April 1998 — 1998-05-22

Unemployment rates fell in April in all four regions of the U.S, with the most notable decreases occurring in the Midwest and Northeast. Declines were recorded in 35 states and the District of Columbia, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported. The national jobless rate dropped from 4.7 percent in March to 4.3 percent in April. Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 37 states. Among the regions, the Midwest reported the lowest unemployment rate in April, 3.4 percent, which also was the lowest rate in its series. The West again had the highest rate, 5.2 percent. Over the year, rates declined by 0.8 percentage point in the Northeast, by 0.7 point in both the Midwest and South, and by 0.5 point in the West. (See table 1.) Among the nine geographic divisions, the West North Central posted the lowest unemployment rate (3.1 percent in April), while the Pacific division reported the highest (5.6 percent).