2014 Regional and State Unemployment — 2015-03-04

In 2014, annual average unemployment rates declined in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment-population ratios increased in 35 states and the District of Columbia, decreased in 12 states, and were unchanged in 3 states. The U.S. jobless rate decreased by 1.2 percentage points to 6.2 percent in 2014, while the national employment-population ratio increased by 0.4 point to 59.0 percent. All four regions had annual average unemployment rate declines from 2013, with the Midwest and Northeast having the largest decreases (-1.4 percentage points each). The Midwest, at 5.8 percent, had the lowest regional unemployment rate in 2014, while the West, at 6.8 percent, had the highest rate. (See table 1.) Among the nine geographic divisions, the West North Central had the lowest annual average unemployment rate, 4.6 percent in 2014. The Pacific had the highest jobless rate, 7.2 percent.