September 1999 — 1999-10-22

Regional and state unemployment rates were relatively stable in September. All four regions reported little or no change from August, and 40 states recorded shifts of 0.3 percentage point or less, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The national jobless rate was unchanged at 4.2 percent. Nonfarm employment rose in 28 states and the District of Columbia. At the regional level, the Midwest continued to record the lowest unemployment rate, 3.5 percent in September. The West once again had the highest rate, 4.7 percent, even though this was the lowest rate in its series (dating back to 1980). Over the year, rates declined in all regions, with the West and South experiencing the largest decreases, -0.7 and -0.4 percentage point, respectively. (See table 1.) Among the nine geographic divisions, New England and the West North Central registered the lowest rates, both 2.9 percent.