The State and Regional Employment report for February, released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, shows a continued trend of job gains across the country, with only four states experiencing job losses. Unemployment rates remain a more volatile measure, falling in less than half of the states.
“A tight labor market is important for all workers, but especially for historically disadvantaged groups,” said EPI analyst Janelle Jones. “As economic growth continues at the state level, policy makers should implement policies that help a wide group of working people experience positive economic outcomes.”
From November to February, 46 states and the District of Columbia added jobs, with Hawaii (1.3 percent), Nevada (1.3 percent), Wyoming (1.2 percent), Oregon (0.9 percent), and Utah (0.9 percent) making the largest percentage gains. Over that same period, employment fell in four states: North Dakota (-0.4 percent), Arkansas (-0.2 percent), Vermont (-0.2 percent), and Delaware (-0.1 percent).
From November to February, unemployment rates fell in 22 states and the District of Columbia. Kentucky (-0.4 percentage points), Ohio (-0.4 percentage points), Mississippi (-0.3 percentage points), and Wisconsin (-0.3 percentage points) saw the largest declines in unemployment rates. Over the same months, the unemployment rate increased in 10 states, up from 6 states in last month’s report. The following states saw increases in their unemployment rates: Arizona (0.2 percentage points), South Carolina (0.2 percentage points), Alaska (0.1 percentage points), Arkansas (0.1 percentage points), Connecticut (0.1 percentage points), Maryland (0.1 percentage points), Michigan (0.1 percentage points), Missouri (0.1 percentage points), Tennessee (0.1 percentage points), and Texas (0.1 percentage points). In 18 states, there was no change in the unemployment rate.
Current state unemployment rate and percent change in total number of jobs over last 12 months
| State | Current unemployment rate | Change in unemployment rate in last 3 months | Change in unemployment rate in last 12 months | Change in unemployment rate since February 2020 | State unemployment rate raking from lowest to highest | Percent change in number of jobs in last 12 months | Change in number of jobs in last 12 months | Percent change in numbers of jobs in last 3 months | Change in number of jobs in last 3 months | Percent change in number of jobs since February 2020 | Change in number of jobs since February 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 2.1% | -0.1% | -0.5% | -1.3% | 7 | 2.0% | 42500 | 0.7% | 14300 | 3.5% | 72800 |
| Alaska | 3.8% | 0.1% | 0.0% | -1.4% | 43 | 1.6% | 5200 | -0.1% | -400 | -1.5% | -4800 |
| Arizona | 3.6% | 0.2% | -0.3% | -1.4% | 41 | 1.8% | 56600 | 0.1% | 3700 | 5.4% | 162300 |
| Arkansas | 2.6% | -0.2% | -0.7% | -1.0% | 14 | 1.8% | 24300 | 0.6% | 8200 | 5.3% | 68800 |
| California | 4.6% | 0.1% | 0.8% | 0.5% | 49 | 2.0% | 363600 | 0.4% | 76000 | 2.4% | 424200 |
| Colorado | 2.9% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.1% | 23 | 1.4% | 38800 | 0.4% | 11200 | 3.1% | 88200 |
| Connecticut | 3.6% | -0.2% | -0.4% | 0.2% | 40 | 1.3% | 21400 | 0.3% | 5700 | -0.4% | -6800 |
| Delaware | 4.1% | -0.2% | -0.3% | 0.4% | 48 | 2.4% | 11200 | -0.1% | -400 | 3.0% | 14200 |
| Washington D.C. | 5.0% | 0.0% | 0.9% | -0.4% | 50 | 0.9% | 6600 | 0.3% | 2200 | -3.8% | -30400 |
| Florida | 2.7% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 19 | 3.2% | 300600 | 0.6% | 63000 | 7.7% | 696100 |
| Georgia | 3.2% | 0.1% | 0.2% | -0.4% | 29 | 1.8% | 88300 | 0.3% | 14400 | 5.2% | 241900 |
| Hawaii | 2.8% | -0.5% | -0.7% | 0.6% | 22 | 2.0% | 12700 | 0.8% | 4900 | -4.1% | -27500 |
| Idaho | 2.8% | 0.2% | 0.1% | -0.2% | 21 | 2.8% | 23600 | 0.8% | 6800 | 10.2% | 78800 |
| Illinois | 4.0% | -0.2% | -0.4% | 0.2% | 46 | 1.5% | 89700 | 0.4% | 26300 | 0.1% | 8900 |
| Indiana | 3.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | -0.1% | 32 | 1.8% | 57500 | 0.3% | 10500 | 3.1% | 98900 |
| Iowa | 2.7% | 0.0% | -0.1% | 0.1% | 18 | 0.9% | 14400 | -0.7% | -11200 | -0.3% | -5100 |
| Kansas | 2.7% | -0.2% | 0.0% | -0.4% | 17 | 1.6% | 23100 | 0.2% | 2600 | 1.1% | 16200 |
| Kentucky | 3.8% | 0.1% | -0.1% | -0.3% | 42 | 2.6% | 50200 | 0.5% | 10400 | 2.8% | 54100 |
| Louisiana | 3.4% | -0.2% | -0.1% | -1.8% | 35 | 1.6% | 30200 | -0.1% | -1400 | -1.8% | -36400 |
| Maine | 2.4% | 0.0% | -0.3% | -0.4% | 9 | 0.5% | 3200 | -0.4% | -2500 | 0.5% | 3100 |
| Maryland | 1.8% | -0.7% | -1.4% | -2.4% | 3 | 0.8% | 21100 | 0.2% | 5800 | -1.4% | -39500 |
| Massachusetts | 2.5% | -0.6% | -1.2% | -0.4% | 12 | 2.4% | 90300 | 0.6% | 21200 | 1.1% | 41100 |
| Michigan | 3.6% | -0.2% | -0.5% | -0.2% | 39 | 1.4% | 63100 | 0.3% | 13600 | -0.3% | -13500 |
| Minnesota | 3.0% | 0.2% | 0.4% | -0.9% | 26 | 1.4% | 41200 | 0.1% | 3600 | -0.4% | -12900 |
| Mississippi | 3.0% | -0.4% | -0.8% | -2.7% | 25 | 0.3% | 3200 | -0.4% | -5000 | 0.9% | 11000 |
| Missouri | 2.7% | 0.2% | 0.5% | -0.6% | 16 | 2.0% | 58900 | 0.9% | 27200 | 2.6% | 75800 |
| Montana | 2.5% | 0.2% | -0.2% | -1.2% | 11 | 0.5% | 2700 | -0.4% | -2300 | 5.2% | 25400 |
| Nebraska | 2.0% | 0.0% | -0.4% | -1.0% | 6 | 2.0% | 20100 | 0.3% | 3600 | 1.3% | 13800 |
| Nevada | 5.3% | -0.1% | 0.0% | 1.3% | 51 | 3.8% | 56500 | 0.7% | 10600 | 6.9% | 100400 |
| New Hampshire | 1.7% | -0.4% | -0.8% | -1.0% | 1 | 1.5% | 10400 | -0.2% | -1300 | 1.2% | 8600 |
| New Jersey | 3.9% | 0.4% | 0.7% | 0.4% | 45 | 1.7% | 73300 | 0.2% | 9100 | 2.5% | 106700 |
| New Mexico | 3.6% | 0.1% | 0.0% | -1.8% | 38 | 2.6% | 21700 | 0.6% | 5100 | 1.0% | 8900 |
| New York | 3.9% | -0.1% | -0.1% | 0.0% | 44 | 1.3% | 124900 | 0.4% | 35600 | -1.4% | -142100 |
| North Carolina | 3.3% | -0.1% | -0.4% | -0.4% | 31 | 2.2% | 108000 | 0.7% | 33300 | 6.7% | 308000 |
| North Dakota | 2.0% | -0.1% | 0.0% | -0.2% | 5 | 2.0% | 8800 | 1.0% | 4500 | -0.5% | -2300 |
| Ohio | 3.3% | -0.4% | -0.7% | -1.3% | 30 | 1.6% | 89200 | 0.6% | 31200 | 0.5% | 25400 |
| Oklahoma | 2.7% | -0.2% | -0.4% | -0.5% | 15 | 1.7% | 28400 | 0.4% | 6700 | 1.7% | 29800 |
| Oregon | 3.4% | -0.6% | -0.7% | 0.0% | 34 | 2.6% | 49900 | 0.8% | 16700 | 1.7% | 33300 |
| Pennsylvania | 3.5% | -0.6% | -0.8% | -1.5% | 36 | 2.4% | 143100 | 0.6% | 34400 | 0.9% | 53300 |
| Rhode Island | 2.8% | -0.2% | -0.4% | -0.9% | 20 | -1.1% | -5600 | -0.4% | -1900 | -2.8% | -14200 |
| South Carolina | 3.1% | 0.0% | -0.1% | 0.2% | 28 | 2.3% | 52900 | 0.6% | 14300 | 4.9% | 108500 |
| South Dakota | 1.9% | 0.0% | -0.2% | -0.7% | 4 | 1.6% | 7400 | -0.1% | -300 | 4.0% | 17600 |
| Tennessee | 3.1% | -0.2% | -0.2% | -0.5% | 27 | 2.2% | 72400 | 0.6% | 19600 | 5.6% | 175200 |
| Texas | 4.1% | 0.1% | 0.3% | 0.6% | 47 | 3.3% | 441700 | 0.7% | 101400 | 7.7% | 1002900 |
| Utah | 2.4% | 0.1% | 0.1% | -0.2% | 8 | 2.4% | 40700 | 0.3% | 4900 | 9.6% | 151000 |
| Vermont | 1.8% | -0.6% | -0.7% | -0.8% | 2 | 0.7% | 2100 | -0.4% | -1300 | -2.4% | -7500 |
| Virginia | 2.5% | -0.6% | -0.1% | -0.2% | 10 | 1.6% | 64400 | 0.2% | 7100 | 1.3% | 54400 |
| Washington | 3.6% | -0.7% | -0.5% | -0.3% | 37 | 2.6% | 92500 | 0.3% | 11400 | 3.3% | 117800 |
| West Virginia | 3.4% | 0.1% | -0.6% | -1.7% | 33 | 1.0% | 6800 | 0.3% | 2100 | -2.8% | -20200 |
| Wisconsin | 2.6% | 0.2% | -0.4% | -0.4% | 13 | 1.3% | 39500 | 0.2% | 5300 | 0.4% | 11300 |
| Wyoming | 3.0% | -0.5% | -0.5% | -1.9% | 24 | 2.2% | 6200 | 0.8% | 2200 | 0.5% | 1400 |
Jobs refers to the total number of jobs, part-time or full-time, in nonfarm establishments.
Source: EPI analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics' Local Area Unemployment Statistics data.