April 1995 — 1995-05-31

Unemployment rates were higher in April 1995 than a month earlier in 33 states and the District of Columbia, lower in 10 states, and unchanged in 7 states, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The national unemployment rate was 5.8 percent in April, an increase of 0.3 percentage point from March. Nonfarm payroll employment rose in 39 states over the month. Illinois and Massachusetts had the largest unemployment rate increases from March to April, 1.3 percentage points each, followed by Florida with an increase of 1.2 points. In all three cases, these increases more than offset the prior month's declines and returned the jobless rates to about January's levels. North Carolina, Ohio, and Delaware experienced over-the- month increases of 0.7 or 0.8 percentage point. No other state had a rate increase over one-half percentage point. Alaska, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island had the largest unemployment rate declines--0.5 percentage point each.