December 1995 — 1996-02-08

Unemployment rates were lower in December 1995 than a month earlier in 23 states and the District of Columbia, higher in 18 states, and unchanged in 9 states, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The national unemployment rate was unchanged at 5.6 percent in December. Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 42 states over the month. California had the largest unemployment rate decrease from November to December (1.1 percentage points), reversing the previous month's jump. Washington State's rate fell 0.8 percentage point to 5.8 percent. West Virginia and Ohio recorded the next largest declines (both 0.7 percentage point). New Jersey had the largest increase over the month (1.2 percentage points), followed by North Carolina (0.9 percentage point), as both states registered their highest rates in nearly 2 years. Jobless rates in Illinois and Alaska rose 0.7 and 0.6 percentage points, respectively. No other state had an over-the-month change of more than one-half percentage point in either direction.