Regional and State Employment and Unemployment (Monthly) News Release — 2015-09-18

Regional and state unemployment rates were little changed in August. Twenty-nine states had unemployment rate decreases from July, 10 states had increases, and 11 states and the District of Columbia had no change, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Forty-one states and the District of Columbia had unemployment rate decreases from a year earlier, seven states had increases, and two states had no change. The national jobless rate edged down from July to 5.1 percent and was 1.0 percentage point lower than in August 2014. In August 2015, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 32 states and decreased in 18 states and the District of Columbia. The largest over-the-month increases in employment occurred in California (+36,200), Florida (+19,600), and Ohio (+14,600). The largest over-the-month decreases in employment occurred in New York and Texas (-13,700 each), followed by New Hampshire (-3,900).