Unemployment rates were higher in September in 16 states and stable in 34 states and the District of Columbia, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Twenty-four states had jobless rate decreases from a year earlier, 10 states and the District had increased, and 16 states had little change. The national unemployment rate, 3.8 percent, was unchanged over the month but was 0.3 percentage points higher than in September 2022.
Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 6 states and was essentially unchanged in 44 states and the District of Columbia in September 2023. Over the year, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 36 states and was essentially unchanged in 14 states and the District.
This news release presents statistics from two monthly programs. The civilian labor force and unemployment data are modeled based largely on a survey of households. These data pertain to individuals by where they reside. The employment data are from an establishment survey that measures nonfarm employment, hours, and earnings by industry. These data pertain to jobs on payrolls defined by where the establishments are located. For more information about the concepts and statistical methodologies used by these two programs, see the Technical Note.
Unemployment
Maryland had the lowest jobless rate in September, 1.6 percent. The next lowest rates were in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Vermont, 1.9 percent each. The rates in Maryland (1.6 percent), Pennsylvania (3.4 percent), and Rhode Island (2.6 percent) set new series lows.
(All state series begin in 1976.) Nevada had the highest unemployment rate, 5.4 percent. In total, 25 states had unemployment rates lower than the U.S. figure of 3.8 percent, 2 states and the District of Columbia had higher rates, and 23 states had rates that were not appreciably different from that of the nation. (See tables A and 1.)
In September, 16 states had over-the-month unemployment rate increases, the largest of which was in Illinois (+0.3 percentage point). Thirty-four states and the District of Columbia had jobless rates that were not notably different from those of a month earlier, though some had changes that were at least as large numerically as the significant changes. (See table B.)
Twenty-four states had over-the-year unemployment rate decreases, the largest of which was in Maryland (-1.6 percentage points). Ten states and the District of Columbia had rate increases from September 2022, the largest of which was in New Jersey (+1.2 percentage points). Sixteen states had jobless rates that were not notably different from those of a year earlier, though some had changes that were at least as large numerically as the significant changes. (See table C.)
Nonfarm Payroll Employment
Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 6 states and was essentially unchanged in 44 states and the District of Columbia in September 2023. The largest job gains occurred in Texas (+61,400), Georgia (+17,100), and Oregon (+8,100). The largest percentage increases occurred in South Dakota (+0.9 percent), Delaware (+0.7 percent), and Mississippi (+0.5 percent).
(See tables D and 3.)
Over the year, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 36 states and was essentially unchanged in 14 states and the District of Columbia. The largest job gains occurred in Texas (+435,800), California (+302,800), and Florida (+241,200). The largest percentage increases occurred in Nevada (+3.4 percent), Texas (+3.2 percent), and Idaho (+3.0 percent). (See table E.)
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The Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment news release for September is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, November 1, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. (ET). The State Employment and Unemployment news release for October is scheduled to be released on Friday, November 17, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).
The August wildfires in Lahaina, Hawaii, reduced the total nonfarm employment estimates |
| for September 2023. However, it is not possible to precisely quantify the net impact |
| because the survey is not designed to isolate effects from catastrophic events on |
| Current Employment Statistics (CES) employment, hours, and earnings. |
| |
| CES will continue to closely monitor collection rates in the affected areas. For the |
| preliminary September 2023 estimates, collection rates were lower than normal for the |
| affected areas of the Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina metropolitan area. As such, CES modified |
| its estimation methodology, using imputed data to account for nonresponse. |
| |
| For the household survey, the statewide response rate for Hawaii was within its normal |
| range for September 2023. The Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program will |
| publish preliminary September estimates for substate areas on November 1, 2023. |
|_________________________________________________________________________________________|
Table A. States with unemployment rates significantly different
from that of the U.S., September 2023, seasonally adjusted
--------------------------------------------------------------
State | Rate(p)
--------------------------------------------------------------
United States (1) ...................| 3.8
|
Alabama .............................| 2.2
Arkansas ............................| 2.9
California ..........................| 4.7
District of Columbia ................| 5.0
Florida .............................| 2.8
Hawaii ..............................| 2.8
Idaho ...............................| 3.1
Iowa ................................| 3.0
Kansas ..............................| 2.8
Maine ...............................| 2.7
|
Maryland ............................| 1.6
Massachusetts .......................| 2.6
Minnesota ...........................| 3.1
Missouri ............................| 2.9
Montana .............................| 2.7
Nebraska ............................| 2.1
Nevada ..............................| 5.4
New Hampshire .......................| 2.0
North Dakota ........................| 1.9
Oklahoma ............................| 3.0
|
Rhode Island ........................| 2.6
South Carolina ......................| 2.9
South Dakota ........................| 1.9
Utah ................................| 2.6
Vermont .............................| 1.9
Virginia ............................| 2.5
Wisconsin ...........................| 3.1
Wyoming .............................| 2.9
--------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Data are not preliminary.
(p) = preliminary.
Table B. States with statistically significant unemployment rate changes
from August 2023 to September 2023, seasonally adjusted
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Rate |
|-----------|-----------| Over-the-month
State | August | September | change(p)
| 2023 | 2023(p) |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alaska .........................| 3.9 | 4.1 | 0.2
Arizona ........................| 3.8 | 4.0 | .2
Arkansas .......................| 2.7 | 2.9 | .2
California .....................| 4.6 | 4.7 | .1
Idaho ..........................| 3.0 | 3.1 | .1
Illinois .......................| 4.1 | 4.4 | .3
Iowa ...........................| 2.9 | 3.0 | .1
Maine ..........................| 2.5 | 2.7 | .2
Michigan .......................| 3.7 | 3.9 | .2
Montana ........................| 2.5 | 2.7 | .2
| | |
New Hampshire ..................| 1.8 | 2.0 | .2
New Jersey .....................| 4.2 | 4.4 | .2
Oklahoma .......................| 2.8 | 3.0 | .2
Utah ...........................| 2.5 | 2.6 | .1
West Virginia ..................| 3.6 | 3.8 | .2
Wisconsin ......................| 2.9 | 3.1 | .2
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
(p) = preliminary.
Table C. States with statistically significant unemployment rate changes
from September 2022 to September 2023, seasonally adjusted
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Rate |
|-----------|-----------| Over-the-year
State | September | September | change(p)
| 2022 | 2023(p) |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alabama ........................| 2.6 | 2.2 | -0.4
Alaska .........................| 3.7 | 4.1 | .4
Arkansas .......................| 3.5 | 2.9 | -.6
California .....................| 4.0 | 4.7 | .7
Colorado .......................| 2.8 | 3.2 | .4
Connecticut ....................| 4.0 | 3.5 | -.5
Delaware .......................| 4.6 | 4.1 | -.5
District of Columbia ...........| 4.1 | 5.0 | .9
Georgia ........................| 3.1 | 3.4 | .3
Hawaii .........................| 3.7 | 2.8 | -.9
| | |
Idaho ..........................| 2.8 | 3.1 | .3
Indiana ........................| 3.2 | 3.6 | .4
Louisiana ......................| 3.6 | 3.3 | -.3
Maryland .......................| 3.2 | 1.6 | -1.6
Massachusetts ..................| 3.7 | 2.6 | -1.1
Michigan .......................| 4.3 | 3.9 | -.4
Minnesota ......................| 2.9 | 3.1 | .2
Mississippi ....................| 4.0 | 3.2 | -.8
Missouri .......................| 2.6 | 2.9 | .3
Nebraska .......................| 2.6 | 2.1 | -.5
| | |
New Hampshire ..................| 2.8 | 2.0 | -.8
New Jersey .....................| 3.2 | 4.4 | 1.2
North Carolina .................| 3.9 | 3.4 | -.5
North Dakota ...................| 2.1 | 1.9 | -.2
Ohio ...........................| 4.1 | 3.4 | -.7
Oregon .........................| 4.6 | 3.5 | -1.1
Pennsylvania ...................| 4.3 | 3.4 | -.9
Rhode Island ...................| 3.4 | 2.6 | -.8
South Carolina .................| 3.3 | 2.9 | -.4
South Dakota ...................| 2.2 | 1.9 | -.3
| | |
Texas ..........................| 3.8 | 4.1 | .3
Vermont ........................| 3.0 | 1.9 | -1.1
Virginia .......................| 3.0 | 2.5 | -.5
Washington .....................| 4.4 | 3.6 | -.8
Wyoming ........................| 3.8 | 2.9 | -.9
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
(p) = preliminary.
Table D. States with statistically significant employment changes from
August 2023 to September 2023, seasonally adjusted
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| | | Over-the-month change(p)
State | August | September |---------------------------
| 2023 | 2023(p) | Level | Percent
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Delaware .....................| 483,600 | 486,800 | 3,200 | 0.7
Georgia ......................| 4,925,600 | 4,942,700 | 17,100 | .3
Mississippi ..................| 1,168,100 | 1,174,400 | 6,300 | .5
Oregon .......................| 2,001,400 | 2,009,500 | 8,100 | .4
South Dakota .................| 463,300 | 467,300 | 4,000 | .9
Texas ........................| 13,988,000 | 14,049,400 | 61,400 | .4
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(p) = preliminary.
Table E. States with statistically significant employment changes from
September 2022 to September 2023, seasonally adjusted
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| | | Over-the-year change(p)
State | September | September |---------------------------
| 2022 | 2023(p) | Level | Percent
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alabama ......................| 2,126,500 | 2,158,000 | 31,500 | 1.5
Arizona ......................| 3,113,000 | 3,172,400 | 59,400 | 1.9
California ...................| 17,806,200 | 18,109,000 | 302,800 | 1.7
Colorado .....................| 2,877,800 | 2,917,800 | 40,000 | 1.4
Delaware .....................| 474,900 | 486,800 | 11,900 | 2.5
Florida ......................| 9,555,200 | 9,796,400 | 241,200 | 2.5
Georgia ......................| 4,846,600 | 4,942,700 | 96,100 | 2.0
Idaho ........................| 835,800 | 860,700 | 24,900 | 3.0
Illinois .....................| 6,079,600 | 6,159,000 | 79,400 | 1.3
Indiana ......................| 3,219,700 | 3,273,100 | 53,400 | 1.7
| | | |
Kansas .......................| 1,426,900 | 1,449,100 | 22,200 | 1.6
Kentucky .....................| 1,981,300 | 2,030,500 | 49,200 | 2.5
Louisiana ....................| 1,932,900 | 1,978,900 | 46,000 | 2.4
Maryland .....................| 2,725,600 | 2,764,500 | 38,900 | 1.4
Massachusetts ................| 3,691,400 | 3,783,300 | 91,900 | 2.5
Michigan .....................| 4,381,400 | 4,432,800 | 51,400 | 1.2
Minnesota ....................| 2,951,500 | 2,994,800 | 43,300 | 1.5
Missouri .....................| 2,945,000 | 2,988,700 | 43,700 | 1.5
Nebraska .....................| 1,030,700 | 1,046,500 | 15,800 | 1.5
Nevada .......................| 1,512,900 | 1,563,700 | 50,800 | 3.4
| | | |
New Jersey ...................| 4,282,400 | 4,347,400 | 65,000 | 1.5
New Mexico ...................| 853,400 | 871,100 | 17,700 | 2.1
New York .....................| 9,585,900 | 9,739,100 | 153,200 | 1.6
North Carolina ...............| 4,843,400 | 4,948,400 | 105,000 | 2.2
Ohio .........................| 5,555,600 | 5,648,100 | 92,500 | 1.7
Oregon .......................| 1,966,000 | 2,009,500 | 43,500 | 2.2
Pennsylvania .................| 6,022,900 | 6,171,600 | 148,700 | 2.5
South Carolina ...............| 2,268,800 | 2,308,300 | 39,500 | 1.7
South Dakota .................| 455,200 | 467,300 | 12,100 | 2.7
Tennessee ....................| 3,275,200 | 3,329,200 | 54,000 | 1.6
| | | |
Texas ........................| 13,613,600 | 14,049,400 | 435,800 | 3.2
Utah .........................| 1,694,800 | 1,726,000 | 31,200 | 1.8
Virginia .....................| 4,106,700 | 4,157,700 | 51,000 | 1.2
Washington ...................| 3,556,500 | 3,645,500 | 89,000 | 2.5
West Virginia ................| 694,800 | 706,700 | 11,900 | 1.7
Wyoming ......................| 285,200 | 293,000 | 7,800 | 2.7
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(p) = preliminary.
