August 1997 — 1997-09-30

Most state unemployment rates showed little change in August, as 43 states recorded shifts of 0.3 percentage point or less from July, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The national jobless rate, 4.9 percent, was little changed over the month. Nonfarm payroll employment rose in 28 states in August. North Dakota reported the lowest unemployment rate in the nation, 2.4 percent, followed by Nebraska (2.5 percent) and Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Dakota (all 2.7 percent). Eleven additional states had rates below 4.0 percent. The District of Columbia, at 7.9 percent, recorded the highest jobless rate, followed by Alaska, at 7.6 percent. No other state had a rate of 7.0 percent or greater. Overall, 31 states had unemployment rates below the U.S. average, while 18 states and the District of Columbia had higher rates.