Regional and State Employment and Unemployment (Monthly) News Release — 2009-01-27

Regional and state unemployment rates were universally higher in December. All 50 states and the District of Columbia recorded both over-the-month and over-the-year unemployment rate increases, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The national unemployment rate rose from 6.8 to 7.2 percent in December and was up by 2.3 percentage points from a year earlier. In December, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 1 state and the District of Columbia, decreased in 48 states, and was unchanged in 1 state (Oklahoma). The only over-the-month increases in the level of employment were recorded in Louisiana (+3,700 or +0.2 percent) and the District of Columbia (+100 or less than +0.1 percent). The largest over-the-month decrease in the level of employment was reported in California (-78,200), followed by Michigan (-59,000), New York (-54,000), Illinois (-36,000), Indiana (-35,300), and North Carolina (-34,900).