Regional and State Employment and Unemployment (Monthly) News Release — 2015-05-27

Regional and state unemployment rates were little changed in April. Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia had unemployment rate decreases from March, 11 states had increases, and 16 states had no change, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Forty-five states and the District of Columbia had unemployment rate decreases from a year earlier and five states had increases. The national jobless rate was essentially unchanged from March at 5.4 percent and was 0.8 percentage point lower than in April 2014. In April 2015, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 40 states and the District of Columbia, decreased in 9 states, and was unchanged in Hawaii. The largest over- the-month increases in employment occurred in California (+29,500), Pennsylvania (+27,000), and Florida (+24,500). The largest over-the-month decrease in employment occurred in New York (-14,700), followed by Missouri (-5,700) and Arizona (-3,600).