Regional and state unemployment rates were generally little changed in March. Thirty- four states recorded unemployment rate decreases, seven states registered rate increases, and nine states and the District of Columbia had no change, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Forty-four states and the District of Columbia posted unemployment rate decreases from a year earlier, five states reported increases, and one state had no change. The national jobless rate was 8.8 percent in March, little changed from February but 0.9 percentage point lower than a year earlier.

In March nonfarm payroll employment increased in 38 states and decreased in 12 states and the District of Columbia. The largest over-the-month increases in employment occurred in Texas (+37,200), Missouri (+24,300), Florida (+22,600), North Carolina (+13,900), and Oklahoma (+13,200). Missouri and Oklahoma experienced the largest over-the-month percentage increases in employment (+0.9 percent each), followed by Kentucky and Nevada (+0.7 percent each). The largest over-the-month decrease in em- ployment occurred in California (-11,600), followed by Connecticut (-6,000), Louisiana and Maryland (-5,900 each), and Maine (-5,100). Maine experienced the largest over-the-month percentage decrease in employment (-0.9 percent), followed by Connecticut and Hawaii (-0.4 percent each) and Louisiana (-0.3 percent). Over the year, nonfarm employment increased in 47 states and the District of Columbia and decreased in 3 states. The largest over-the-year percentage increase occurred in North Dakota (+4.2 percent), followed by Vermont (+2.8 percent) and Alaska and Texas (+2.4 percent each). The largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment occurred in Kansas (-0.5 percent), followed by New Jersey and New Mexico (less than -0.1 percent each).

Regional Unemployment (Seasonally Adjusted)

The West reported the highest regional unemployment rate in March, 10.7 percent, while the Northeast and Midwest recorded the lowest rates, 8.2 and 8.3 percent, respectively. Over the month, all four regions experienced statistically significant jobless rate declines (-0.1 percentage point each). Three of the 4 regions registered significant rate changes from a year earlier: the Midwest (-1.6 percentage points), Northeast (-0.7 point), and South (-0.4 point).

Among the nine geographic divisions, the Pacific continued to report the highest jobless rate, 11.3 percent in March. The West North Central again registered the lowest rate, 6.9 percent. The East North Central and South Atlantic were the only divisions with statistically significant over-the-month unemployment rate changes (-0.2 percentage point each). Over the year, four divisions posted significant rate changes, all of which were decreases: the East North Central (-2.1 percentage points), Middle Atlantic (-0.8 point), South Atlantic (-0.6 point), and West North Central (-0.5 point).

State Unemployment (Seasonally Adjusted)

Nevada continued to register the highest unemployment rate among the states, 13.2 percent in March. The states with the next highest rates were California, 12.0 percent, Florida, 11.1 percent, and Rhode Island, 11.0 percent. North Dakota reported the lowest jobless rate, 3.6 percent, followed by Nebraska and South Dakota, 4.2 and 4.9 percent, respectively. In total 22 states posted jobless rates significantly lower than the U.S. figure of 8.8 percent, 10 states recorded measurably higher rates, and 18 states and the District of Columbia had rates that were not appreciably different from that of the nation.

New Mexico experienced the largest over-the-month unemployment rate decrease in March (-0.6 percentage point). Eight other states also posted statistically significant rate declines from February: Florida and Oklahoma (-0.4 percentage point each); Indiana, Missouri, and Ohio (-0.3 point each); and New Hampshire, New York, and Pennsylvania (-0.2 point each). The remaining 41 states and the District of Columbia registered jobless rates that were not measurably different from those of a month earlier, though some had changes that were at least as large numerically as the significant changes.

Michigan recorded the largest jobless rate decrease from March 2010 (-3.0 percentage points), followed by Illinois and Indiana (-2.2 and -2.1 points, respectively). Fifteen additional states had smaller but also statistically significant decreases from a year ago. The remaining 32 states and the District of Columbia registered jobless rates that were not appreciably different from those of a year earlier.

Nonfarm Payroll Employment (Seasonally Adjusted)

Between February and March 2011, 11 states recorded statistically significant changes in employment. The largest over-the-month statistically significant job gains occurred in Texas (+37,200), Missouri (+24,300), and Florida (+22,600). Two states experienced statistically significant over-the-month declines in employment: Connecticut (-6,000) and Maine (-5,100).

Over the year, 26 states experienced statistically significant changes in employment, all of which were increases. The largest increase occurred in Texas (+251,100), followed by California (+171,300), Michigan (+79,000), Illinois (+76,600), and Pennsylvania (+76,500).