Key Points:
- Unemployment rates rose in 13 states, fell in one, and remained stable in 36 states and the District of Columbia in July.
- The U.S. unemployment rate rose 0.2% to 4.3% in July and is 0.8% higher than last year.
- In total, 28 states had unemployment rates lower than the U.S. figure of 4.3%, 4 states and the District had higher rates, and 18 states had rates that were not appreciably different from that of the nation.
- Twenty-eight states and the District had jobless rate increases from a year earlier, 2 states had decreases, and 20 states had little change.
- South Dakota had the lowest jobless rate in June, 2.0%, closely followed by Vermont at 2.1% and North Dakota at 2.2%.
- The rate in Mississippi, 2.7%, set a new series low.
- The District of Columbia had the highest unemployment rate, 5.5%, followed by Nevada at 5.4% and California at 5.2%.
- In July, 13 states had unemployment rate increases, the largest of which were in Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, and South Carolina (+0.3% each).
- Connecticut had the only rate decrease (-0.3%).