Regional And State Employment And Unemployment: August 2007 — 2007-09-25

Regional and state unemployment rates were generally little changed in August. Overall, 21 states and the District of Columbia recorded over-the- month unemployment rate decreases, 18 states registered increases, and 11 states had no changes, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Over the year, jobless rates declined in 27 states and the District of Columbia, increased in 21 states, and were unchanged in 2 states. The national unemployment rate remained at 4.6 percent in August. In August, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 41 states and decreased in 9 states and the District of Columbia. The largest over-the-month increases in the levels of employment occurred in California (+21,000), Washington (+12,300), Tennessee (+11,700), Missouri (+11,000), and Texas (+10,400). Miss- issippi and South Carolina reported the largest over-the-month percentage increases in employment (+0.5 percent each), followed by Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Utah, and Washington (+0.4 percent each).