March 1997 — 1997-04-30

Most state unemployment rates showed little change in March, as 45 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 about unchanged at 5.2 percent. Nonfarm employment rose in 44 states in March. New Hampshire reported the lowest unemployment rate in the nation, 2.1 percent, followed by Nebraska (2.4 percent) and North Dakota, South Dakota, and Utah (all 2.8 percent). Ten additional states had rates below 4.0 percent. Alaska and the District of Columbia, both at 7.8 percent, reported the highest jobless rates; West Virginia had the next highest rate, 7.0 percent. Overall, 35 states had unemployment rates below the U.S. average, while 15 states and the District of Columbia had higher rates.