October 1998 — 1998-11-24

Regional and state unemployment rates generally were stable in October. All four regions registered virtually no change over the month, and 45 states and the District of Columbia 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 remained at 4.6 percent. Nonfarm payroll employment rose in 37 states. The Midwest continued to record the lowest unemployment rate among the four regions, 3.6 percent in October, while the West once again had the highest rate, 5.3 percent. Over the year, rates declined in the Northeast (-0.6 percentage point), South (-0.4 point), and Midwest (-0.3 point), while the rate in the West was little changed. Jobless rates in each of the regions have been rather flat since January.