Key Points:
- Unemployment rates rose in 10 states, fell in two states, and remained stable in 38 states and the District of Columbia in August.
- The U.S. unemployment rate rose unexpectedly to 3.8% in August.
- Two states and the District of Columbia had unemployment rates above the U.S. average in August, 27 states were lower, and 21 states were not appreciably different from that of the nation.
- Twenty-five states had jobless rate decreases from a year earlier, nine states and the District had increases, and 16o states had little change.
- Maryland had the lowest jobless rate in August at 1.7%, followed by New Hampshire and Vermont at 1.8%.
- The rates in Louisiana (3.3%), Maryland (1.7%), and North Dakota (1.9%) set new series lows.
- Nevada has the highest unemployment rate again at 5.4%, followed by the District at 5.0%, and California at 4.6%.
- In August, 10 states had over-the-month unemployment rate increases, the largest of which were in New Jersey and Wisconsin (+0.3% each).