2022 Regional and State Unemployment — 2023-03-01

In 2022, annual average unemployment rates decreased in 49 states and the District of Columbia, while the rate was little changed in 1 state, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment-population ratios increased in 36 states and the District and were little changed in 14 states. The U.S. jobless rate declined by 1.7 percentage points from the prior year to 3.6 percent, while the national employment- population ratio rose by 1.6 points to 60.0 percent. Unemployment rates decreased from 2021 in all four regions: the Northeast (-2.3 percentage points), the West (-2.2 points), the South (-1.4 points), and the Midwest (-1.2 points). The South, 3.4 percent, registered a jobless rate lower than the U.S. rate in 2022, while the Northeast and West, 4.0 percent each, had rates higher than the national figure. The unemployment rates in the Midwest (3.5 percent) and South (3.4 percent) were the lowest in their annual average series.