Key Points:
- Unemployment rates rose in 6 states and the District of Columbia, fell in one, and remained stable in 43 states in August.
- The U.S. unemployment rate changed little at 4.2% in August and is 0.4% higher than August 2023.
- In total, 27 states had unemployment rates lower than the U.S. figure of 4.2%, 4 states and the District had higher rates, and 19 states had rates that were not appreciably different from that of the nation.
- Twenty-five states and the District had jobless rate increases from a year earlier, four states had decreases, and twenty-one states had little change.
- South Dakota had the lowest jobless rate in August at 2.0%, closely followed by Vermont at 2.2% and North Dakota at 2.3%.
- The District of Columbia had the highest unemployment rate, 5.7%, followed by Nevada at 5.5%.
- In August, six states and the District of Columbia had unemployment rate increases, the largest of which was in South Carolina (+0.4%).
- Connecticut had the only rate decrease (-0.2%).