Regional And State Employment And Unemployment: September 2004 — 2004-10-22

Regional and state unemployment rates were little changed in September. All four regions and 42 states recorded shifts of 0.3 percentage point or less in their jobless rates from August, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Over the year, unemployment rates declined in all four regions and in 46 states. The national unemploy- ment rate, 5.4 percent in September, was unchanged from August. Nonfarm payroll employment rose in 33 states over the month. Among the four regions, the South again registered the lowest unemployment rate, 4.9 percent in September. The West posted the highest rate, 5.6 percent, followed closely by the Midwest, 5.5 percent. All regions experienced over- the-year jobless rate declines: -0.9 percentage point each in the South and West, -0.7 point in the Northeast, and -0.5 point in the Midwest.