2001 Regional and State Unemployment — 2002-02-22

Annual average unemployment rates rose in more than half the states in 2001 for the first time since 1992, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The four census regions and nine geographic divisions all recorded rate increases. Employment-population ratios declined in 38 states and the District of Columbia. At the national level, the annual average jobless rate rose from 4.0 percent in 2000 to 4.8 percent in 2001, and the employment-population ratio decreased by 0.7 percentage point to 63.8 percent. As the nation moved into a recession, most states experienced rising unemployment rates. Compared with 2000, jobless rates in 2001 were higher in 42 states and the District of Columbia, lower in 7 states, and unchanged in 1 state. Eighteen states reported rate increases of 1.0 percentage point or more.