DOL: State Unemployment Rates Summary

According to a report released today by the Dept. of Labor, the regional and state unemployment rates were nearly all higher in May.

From the BLS: Michigan again reported the highest jobless rate, 14.1 percent in May. The states with the next highest rates were Oregon, 12.4 percent; Rhode Island and South Carolina, 12.1 percent each; California, 11.5 percent; Nevada, 11.3 percent; and North Carolina, 11.1 percent. Six additional states and the District of Columbia recorded unemployment rates of at least 10.0 percent. The California, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, and South Carolina rates were the highest on re-cord for those states. Florida, at 10.2 percent, and Georgia, at 9.7 percent, also posted series highs. Nebraska and North Dakota registered the lowest unemployment rates, 4.4 percent each. Overall, 12 states and the District of Columbia had significantly higher jobless rates than the U.S. figure of 9.4 percent, 29 states reported measurably lower rates, and 9 states had rates little different from that of the nation…

States with unemployment rates significantly different
from that of the U.S., May 2009, seasonally adjusted:
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                State                |          Rate(p)
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United States (1) ...................|           9.4
                                     |
Alaska ..............................|           8.4
Arizona .............................|           8.2
Arkansas ............................|           7.0
California ..........................|          11.5
Colorado ............................|           7.6
Connecticut .........................|           8.0
Delaware ............................|           8.1
District of Columbia ................|          10.7
Florida .............................|          10.2
Hawaii ..............................|           7.4
                                     |
Idaho ...............................|           7.8
Indiana .............................|          10.6
Iowa ................................|           5.8
Kansas ..............................|           7.0
Kentucky ............................|          10.6
Louisiana ...........................|           6.6
Maine ...............................|           8.3
Maryland ............................|           7.2
Massachusetts .......................|           8.2
Michigan ............................|          14.1
                                     |
Minnesota ...........................|           8.2
Montana .............................|           6.3
Nebraska ............................|           4.4
Nevada ..............................|          11.3
New Hampshire .......................|           6.5
New Mexico ..........................|           6.5
New York ............................|           8.2
North Carolina ......................|          11.1
North Dakota ........................|           4.4
Ohio ................................|          10.8
                                     |
Oklahoma ............................|           6.3
Oregon ..............................|          12.4
Pennsylvania ........................|           8.2
Rhode Island ........................|          12.1
South Carolina ......................|          12.1
South Dakota ........................|           5.0
                                     |
Tennessee ...........................|          10.7
Texas ...............................|           7.1
Utah ................................|           5.4
Vermont .............................|           7.3
Virginia ............................|           7.1
Wyoming .............................|           5.0
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