Regional and State Employment and Unemployment (Monthly) News Release — 2016-04-15

Regional and state unemployment rates were little changed in March. Twenty-one states had unemployment rate decreases from February, 15 states had increases, and 14 states and the District of Columbia had no change, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Thirty-six states and the District of Columbia had unemployment rate decreases from a year earlier, 12 states had increases, and 2 states had no change. The national jobless rate, 5.0 percent, was little changed from February and was 0.5 percentage point lower than in March 2015. In March 2016, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 37 states, decreased in 12 states and the District of Columbia, and was unchanged in South Dakota. The largest over-the-month increases in employment occurred in Maryland (+19,300), Ohio (+18,300), and New Jersey (+17,300). The largest over-the-month decrease in employment occurred in Texas (-12,000), followed by Indiana (-9,000) and Oklahoma (-5,800).