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9 states had significant over-the-year unemployment rate decreases in November 2016

December 28, 2016

Over the year ending November 2016, 9 states had statistically significant unemployment rate decreases. The largest of these was in Massachusetts, where the unemployment rate went from 4.9 percent in November 2015 to 2.9 percent in November 2016, a change of –2.0 percentage points.

Statistically significant 12-month changes in state unemployment rates, seasonally adjusted, November 2016
State 12-month change (in percentage points),
if statistically significant
Unemployment rate (percent of labor force)
Nov 2015 Nov 2016

Alabama

6.2 5.9

Alaska

6.6 6.8

Arizona

-0.9 5.9 5.0

Arkansas

-0.8 4.8 4.0

California

-0.6 5.9 5.3

Colorado

3.5 3.2

Connecticut

5.4 4.7

Delaware

4.9 4.3

District of Columbia

6.6 6.0

Florida

5.1 4.9

Georgia

5.5 5.3

Hawaii

3.3 3.0

Idaho

4.0 3.8

Illinois

6.0 5.6

Indiana

4.5 4.2

Iowa

3.5 3.8

Kansas

4.0 4.3

Kentucky

5.6 4.8

Louisiana

5.9 6.2

Maine

4.1 4.0

Maryland

-0.8 5.0 4.2

Massachusetts

-2.0 4.9 2.9

Michigan

5.1 4.9

Minnesota

3.7 3.8

Mississippi

-0.9 6.6 5.7

Missouri

4.4 4.7

Montana

4.1 4.0

Nebraska

3.0 3.4

Nevada

-1.2 6.4 5.2

New Hampshire

3.1 2.7

New Jersey

4.9 5.0

New Mexico

6.6 6.7

New York

4.9 5.1

North Carolina

5.6 5.0

North Dakota

2.7 2.9

Ohio

4.7 4.9

Oklahoma

1.0 4.1 5.1

Oregon

5.6 5.0

Pennsylvania

1.0 4.7 5.7

Rhode Island

5.5 5.3

South Carolina

-1.1 5.5 4.4

South Dakota

3.0 2.7

Tennessee

5.6 4.8

Texas

4.6 4.6

Utah

3.4 3.1

Vermont

-0.4 3.6 3.2

Virginia

4.2 4.2

Washington

5.7 5.3

West Virginia

6.3 6.0

Wisconsin

4.6 4.1

Wyoming

4.3 4.9

Note: Data for the most recent month are preliminary.

Nevada and South Carolina also had unemployment rate decreases of more than 1.0 percentage point. In Nevada, the unemployment rate declined over the year from 6.4 percent to 5.2 percent. In South Carolina, it went from 5.5 percent to 4.4 percent.

Only 2 states—Oklahoma and Pennsylvania—had statistically significantly increases for the year ending November 2016. In both states, the rate increased by a full percentage point. In Oklahoma, the jobless rate increased from 4.1 percent to 5.1 percent, and in Pennsylvania it went from 4.7 percent to 5.7 percent.

The remaining 39 states and the District of Columbia had no significant over-the-year change in their unemployment rates.

New Hampshire and South Dakota had the lowest unemployment rates in November 2016, both 2.7 percent. Alaska and New Mexico had the highest jobless rates, 6.8 percent and 6.7 percent, respectively. The national unemployment rate was 4.6 percent in November 2016.

These data are from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics program and are seasonally adjusted. Data for the most recent month are preliminary. To learn more, see "Regional and State Employment and Unemployment — November 2016" (HTML) (PDF).

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, 9 states had significant over-the-year unemployment rate decreases in November 2016 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2016/9-states-had-significant-over-the-year-unemployment-rate-decreases-in-november-2016.htm (visited March 29, 2024).

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