1994 Regional and State Unemployment — 1995-03-21

Unemployment rates varied widely across the United States in 1994, according to annual averages released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. Among the states, Nebraska had the lowest unemployment rate, 2.9 percent, a full 6 percentage points lower than the highest rate--West Virginia's 8.9 percent. Among geographic regions, the lowest rate was in the Midwest (5.1 percent) and the highest was in the West (7.2 percent). The average for the nation was 6.1 percent. Relative standings among regions in 1994 continued recent patterns. For the fourth consecutive year, the Midwest had the lowest unemployment rate of the four regions, and the West had the highest for the third straight year. The unemployment rate in the South--the largest region with one-third of the nation's population--was about the same as the national average for the fifth consecutive year. The rate in the Northeast was above the national average for the fourth year in a row.