July 1999 — 1999-08-20

Regional and state unemployment rates were relatively stable in July. All four regions reported little or no change from June, as 38 states 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 was unchanged at 4.3 percent. Nonfarm employment rose in 39 states. At the regional level, the Midwest continued to record the lowest unemployment rate, 3.6 percent in July, while the West once again had the highest rate, 4.9 percent. Over the year, rates declined in all regions, with the South and West experiencing the largest decreases, -0.5 percentage point each. (See table 1.) Among the nine geographic divisions, the West North Central once again registered the lowest rate, 3.0 percent in July, and the Pacific division continued to report the highest rate, 5.2 percent. Unemployment rates in all divisions showed little or no change over the month.