June 1998 — 1998-07-17

Regional and state unemployment rates remained relatively stable in June. Each of the four regions reported little or no change from May, and 42 states and the District of Columbia recorded shifts of 0.3 percentage point or less, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The national jobless rate edged up to 4.5 percent. Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 31 states. The Midwest's unemployment rate, 3.6 percent in June, remained the lowest of the four regions, while the West again recorded the highest rate, 5.2 percent. Over the year, rates declined by 0.9 percentage point in the Northeast, 0.7 point in the South, and 0.4 point in both the Midwest and West. (See table 1.) Of the nine geographic divisions, the West North Central reported the lowest June unemployment rate, 3.1 percent, while the Pacific division had the highest rate, 5.6 percent. The largest over-the-month change in any division was 0.3 percentage point.