Regional and State Employment and Unemployment (Monthly) News Release — 2011-03-10

Regional and state unemployment rates were generally unchanged in January. Twenty- four states recorded unemployment rate decreases, 10 states registered rate increases, and 16 states and the District of Columbia had no change, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Thirty-nine states and the District of Columbia posted unemployment rate decreases from a year earlier, 9 states reported increases, and 2 states had no change. The national jobless rate fell by 0.4 percentage point between December 2010 and January 2011 to 9.0 percent, 0.7 point lower than in January 2010. In January nonfarm payroll employment increased in 35 states and the District of Columbia, and decreased in 15 states. The largest over-the-month increase in employment occurred in Texas (+44,100), followed by Michigan (+39,700), Ohio (+31,900), Illinois (+24,500), and California (+22,600).