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Unemployment rate lowest in Vermont, highest in Alaska, July 2019

August 22, 2019

In July 2019, unemployment rates in 14 states were significantly lower than the 3.7-percent rate for the United States as a whole, significantly higher in 8 states and the District of Columbia, and were not appreciably different from the national rate in 28 states.

States with unemployment rates significantly different from the U.S. rate, July 2019, seasonally adjusted

State

Significantly different from U.S. rate

Unemployment rate, July 2019

Vermont

Significantly lower than U.S. rate 2.1%

North Dakota

Significantly lower than U.S. rate 2.4

Iowa

Significantly lower than U.S. rate 2.5

New Hampshire

Significantly lower than U.S. rate 2.5

Hawaii

Significantly lower than U.S. rate 2.8

Utah

Significantly lower than U.S. rate 2.8

Colorado

Significantly lower than U.S. rate 2.9

Idaho

Significantly lower than U.S. rate 2.9

Massachusetts

Significantly lower than U.S. rate 2.9

South Dakota

Significantly lower than U.S. rate 2.9

Virginia

Significantly lower than U.S. rate 2.9

Maine

Significantly lower than U.S. rate 3.0

Wisconsin

Significantly lower than U.S. rate 3.0

Nebraska

Significantly lower than U.S. rate 3.1

Oklahoma

Not significantly different 3.2

Alabama

Not significantly different 3.3

Delaware

Not significantly different 3.3

Florida

Not significantly different 3.3

Kansas

Not significantly different 3.3

Missouri

Not significantly different 3.3

New Jersey

Not significantly different 3.3

Arkansas

Not significantly different 3.4

Indiana

Not significantly different 3.4

Minnesota

Not significantly different 3.4

Montana

Not significantly different 3.4

South Carolina

Not significantly different 3.4

Texas

Not significantly different 3.4

Rhode Island

Not significantly different 3.5

Tennessee

Not significantly different 3.5

Connecticut

Not significantly different 3.6

Georgia

Not significantly different 3.6

Wyoming

Not significantly different 3.6

Maryland

Not significantly different 3.8

Pennsylvania

Not significantly different 3.9

New York

Not significantly different 4.0

Ohio

Not significantly different 4.0

Oregon

Not significantly different 4.0

California

Significantly higher than U.S. rate 4.1

Nevada

Not significantly different 4.1

Illinois

Not significantly different 4.2

North Carolina

Not significantly different 4.2

Kentucky

Not significantly different 4.3

Louisiana

Significantly higher than U.S. rate 4.3

Michigan

Not significantly different 4.3

Washington

Significantly higher than U.S. rate 4.6

West Virginia

Significantly higher than U.S. rate 4.7

Arizona

Significantly higher than U.S. rate 4.9

New Mexico

Significantly higher than U.S. rate 4.9

Mississippi

Significantly higher than U.S. rate 5.1

District of Columbia

Significantly higher than U.S. rate 5.6

Alaska

Significantly higher than U.S. rate 6.3

Note: Data for July 2019 are preliminary.

Vermont had the lowest unemployment rate, 2.1 percent. North Dakota, Iowa, and New Hampshire also had unemployment rates of 2.5 percent or lower in July 2019.

The July 2019 rates in Alabama (3.3 percent), Arkansas (3.4 percent), Maine (3.0 percent), and New Jersey (3.3 percent) were all record lows. (All state unemployment data begin in 1976.)

Alaska had the highest jobless rate, 6.3 percent. Mississippi and the District of Columbia also had unemployment rates above 5.0 percent in July 2019.

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 "State Employment and Unemployment — July 2019." Also see more charts and maps on state employment and unemployment.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Unemployment rate lowest in Vermont, highest in Alaska, July 2019 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2019/unemployment-rate-lowest-in-vermont-highest-in-alaska-july-2019.htm (visited March 28, 2024).

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