2008 Regional and State Unemployment — 2009-02-27

Annual average unemployment rates rose in 2008 in all 4 regions and in 46 states and the District of Columbia, declined in 1 state, and were unchanged in 3 states, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Employment-population ratios decreased in all 4 regions and in 45 states and the District of Columbia, increased in 3 states, and were unchanged in 2 states. The U.S. jobless rate climbed by 1.2 percentage points over the year to 5.8 percent, while the national employment-population ratio fell by 0.8 point to 62.2 percent. Most of the deterioration in the labor market occurred late in the year. All four regions posted statistically significant unemployment rate increases from 2007: the West (+1.5 percentage points), South (+1.2 points), and Midwest and Northeast (+1.0 point each). In 2008, the West and Midwest registered jobless rates, 6.2 and 6.1 percent, respectively, that were significantly higher than the U.S.