March 2002 — 2002-04-19

Regional and state unemployment rates were generally stable in March, but were higher than a year earlier. All four regions reported little or no change from February, and 43 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 little changed at 5.7 percent. Nonfarm employment decreased in 25 states and the District of Columbia. The West region continued to register the highest unemployment rate, 6.3 percent, in March. The Midwest and Northeast posted the lowest rates, 5.3 percent each. All four regions had rate increases over the year, ranging from 1.0 percentage point in the Midwest to 1.6 points in the West. (See table 1.) Among the nine geographic divisions, the Pacific continued to record the highest unemployment rate in March, 6.5 percent. New England had the lowest rate, 4.1 percent, followed by the West North Central division with a rate of 4.3 percent.