April 1994 — 1994-06-01

Unemployment rates were lower in April than in the prior month in 27 states and the District of Columbia, higher in 20 states, and unchanged in 3 states, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The national unemployment rate was 6.4 percent in April, compared with 6.5 in both March and February. Employment on nonfarm payrolls was higher in April than in March in 41 states. The unemployment rates in the District of Columbia and four states-- North Dakota, Rhode Island, Texas, and West Virginia--had declines of 1 percentage point or more from March to April. In contrast, California, with a 1 percentage point increase, was the only state to have a sizable increase in its unemployment rate. (See table 1.) California and West Virginia had rates above 8.5 percent in April, while 15 states had rates of 4.9 percent or less.