Midwest.
Earlier this month, another report from the Labor Department showed the economy added 162,000 non-farm jobs in March. On a state level, that translated into gains across 33 states, including California, Ohio and New York. Nevada and Florida, which continue to be hard hit by the housing bust and loss of construction jobs, both lost jobs over the month.
The largest increases in March employment were in the states surrounding Washington, D.C., where spending by the Federal Government has largely blunted the recession. Maryland added 35,800 jobs, the largest month-over-month employment increase in the country. Virginia added 24,500 jobs in March.
For more news and data about jobs:
The following sortable tables show the percent change in jobs for each sector and state.
Jobs Lost and Gained, by State and Sector
| State | Total | Construction | Manufacturing | Financial activities | Government |
| Alabama | 0.08% | -1.55% | N/A | -1.29% | 0.60% |
| Alaska | -0.06% | -2.42% | -2.63% | -2.10% | 1.17% |
| Arizona | -0.14% | -2.51% | -0.27% | -0.31% | -0.29% |
| Arkansas | 0.86% | 6.26% | 1.00% | -0.39% | 0.60% |
| California | 0.03% | -0.43% | 0.35% | -0.22% | -0.01% |
| Colorado | -0.07% | -2.27% | -0.16% | 0.14% | 0.59% |
| Connecticut | 0.19% | 0.77% | 0.42% | -0.22% | -0.28% |
| Delaware | 0.91% | 2.23% | N/A | 0.23% | 0.64% |
| Washington DC | 1.12% | 18.37% | N/A | -1.16% | 0.49% |
| Florida | -0.06% | 0.47% | 0.26% | -0.81% | 0.17% |
| Georgia | -0.08% | -1.60% | -0.09% | -2.29% | 0.06% |
| Hawaii | 0.48% | 4.70% | N/A | -1.08% | 0.65% |
| Idaho | 0.03% | -3.27% | 0.94% | 2.74% | 0.17% |
| Illinois | 0.05% | -0.90% | 0.40% | 0.00% | -0.01% |
| Indiana | 0.60% | 3.07% | 1.46% | -0.84% | -0.07% |
| Iowa | 0.50% | -0.32% | 0.71% | 0.10% | 0.79% |
| Kansas | 0.10% | 3.44% | 0.25% | -1.00% | 0.08% |
| Kentucky | 0.44% | 3.11% | 0.19% | 0.00% | 0.37% |
| Louisiana | -0.20% | -4.08% | -0.29% | 0.23% | 0.46% |
| Maine | 0.02% | 0.43% | 0.19% | 1.66% | 0.97% |
| Maryland | 1.44% | 3.71% | 0.44% | 0.22% | 0.94% |
| Massachusetts | 0.24% | -0.88% | 0.00% | 0.88% | 0.09% |
| Michigan | -0.25% | -0.59% | 0.04% | -1.56% | -0.27% |
| Minnesota | -0.07% | 0.35% | 0.51% | 0.18% | 0.29% |
| Mississippi | -0.08% | 1.27% | 0.44% | N/A | 0.56% |
| Missouri | 0.28% | 4.11% | -0.20% | -0.56% | 0.37% |
| Montana | 0.45% | 0.00% | 0.58% | -0.49% | 1.43% |
| Nebraska | 0.39% | -0.65% | 0.22% | -0.15% | 0.77% |
| Nevada | -0.63% | -6.73% | 0.00% | -0.74% | -0.13% |
| New Hampshire | -0.32% | -3.45% | 0.31% | 0.00% | 0.30% |
| New Jersey | -0.08% | 1.26% | -1.32% | 0.12% | -0.38% |
| New Mexico | -0.27% | -1.84% | -0.33% | -0.90% | 1.20% |
| New York | 0.14% | 1.40% | -0.28% | -0.35% | 0.17% |
| North Carolina | 0.08% | 0.75% | 0.49% | -0.05% | 0.22% |
| North Dakota | 0.36% | 0.51% | -1.29% | 0.00% | 0.51% |
| Ohio | 0.10% | 0.31% | 0.48% | -0.98% | 0.18% |
| Oklahoma | 0.26% | 0.76% | 1.15% | 0.62% | 0.06% |
| Oregon | -0.03% | -0.47% | 0.68% | -0.74% | 0.20% |
| Pennsylvania | 0.41% | 2.31% | 0.16% | -0.26% | 0.64% |
| Rhode Island | 0.02% | 0.00% | 1.75% | -0.65% | 0.33% |
| South Carolina | 0.03% | 0.12% | -0.57% | 0.78% | 0.14% |
| South Dakota | 0.40% | -0.48% | 0.81% | -1.71% | 1.03% |
| Tennessee | 0.20% | 2.77% | 0.50% | -0.87% | -0.09% |
| Texas | 0.08% | -1.15% | 0.26% | -0.34% | 0.53% |
| Utah | -0.02% | 0.31% | -0.66% | 0.28% | -0.37% |
| Vermont | -0.64% | -0.81% | -0.65% | 0.00% | 0.55% |
| Virginia | 0.68% | 0.96% | -0.18% | -0.11% | 0.58% |
| Washington | 0.20% | -1.70% | 0.39% | -0.57% | 0.22% |
| West Virginia | 0.68% | 4.56% | 1.22% | 1.09% | 0.80% |
| Wisconsin | -0.08% | 0.51% | 0.59% | 0.00% | 0.02% |
| Wyoming | 0.11% | -1.83% | 1.06% | -0.90% | 0.97% |
| State | Professional and business | Education and health services | Leisure and hospitality | Trade, transportation, and utilities |
| Alabama | 0.34% | 0.70% | 0.78% | -0.08% |
| Alaska | 1.61% | -0.50% | -0.63% | -0.46% |
| Arizona | 0.56% | 0.33% | 0.66% | -0.54% |
| Arkansas | 1.06% | 0.00% | -0.10% | -0.35% |
| California | -0.11% | 0.35% | 0.12% | 0.00% |
| Colorado | 0.49% | -0.27% | -0.16% | -0.15% |
| Connecticut | 0.00% | 0.42% | 1.00% | 0.21% |
| Delaware | 1.28% | 1.24% | 0.50% | 1.62% |
| Washington DC | 2.74% | -0.09% | 0.35% | 1.52% |
| Florida | -0.54% | 0.57% | -0.34% | -0.06% |
| Georgia | -0.26% | -0.17% | 0.31% | 0.52% |
| Hawaii | -1.29% | 0.13% | 0.60% | 0.81% |
| Idaho | 0.53% | -0.36% | -0.17% | -0.08% |
| Illinois | -0.08% | 0.39% | -0.26% | 0.17% |
| Indiana | 2.69% | -0.19% | -0.40% | 0.55% |
| Iowa | 2.37% | -0.09% | 0.77% | 0.03% |
| Kansas | 0.00% | -0.06% | -0.98% | 0.43% |
| Kentucky | 0.11% | 0.69% | -0.95% | 1.25% |
| Louisiana | -0.73% | -0.15% | 0.15% | 0.30% |
| Maine | 0.93% | -0.42% | -0.96% | -0.09% |
| Maryland | 1.66% | 1.29% | 2.43% | 1.65% |
| Massachusetts | 0.35% | -0.09% | 0.48% | 0.81% |
| Michigan | 0.92% | -0.34% | -0.83% | -0.17% |
| Minnesota | -0.38% | -0.22% | 0.64% | -0.61% |
| Mississippi | -2.12% | 0.60% | -0.93% | -0.61% |
| Missouri | 0.35% | -0.15% | 1.11% | -0.29% |
| Montana | 0.00% | -0.32% | 1.07% | 0.00% |
| Nebraska | 0.61% | 0.81% | -0.50% | 0.78% |
| Nevada | -2.24% | -0.30% | 0.36% | 0.10% |
| New Hampshire | -0.78% | 0.37% | -3.12% | 0.22% |
| New Jersey | -0.14% | -0.17% | 0.18% | 0.31% |
| New Mexico | -0.60% | -0.75% | -0.34% | -0.84% |
| New York | 0.16% | 0.32% | -0.43% | 0.24% |
| North Carolina | -0.51% | -0.29% | 0.56% | -0.29% |
| North Dakota | 0.00% | 0.18% | 0.88% | 0.39% |
| Ohio | -0.02% | 0.00% | -0.31% | 0.30% |
| Oklahoma | -0.86% | 0.58% | 0.59% | 0.14% |
| Oregon | 0.34% | -0.44% | 0.25% | 0.13% |
| Pennsylvania | 0.05% | 0.60% | 1.06% | -0.07% |
| Rhode Island | -1.96% | 0.30% | -1.02% | 0.99% |
| South Carolina | 0.76% | 0.14% | -1.12% | 0.03% |
| South Dakota | 3.54% | 0.16% | 0.47% | -0.12% |
| Tennessee | 0.58% | 0.05% | 0.54% | 0.11% |
| Texas | -0.54% | 0.44% | 1.03% | -0.62% |
| Utah | 0.26% | 0.13% | 0.09% | 0.17% |
| Vermont | 0.00% | -0.98% | -1.74% | -0.91% |
| Virginia | 0.30% | 1.70% | 1.53% | 0.33% |
| Washington | 1.38% | -0.45% | 0.08% | 0.72% |
| West Virginia | 0.17% | 0.51% | 0.58% | 0.00% |
| Wisconsin | -1.14% | 0.02% | 0.00% | -0.44% |
| Wyoming | -1.21% | N/A | -1.24% | 0.19% |
Source: Labor Department