May 2001 — 2001-06-19

Regional and state unemployment rates were generally stable in May. All four regions reported little or no change from April, and 44 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. The national jobless rate was little changed at 4.4 percent. Nonfarm employment increased in 27 states and the District of Columbia. In May, the Midwest and Northeast had the lowest regional unemployment rates, 4.1 percent each, while the South followed closely with a rate of 4.2 percent. The West continued to have the highest rate, 4.7 percent. Over the year, the Midwest's jobless rate rose by 0.4 percentage point, while rates in the other three regions had little or no change. (See table 1.) Among the nine geographic divisions, New England continued to report the lowest unemployment rate, 3.2 percent in May, followed by the West North Central division, 3.5 percent.