February 1999 — 1999-03-19

Regional and state unemployment rates remained relatively stable in February. All four regions reported little or no change in their jobless rates from January, and 42 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 essentially unchanged at 4.4 percent. Nonfarm payroll employment rose in 38 states. The Midwest's unemployment rate, 3.5 percent in February, remained the lowest among the four regions, while the West still reported the highest rate, 5.0 percent. The South and West, where rates inched downward, had new record low rates for their series. Compared with a year earlier, rates were lower by 0.6 percentage point in the Northeast, 0.4 point each in the South and West, and 0.3 point in the Midwest.