Regional and State Employment and Unemployment (Monthly) News Release — 2009-09-18

Regional and state unemployment rates were generally little changed in August. Twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia reported over- the-month unemployment rate increases, 16 states registered rate decreases, and 7 states had no rate change, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics re- ported today. Over the year, jobless rates increased in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The national unemployment rate rose to 9.7 per- cent in August, up 0.3 percentage point from July and 3.5 points from August 2008. In August, nonfarm payroll employment decreased in 42 states and the District of Columbia and increased in 8 states. The largest over-the- month decrease in the level of employment occurred in Texas (-62,200), followed by Michigan (-42,900), Georgia (-35,000), and Ohio (-30,100). Hawaii and Michigan experienced the largest over-the-month percentage decreases in employment (-1.1 percent each), followed by Georgia and Mississippi (-0.9 percent each), North Dakota (-0.8 percent), and Alabama (-0.7 percent).