Regional And State Employment And Unemployment: October 2004 — 2004-11-19

Regional and state unemployment rates were generally little changed in October. All four regions and 48 states recorded changes of 0.3 percentage point or less in their jobless rates from September, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Over the year, unemployment rates declined in all four regions and in 42 states. The national unemployment rate was about unchanged at 5.5 percent in October. Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 31 states and the District of Columbia over the month. In October, the South and Northeast reported the lowest unemployment rates among the four regions, 4.9 and 5.0 percent, respectively. The Midwest and West had the highest rates, 5.6 and 5.5 percent, respectively. The last time that the Midwest had registered the highest rate prior to October was May 1990.