October 1997 — 1997-12-03

State unemployment rates showed little movement in October, as 44 states recorded shifts of 0.3 percentage point or less from September, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The national jobless rate declined from 4.9 to 4.7 percent over the month. Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 40 states over the month. North Dakota reported the lowest unemployment rate (1.9 percent) in the nation followed by Nebraska (2.3 percent), Iowa and South Dakota (both 2.6 percent), and New Hampshire (2.8 percent). Sixteen other states had rates below 4.0 percent. The District of Columbia, at 8.5 percent, and Alaska, at 7.4 percent, recorded the highest jobless rates. No other state had a rate above 6.5 percent. Overall, 29 states reported rates below the U.S. average, while 19 states and the District of Columbia had higher rates.