Regional and State Employment and Unemployment (Monthly) News Release — 2016-03-14

Regional and state unemployment rates were little changed in January. Twenty-eight states and the District of Columbia had unemployment rate decreases from December, 8 states had increases, and 14 states had no change, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia had unemployment rate decreases from a year earlier, nine states had increases, and four states had no change. The national jobless rate, 4.9 percent, was little changed from December and was 0.8 percentage point lower than in January 2015. In January 2016, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 30 states and the District of Columbia and decreased in 20 states. The largest over-the-month increases in employment occurred in Florida (+32,200), Texas (+31,400), and North Carolina (+23,200). The largest over-the-month decrease in employment occurred in Pennsylvania (-16,100), followed by New Jersey (-14,100) and South Carolina (-10,100).