For release 10:00 a.m. (EST) Friday, December 20, 2013 USDL-13-2394
Technical information:
Employment: (202) 691-6559 * sminfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/sae
Unemployment: (202) 691-6392 * lausinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/lau
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REGIONAL AND STATE EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT -- NOVEMBER 2013
Regional and state unemployment rates were generally lower in November. Forty-five
states and the District of Columbia had unemployment rate decreases from October
and five states had no change, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.
Forty-two states had unemployment rate decreases from a year earlier, seven states
and the District of Columbia had increases, and one state had no change. The
national jobless rate declined to 7.0 percent from October and was 0.8 percentage
point lower than in November 2012.
In November 2013, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 43 states and decreased
in 7 states and the District of Columbia. The largest over-the-month increases in
employment occurred in California (+44,300), Texas (+28,700), and Indiana (+25,200).
The largest over-the-month decrease in employment occurred in Ohio (-12,000),
followed by North Carolina (-6,500) and Washington (-6,000). The largest over-the-
month percentage increase in employment occurred in Indiana (+0.9 percent), followed
by Nevada (+0.8 percent) and Vermont (+0.7 percent). The largest over-the-month
percentage declines in employment occurred in the District of Columbia, Nebraska,
North Carolina, Ohio, and Washington (-0.2 percent each). Over the year, nonfarm
employment increased in 49 states and the District of Columbia and decreased in
Alaska (-1.0 percent). The largest over-the-year percentage increase occurred in
North Dakota (+4.0 percent), followed by Florida and Texas (+2.5 percent each) and
Georgia and Idaho (+2.3 percent each).
Regional Unemployment (Seasonally Adjusted)
In November, the West continued to have the highest regional unemployment rate, 7.6
percent, while the South had the lowest rate, 6.7 percent. Over the month, all four
regions had statistically significant unemployment rate declines: the Northeast
(-0.3 percentage point) and Midwest, South, and West (-0.2 point each). Significant
over-the-year rate changes occurred in three regions: the West (-1.1 percentage points),
the Northeast (-0.8 point), and the South (-0.6 point). ()
Among the nine geographic divisions, the Pacific had the highest jobless rate, 8.0
percent in November. The West North Central again had the lowest rate, 4.9 percent.
Seven divisions had statistically significant over-the-month unemployment rate
changes, all of which were declines. The largest of these declines occurred in the
Middle Atlantic (-0.4 percentage point). Five divisions had significant rate changes
from a year earlier: the Pacific (-1.3 percentage points), South Atlantic (-1.2 points),
Middle Atlantic (-1.1 points), Mountain (-0.7 point), and West North Central (-0.5 point).
State Unemployment (Seasonally Adjusted)
Nevada and Rhode Island had the highest unemployment rates among the states in November,
9.0 percent each. The next highest rates were in Michigan, 8.8 percent, and Illinois,
8.7 percent. North Dakota continued to have the lowest jobless rate, 2.6 percent. In
total, 18 states had jobless rates significantly lower than the U.S. figure of 7.0
percent, 8 states and the District of Columbia had measurably higher rates, and 24 states
had rates that were not appreciably different from that of the nation. (See tables A and 3.)
Twenty-five states and the District of Columbia had statistically significant over-the-
month unemployment rate decreases in November, the largest of which occurred in Idaho,
New Jersey, and North Carolina (-0.6 percentage point each). The remaining 25 states had
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.
(See table B.)
Seventeen states had statistically significant unemployment rate changes from November
2012, all of which were declines. The largest of these occurred in North Carolina (-2.0
percentage points), followed by New Jersey (-1.8 points) and Florida (-1.6 points).
(
