1998 Regional and State Unemployment — 1999-02-26

Unemployment rates decreased in 38 states from 1997 to 1998, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. All four of the nation's regions and eight of the nine geographic divisions experienced rate declines as well. The national jobless rate decreased from 4.9 percent to 4.5 percent over this period. The national unemployment rate reached its lowest point since 1969, and 13 states posted their lowest annual average rates since the beginning of their series (usually the mid-1970s)--Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, South Carolina, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Unemployment rates were lower in 1998 than in the prior year in 38 states, higher in 8 states and the District of Columbia, and unchanged in 4 states. Five states recorded drops of a full percentage point or more: Alaska (-2.1 percentage points), Connecticut (-1.7 points), Tennessee (-1.2 points), Virginia (-1.1 points), and Maine (-1.0 point).