February 2001 — 2001-03-27

Regional and state unemployment rates were very stable in February. All four regions reported the same rates that they had in January, and 44 states recorded changes 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, 4.2 percent, was unchanged from January. Nonfarm employment increased in 38 states in February. In February, the Northeast again recorded the lowest regional unemployment rate, 3.7 percent, while the West continued to report the highest rate, 4.4 percent. Both the Midwest and South registered rates of 3.9 percent. Over the year, jobless rates edged down by 0.3 percentage point in the Northeast and West and were little changed in the Midwest and South. (See table 1.) At 2.5 percent, New England continued to have the lowest unemployment rate among the nine geographic divisions. The West North Central had the next lowest rate, 3.3 percent.