September 1996 — 1996-10-30

Unemployment rates for most states showed little movement in September, as 44 states 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 essentially unchanged at 5.2 percent. Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 32 states over the month. Nebraska's unemployment rate, 2.4 percent in September, was the lowest in the nation for the second consecutive month. North and South Dakota followed at 2.8 and 2.9 percent, respectively. Rates in five other states also were below 4.0 percent in September. The District of Columbia continued to report the highest unemployment rate, 8.6 percent. The next highest rates were in Alaska and West Virginia (both 7.3 percent), New Mexico (7.1 percent), and California (7.0 percent). Louisiana, New Jersey, and Washington were the only other states with rates of 6.0 percent or more. A total of 32 states had jobless rates below the U.S.