Press Release - REGIONAL AND STATE UNEMPLOYMENT — 2016 ANNUAL AVERAGES
Annual average unemployment rates decreased in 38 states and the District of Columbia, increased in 9 states, and were unchanged in 3 states in 2016, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment-population ratios increased in 36 states and the District, decreased in 12 states, and were unchanged in 2 states. The U.S. jobless rate declined by 0.4 percentage point from the prior year to 4.9 percent, and the national employment-population ratio rose by 0.4 point to 59.7 percent.
Regional Unemployment
All four regions had statistically significant unemployment rate decreases from 2015: the West (-0.6 percentage point), Northeast (-0.5 point), South (-0.4 point), and Midwest (-0.1 point). The Midwest, at 4.7 percent, had the only jobless rate significantly lower than that of the U.S. in 2016, while the West, at 5.1 percent, had the only rate significantly above the national figure. (See table 1.)
Six of the 9 geographic divisions had statistically significant over-the-year unemployment rate changes in 2016, all of which were declines. The largest of these occurred in New England (-0.8 percentage point) and the Pacific and South Atlantic (-0.7 point each). The West North Central had the lowest jobless rate among the divisions, 3.9 percent. New England, at 4.1 percent, and the Mountain division, at 4.6 percent, also had rates significantly below the U.S. average. The East South Central and Pacific, at 5.3 percent each, had unemployment rates that were measurably higher than that of the U.S.
State Unemployment
Twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia had statistically significant unemployment rate decreases in 2016. The largest declines occurred in Massachusetts and South Carolina (-1.2 percentage points each), closely followed by Arkansas and Nevada (-1.1 points each). Three states had significant over-the-year rate increases: Wyoming (+1.1 percentage points), Oklahoma (+0.5 point), and North Dakota (+0.4 point). The remaining 20 states had annual average jobless rates in 2016 that were not appreciably different from those of the previous year, though some had changes that were at least as large numerically as the significant changes. (See table A and map 1.)
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