September 1998 — 1998-10-20

Regional and state unemployment rates remained relatively stable in September. The three regions for which data are available reported little change from August, and 39 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. (Data for North Carolina and the region and division in which it is located were not available at the time of release.) The national jobless rate was virtually unchanged at 4.6 percent. Nonfarm payroll employment rose in 34 states and the District of Columbia. The Midwest's unemployment rate, 3.6 percent in September, remained the lowest among the regions, while the West again recorded the highest rate, 5.4 percent. Compared with last September, rates were lower by 0.7 percentage point in the Northeast and 0.4 point in the Midwest; the West's rate was little changed over the year.