Annual average unemployment rates in 2010 rose in 31 states and the District of Columbia, declined in 18 states, and remained the same in 1 state, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment-population ratios decreased in 43 states and the District of Columbia, increased in 3 states, and were unchanged in 4 states. Jobless rates increased in three regions and decreased in one, and employment-population ratios declined in all four regions in 2010. The U.S. jobless rate rose by 0.3 percentage point from the prior year to 9.6 percent, while the national employment-population ratio fell by 0.8 point to 58.5 percent.

Regional Unemployment

Three of the 4 regions posted statistically significant unemployment rate changes from 2009, all of which were increases. The West experienced the largest rise (+0.9 percentage point), followed by the South (+0.4 point) and Northeast (+0.3 point). The West, at 11.1 percent, also registered the only jobless rate significantly above that of the U.S., 9.6 percent in 2010. The Northeast and South, at 8.7 and 9.3 percent, respectively, both had rates significantly below the national figure. The rates in the West and South set new annual series highs in 2010. (All region, division, and state series begin in 1976.) (See table 1.)

Five of the 9 geographic divisions also reported statistically significant over-the-year unemployment rate increases in 2010: the Mountain (+0.9 per- centage point), Pacific (+0.8 point), West South Central (+0.7 point), South Atlantic (+0.5 point), and Middle Atlantic (+0.4 point). The four remaining divisions registered jobless rates that were not significantly different from those of a year earlier. The Pacific division posted the highest unemployment rate, 11.7 percent. The divisions with the next highest rates were the East North Central, 10.4 percent, and the East South Central, 10.0 percent. The rates for the Pacific and East North Central divisions were significantly above the U.S. rate, as was the rate in the South Atlantic, 9.9 percent. The rates in the Pacific and South Atlantic set new series highs, as did the 9.7 percent rate in the Mountain division. The division with the lowest unemployment rate was the West North Central, 7.3 percent. Three other divisions--the Middle Atlantic, New England, and West South Central--also recorded rates significantly lower than the U.S. rate.

State Unemployment

Twenty-two states reported statistically significant unemployment rate changes from 2009 to 2010, 18 of which were increases and 4 of which were decreases. Of those increases, six were greater than 1.0 percentage point: Nevada (+2.4 points), Idaho (+1.6 points), New Mexico and West Virginia (+1.4 points each), Florida (+1.3 points), and California (+1.1 points). Michigan and Minnesota recorded the largest rate declines over the year (-0.8 percentage point each), closely followed by Tennessee and Vermont (-0.7 point each); all four changes were significant. Twenty- eight states and the District of Columbia reported annual average unem- ployment rates for 2010 that were not appreciably different from those of the previous year, even though some had changes that were at least as large numerically as the statistically significant changes. (See table A.)

In 2010, 15 states reported unemployment rates of 10.0 percent or more. Nevada recorded the highest rate, 14.9 percent, followed by Michigan, 12.5 percent, and California, 12.4 percent. (This was the first time since 2005 that Michigan did not post the highest unemployment rate among the states.) North Dakota again registered the lowest jobless rate among the states, 3.9 percent in 2010. The states with the next lowest rates were Nebraska and South Dakota, at 4.7 and 4.8 percent, respectively. Twenty-seven states had unemployment rates that were significantly lower than the U.S. rate of 9.6 percent, and 10 states recorded rates significantly above it. Eight states reported the highest jobless rates in their annual series: California, 12.4 percent; Colorado, 8.9 percent; Delaware, 8.5 percent; Florida, 11.5 percent; Georgia, 10.2 percent; Idaho, 9.3 percent; Nevada, 14.9 percent; and Rhode Island, 11.6 percent. (See table B.)

Regional Employment-Population Ratios

In 2010 all four regions registered statistically significant deterioration in their employment-population ratios--the proportion of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years of age and over with a job. The West experienced the largest over-the-year decrease in its employment-population ratio (-1.4 percentage points), followed by the South (-0.8 point), Northeast (-0.7 point), and Midwest (-0.4 point). The Midwest continued to report the highest ratio, 60.3 percent, while the South, at 57.5 percent, maintained the lowest. The South and West posted employment-population ratios that were significantly lower than the national figure of 58.5 percent, and the Midwest recorded a significantly higher ratio. (See table 2.)

Six of the 9 divisions registered statistically significant changes in their employment-population ratios in 2010, all of which were decreases. The Mountain experienced the greatest drop (-1.5 percentage points), followed by the Pacific and South Atlantic (-1.3 and -1.2 points, re- spectively). In 2010 the East South Central again recorded the lowest proportion of employed persons, 54.7 percent. The next lowest ratios were posted in the Pacific, 57.2 percent, and South Atlantic, 57.3 percent. Ratios in all three of these divisions were significantly below the national average. The divisions with the highest employment-popu- lation ratios were the West North Central, 64.4 percent, and New England, 61.7 percent. These two divisions, along with the Mountain, 59.5 percent, and West South Central, 59.4 percent, registered employment-population ratios measurably above that of the U.S. The remaining two divisions had ratios that were not significantly different from the national average.

State Employment-Population Ratios

In 2010, 32 states and the District of Columbia registered statistically significant decreases in their proportions of employed persons, while 18 states had proportions that were not significantly different from those of a year earlier. Four states reported declines of 2.0 percentage points or more: Colorado (-2.4 points), Utah (-2.3 points), Nevada (-2.2 points), and Delaware (-2.1 points). Twelve other states and the District of Columbia recorded decreases in their employment-population ratios ranging from -1.0 to -1.9 percentage points. (See table C.)

West Virginia again reported the lowest employment-population ratio among the states, 48.8 percent, which it has done for 35 consecutive years. Three states in the West North Central division again posted the highest ratios: North Dakota, 69.8 percent, Nebraska, 67.7 percent, and South Dakota, 67.6 percent. Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia recorded employment-population ratios that were significantly above the U.S. ratio of 58.5 percent, and 18 states had ratios that were appre- ciably below it. The remaining nine states reported ratios that were not measurably different from that of the nation. Nine states registered the lowest employment-population ratios in their series in 2010: California, 56.3 percent; Colorado, 62.8 percent; Delaware, 56.2 percent; Georgia, 57.0 percent; Hawaii, 59.4 percent; Kentucky, 55.6 percent; Nevada, 57.0 percent; North Carolina, 56.1 percent; and South Carolina, 54.5 percent. (See table D.)



Table A. States with statistically significant unemployment rate changes, 2009-10 annual averages
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State Rate | 2009 | 2010 | Rate change
--------------------------|------------|------------|---------------
California .....................| 11.3 | 12.4 | 1.1
Colorado .......................| 8.3 | 8.9 | .6
Connecticut ....................| 8.3 | 9.1 | .8
Delaware .......................| 8.0 | 8.5 | .5
Florida ........................| 10.2 | 11.5 | 1.3
Georgia ........................| 9.7 | 10.2 | .5
Idaho ..........................| 7.7 | 9.3 | 1.6
Iowa ...........................| 5.6 | 6.1 | .5
Louisiana ......................| 6.6 | 7.5 | .9
Maryland .......................| 7.1 | 7.5 | .4
| | |
Michigan .......................| 13.3 | 12.5 | -.8
Minnesota ......................| 8.1 | 7.3 | -.8
Montana ........................| 6.3 | 7.2 | .9
Nevada .........................| 12.5 | 14.9 | 2.4
New Mexico .....................| 7.0 | 8.4 | 1.4
Pennsylvania ...................| 8.0 | 8.7 | .7
Rhode Island ...................| 10.8 | 11.6 | .8
Tennessee ......................| 10.4 | 9.7 | -.7
Texas ..........................| 7.6 | 8.2 | .6
Utah ...........................| 7.1 | 7.7 | .6
Vermont ........................| 6.9 | 6.2 | -.7
West Virginia ..................| 7.7 | 9.1 | 1.4
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Table B. States with unemployment rates significantly different from that of the U.S., 2010 annual averages
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State | Rate
--------------------------------------------------------------
United States .......................| 9.6
|
Alaska ..............................| 8.0
Arkansas ............................| 7.9
California ..........................| 12.4
Colorado ............................| 8.9
Delaware ............................| 8.5
Florida .............................| 11.5
Hawaii ..............................| 6.6
Illinois ............................| 10.3
Iowa ................................| 6.1
Kansas ..............................| 7.0
|
Kentucky ............................| 10.5
Louisiana ...........................| 7.5
Maine ...............................| 7.9
Maryland ............................| 7.5
Massachusetts .......................| 8.5
Michigan ............................| 12.5
Minnesota ...........................| 7.3
Montana .............................| 7.2
Nebraska ............................| 4.7
Nevada ..............................| 14.9
|
New Hampshire .......................| 6.1
New Mexico ..........................| 8.4
New York ............................| 8.6
North Carolina ......................| 10.6
North Dakota ........................| 3.9
Oklahoma ............................| 7.1
Oregon ..............................| 10.8
Pennsylvania ........................| 8.7
Rhode Island ........................| 11.6
South Carolina ......................| 11.2
|
South Dakota ........................| 4.8
Texas ...............................| 8.2
Utah ................................| 7.7
Vermont .............................| 6.2
Virginia ............................| 6.9
Wisconsin ...........................| 8.3
Wyoming .............................| 7.0
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Table C. States with statistically significant employment-population ratio changes, 2009-10 annual averages
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State Ratio | 2009 | 2010 | Rate change
-----------------------------|------------|------------|---------------
Alabama ........................| 54.1 | 52.8 | -1.3
Arizona ........................| 57.6 | 56.9 | -.7
California .....................| 57.8 | 56.3 | -1.5
Colorado .......................| 65.2 | 62.8 | -2.4
Connecticut ....................| 63.0 | 62.3 | -.7
Delaware .......................| 58.3 | 56.2 | -2.1
District of Columbia ...........| 61.7 | 60.6 | -1.1
Florida ........................| 56.3 | 55.4 | -.9
Georgia ........................| 58.9 | 57.0 | -1.9
Idaho ..........................| 60.3 | 59.1 | -1.2
| | |
Indiana ........................| 58.1 | 57.2 | -.9
Kansas .........................| 65.8 | 65.1 | -.7
Maryland .......................| 63.4 | 62.1 | -1.3
Missouri .......................| 60.0 | 58.7 | -1.3
Montana ........................| 60.6 | 59.7 | -.9
Nebraska .......................| 68.5 | 67.7 | -.8
Nevada .........................| 59.2 | 57.0 | -2.2
New Jersey .....................| 60.8 | 59.8 | -1.0
New Mexico .....................| 57.8 | 56.9 | -.9
New York .......................| 57.7 | 57.1 | -.6
| | |
North Carolina .................| 57.1 | 56.1 | -1.0
Ohio ...........................| 59.6 | 59.1 | -.5
Oklahoma .......................| 59.0 | 58.2 | -.8
Pennsylvania ...................| 59.1 | 58.0 | -1.1
South Carolina .................| 55.2 | 54.5 | -.7
South Dakota ...................| 68.3 | 67.6 | -.7
Texas ..........................| 60.8 | 60.5 | -.3
Utah ...........................| 65.2 | 62.9 | -2.3
Virginia .......................| 64.9 | 64.1 | -.8
Washington .....................| 62.0 | 60.8 | -1.2
| | |
West Virginia ..................| 50.6 | 48.8 | -1.8
Wisconsin ......................| 64.1 | 63.2 | -.9
Wyoming ........................| 66.4 | 64.8 | -1.6
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Table D. States with employment-population ratios significantly different from that of the U.S., 2010 annual averages
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State | Ratio
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United States .......................| 58.5
|
Alabama .............................| 52.8
Alaska ..............................| 64.2
Arizona .............................| 56.9
Arkansas ............................| 56.1
California ..........................| 56.3
Colorado ............................| 62.8
Connecticut .........................| 62.3
Delaware ............................| 56.2
District of Columbia ................| 60.6
Florida .............................| 55.4
|
Georgia .............................| 57.0
Illinois ............................| 60.0
Iowa ................................| 66.8
Kansas ..............................| 65.1
Kentucky ............................| 55.6
Louisiana ...........................| 56.3
Maine ...............................| 60.2
Maryland ............................| 62.1
Massachusetts .......................| 60.5
Michigan ............................| 53.9
|
Minnesota ...........................| 66.8
Mississippi .........................| 53.2
Nebraska ............................| 67.7
Nevada ..............................| 57.0
New Hampshire .......................| 65.8
New Jersey ..........................| 59.8
New Mexico ..........................| 56.9
New York ............................| 57.1
North Carolina ......................| 56.1
North Dakota ........................| 69.8
|
Rhode Island ........................| 60.2
South Carolina ......................| 54.5
South Dakota ........................| 67.6
Tennessee ...........................| 56.2
Texas ...............................| 60.5
Utah ................................| 62.9
Vermont .............................| 66.3
Virginia ............................| 64.1
Washington ..........................| 60.8
West Virginia .......................| 48.8
Wisconsin ...........................| 63.2
Wyoming .............................| 64.8
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