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6 states had historically low unemployment rates in September 2018

October 24, 2018

Unemployment rates were significantly lower in September 2018 than a year earlier in 16 states, while 34 states and the District of Columbia had little or no change. Hawaii had the lowest unemployment rate in September, at 2.2 percent.

Unemployment rate, 12-month change in the unemployment rate, and number of unemployed in September 2018, by state, seasonally adjusted
State Unemployment rate 12-month change Number of unemployed

Alabama

4.1% 0.2 percentage point 90,830

Alaska

6.5 -0.7 23,339

Arizona

4.7 0.0 157,377

Arkansas

3.5 -0.2 47,244

California

4.1 -0.4 802,959

Colorado

3.1 0.1 94,532

Connecticut

4.2 -0.3 80,072

Delaware

4.0 -0.5 19,263

District of Columbia

5.7 -0.3 23,029

Florida

3.5 -0.4 358,052

Georgia

3.7 -0.8 188,560

Hawaii

2.2 0.0 15,032

Idaho

2.7 -0.3 23,283

Illinois

4.1 -0.9 266,833

Indiana

3.5 0.0 117,422

Iowa

2.5 -0.5 41,766

Kansas

3.3 -0.3 48,462

Kentucky

4.5 -0.2 92,558

Louisiana

5.0 0.2 106,473

Maine

3.3 0.0 23,188

Maryland

4.2 0.2 134,261

Massachusetts

3.6 0.0 135,797

Michigan

4.0 -0.7 193,399

Minnesota

2.8 -0.5 87,117

Mississippi

4.8 -0.1 61,629

Missouri

3.2 -0.4 96,885

Montana

3.6 -0.5 19,090

Nebraska

2.8 -0.1 28,587

Nevada

4.5 -0.4 67,429

New Hampshire

2.7 0.1 20,242

New Jersey

4.2 -0.5 187,088

New Mexico

4.6 -1.4 43,006

New York

4.1 -0.6 397,818

North Carolina

3.8 -0.6 187,386

North Dakota

2.7 0.1 10,947

Ohio

4.6 -0.4 265,728

Oklahoma

3.5 -0.6 65,300

Oregon

3.8 -0.4 79,525

Pennsylvania

4.1 -0.7 261,922

Rhode Island

3.9 -0.6 22,060

South Carolina

3.3 -0.9 76,772

South Dakota

3.0 -0.4 13,677

Tennessee

3.6 0.3 117,359

Texas

3.8 -0.2 525,469

Utah

3.2 0.0 50,357

Vermont

2.9 0.0 9,900

Virginia

2.9 -0.7 126,589

Washington

4.4 -0.3 165,162

West Virginia

5.2 -0.1 40,707

Wisconsin

3.0 -0.3 95,075

Wyoming

4.1 0.0 11,593

The rates in Arkansas (3.5 percent), California (4.1 percent), Idaho (2.7 percent), South Carolina (3.3 percent), Texas (3.8 percent), and Washington (4.4 percent) set new series lows. (All state series begin in 1976.) Alaska had the highest jobless rate, 6.5 percent. In total, 13 states had unemployment rates lower than the U.S. figure of 3.7 percent, 12 states and the District of Columbia had higher rates, and 25 states had rates that were not appreciably different from that of the nation.

The state unemployment data are from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics program and are seasonally adjusted. Data for the most recent month are preliminary. See "State Employment and Unemployment — September 2018" to learn more. Also see the Charts related to the latest "State Employment and Unemployment" news release.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, 6 states had historically low unemployment rates in September 2018 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2018/6-states-had-historically-low-unemployment-rates-in-september-2018.htm (visited March 28, 2024).

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