A little on unemployment

"Regional and state unemployment rates were slightly lower in May. Thirty-
seven states and the District of Columbia recorded unemployment rate
decreases over the month, 6 states had increases, and 7 states had no
change, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Thirty-one
states and the District of Columbia posted unemployment rate increases
from a year earlier, 17 states recorded decreases, and 2 states had no
change. The national jobless rate edged down by 0.2 percentage point to
9.7 percent, but was up from 9.4 percent in May 2009."


"In May, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 41 states and the District
of Columbia, decreased in 5 states, and was unchanged in 4 states. The
largest over-the-month increases in employment occurred in Texas (+43,600),
California (+28,300), New York (+21,000), and Florida and Virginia
(+20,300 each). Delaware recorded the largest over-the-month percentage
increase in employment (+0.9 percent), followed by Maine and Rhode Island
(+0.7 percent each) and Louisiana, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia,
and Wyoming (+0.6 percent each). The 5 states reporting over-the-month
employment decreases were New Mexico (1,700), South Dakota (-800), Idaho
(-200), and Montana and Nebraska (-100 each). The largest over-the-month
percentage decreases in employment occurred in New Mexico and South Dakota
(-0.2 percent each)."


"Nevada reported the highest unemployment rate among the states, 14.0 percent
in May. This is the first month in which Nevada recorded the highest rate among
the states and the first time since April of 2006 that a state other than
Michigan has posted the highest rate. The rate in Nevada also set a new series
high. (All region, division, and state series begin in 1976.) The states with
the next highest rates were Michigan, 13.6 percent; California, 12.4 percent;
and Rhode Island, 12.3 percent. North Dakota continued to register the lowest
jobless rate, 3.6 percent, followed by South Dakota and Nebraska, 4.6 and 4.9
percent, respectively. In total, 25 states posted jobless rates significantly
lower than the U.S. figure of 9.7 percent, 9 states had measurably higher rates,
and 16 states and the District of Columbia had rates that were not appreciably
different from that of the nation. (See tables A and 3.)"

Follow link to original at BLS.