Regional and State Employment and Unemployment (Monthly) News Release — 2010-04-16

Regional and state unemployment rates were little changed in March. Twenty-four states recorded over-the-month unemployment rate increases, 17 states and the District of Columbia registered rate decreases, and 9 states had no rate change, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Forty-four states and the District of Columbia recorded jobless rate increases from a year earlier, 5 states had decreases, and 1 state had no change. For the third consecutive month, the national unemploy- ment rate was 9.7 percent, up from 8.6 percent in March 2009. In March, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 33 states and the Dis- trict of Columbia and decreased in 17 states. The largest over-the-month increase in employment occurred in Maryland (+35,800), followed by Vir- ginia (+24,500), Pennsylvania (+22,600), Indiana (+16,600), and New York (+11,700).