Arizona’s Unemployment Rate Remains Among Highest

Unemployment rates were lower in April in 4 states and stable in 46 states and the District of Columbia, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday.  Arizona’s unemployment rate (4.9) is a full percentage point higher than the composite rate for the United States (3.9).

Twelve states had jobless rate decreases from a year earlier and 38 states and the District had little or no change. The national unemployment rate edged down from March to 3.9 percent and was 0.5 percentage point lower than in April 2017.

Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 3 states in April 2018 and was essentially unchanged in 47 states and the District of Columbia. Over the year, 28 states added nonfarm payroll jobs, 1 state lost jobs, and 21 states and the District were essentially unchanged.

Unemployment

Hawaii had the lowest unemployment rate in April, 2.0 percent. The rates in California (4.2 percent), Hawaii (2.0 percent), and Wisconsin (2.8 percent) set new series lows. (All state series begin in 1976.)

Alaska had the highest jobless rate, 7.3 percent. In total, 16 states had unemployment rates lower than the U.S. figure of 3.9 percent, 10 states and the District of Columbia had higher rates, and 24 states had rates that were not appreciably different from that of the nation.

In April, four states had unemployment rate decreases: Illinois, New Mexico, and South Carolina (-0.2 percentage point each) and Delaware (-0.1 point). The remaining 46 states and the District of Columbia had jobless rates that were not notably different from those of a month earlier, though some had changes that were at least as large numerically as the significant changes.

Twelve states had unemployment rate changes from April 2017, all of which were decreases. The largest decline occurred in Kentucky (-1.2 percentage points), followed by Alabama (-1.0 point).

Nonfarm Payroll Employment

Three states had over-the-month increases in nonfarm payroll employment in April 2018: Texas (+39,600, or +0.3 percent), California (+39,300, or +0.2 percent), and Louisiana (+9,200, or +0.5 percent).

Twenty-eight states had over-the-year increases in nonfarm payroll employment in April. The largest job gains occurred in California (+356,800), Texas (+332,300), and Florida (+178,400). The largest percentage gain occurred in Nevada (+3.4 percent), followed by Idaho and Utah (+3.3 percent each). North Dakota lost jobs over the year (-7,900, or -1.8 percent).

States with  seasonally adjusted unemployment rates significantly different from that of the U.S., April 2018.
               State Rate
Alaska . 7.3
District of Columbia 5.6
New Mexico 5.4
West Virginia 5.4
Arizona 4.9
Nevada 4.9
Washington 4.8
Pennsylvania 4.7
Michigan 4.7
New York 4.6
New Jersey 4.5
United States 3.9
Kansas 3.4
South Dakota 3.4
Virginia . 3.3
Indiana 3.2
Minnesota 3.2
Utah 3.1
Colorado 2.9
Idaho . 2.9
Iowa 2.8
Nebraska 2.8
Vermont 2.8
Wisconsin 2.8
Maine . 2.7
New Hampshire 2.6
North Dakota 2.6
Hawaii 2