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Unemployment Rose in February in Just 3 States, Was Stable in 44 States and D.C.

Unemployment rates were higher in February in 3 states, lower in 3 states and stable in 44 states and the District of Columbia, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. The national unemployment rate increased by 0.2% to 3.9% and was 0.3% higher than in February 2023.

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March 22, 2023

State Employment and Unemployment

February 2024

Unemployment rates were higher in February in 3 states, lower in 3 states, and stable in 44 states and the District of Columbia, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Twenty-eight states had jobless rate increases from a year earlier, 3 states had decreases, and 19 states and the District had little change. The national unemployment rate increased by 0.2 percentage point to 3.9 percent and was 0.3 point higher than in February 2023.

Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 4 states and was essentially unchanged in 46 states and the District of Columbia in February 2024. Over the year, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 25 states and was essentially unchanged in 25 states and the District.

Construction Employment Gain

Construction employment, seasonally adjusted, totaled 8,162,000 in February, a gain of 23,000 from January and 215,000 (2.7%) year-over-year, according to Associated General Contractors’s analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data. The year-over-year growth rate outpaced the 1.8% increase in total nonfarm payroll employment.

  • Residential construction employment (at residential building and specialty contractors) dipped by 1,200 in February but rose by 56,800 (1.7%) year-over-year
  • Nonresidential construction employment (at building, specialty trade, and heavy and civil engineering construction firms) increased by 24,200 for the month and 158,500 (3.4%) year-over-year

 

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BLS presents statistics from two monthly programs. The civilian labor force and unemployment data are modeled based largely on a survey of households. These data pertain to individuals by where they reside. The employment data are from an establishment survey that measures nonfarm employment, hours, and earnings by industry. These data pertain to jobs on payrolls defined by where the establishments are located. For more information about the concepts and statistical methodologies used by these two programs, see the Technical Note.

Unemployment

North Dakota had the lowest jobless rate in February, 2.0 percent. The next lowest rate was in South Dakota, 2.1 percent. California had the highest unemployment rate, 5.3 percent, closely followed by Nevada, 5.2 percent. In total, 22 states had unemployment rates lower than the U.S. figure of 3.9 percent, 6 states and the District of Columbia had higher rates, and 22 states had rates that were not appreciably different from that of the nation. (See tables A and 1.)

In February, three states had over-the-month unemployment rate increases: Rhode Island (+0.3 percentage point) and Connecticut and Washington (+0.1 point each). Three states had rate decreases: Tennessee and Wisconsin (-0.2 percentage point each) and Massachusetts (-0.1 point). Forty-four 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. (See table B.)

Twenty-eight states had unemployment rate increases from February 2023, the largest of which was in Rhode Island (+1.1 percentage points). Three states had over-the-year rate decreases, the largest of which was in Massachusetts (-0.7 percentage point). Nineteen states and the District of Columbia had jobless rates that were not notably different from those of a year earlier, though some had changes that were at least as large numerically as the significant changes. (See table C.)

Nonfarm Payroll Employment

Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 4 states and was essentially unchanged in 46 states and the District of Columbia in February 2024. Job gains occurred in Texas (+49,800, or +0.4 percent), Illinois (+23,100, or +0.4 percent), Michigan (+15,200, or +0.3 percent), and Iowa (+11,000, or +0.7 percent). (See tables D and 3.)

Over the year, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 25 states and was essentially unchanged in 25 states and the District of Columbia. The largest job gains occurred in Texas (+291,400), Florida (+226,200), and California (+179,700). The largest percentage increases occurred in Nevada (+3.4 percent), Alaska (+3.1 percent), and South Carolina (+3.0 percent). (See table E.)

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Table A. States with unemployment rates significantly different
from that of the U.S., February 2024, seasonally adjusted
--------------------------------------------------------------
                State                |          Rate(p)
--------------------------------------------------------------
United States (1) ...................|           3.9
                                     |
Alabama .............................|           3.0
California ..........................|           5.3
District of Columbia ................|           5.1
Florida .............................|           3.1
Georgia .............................|           3.1
Hawaii ..............................|           3.1
Idaho ...............................|           3.3
Illinois ............................|           4.8
Iowa ................................|           2.9
Kansas ..............................|           2.7
                                     |
Maryland ............................|           2.4
Massachusetts .......................|           2.9
Minnesota ...........................|           2.7
Mississippi .........................|           3.1
Nebraska ............................|           2.5
Nevada ..............................|           5.2
New Hampshire .......................|           2.6
New Jersey ..........................|           4.8
New York ............................|           4.4
North Dakota ........................|           2.0
                                     |
Pennsylvania ........................|           3.4
South Carolina ......................|           3.1
South Dakota ........................|           2.1
Utah ................................|           2.8
Vermont .............................|           2.3
Virginia ............................|           3.0
Washington ..........................|           4.7
Wisconsin ...........................|           3.0
Wyoming .............................|           2.8
--------------------------------------------------------------
   (1) Data are not preliminary.
   (p) = preliminary.


Table B. States with statistically significant unemployment rate changes
from January 2024 to February 2024, seasonally adjusted
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                |          Rate         |
                                |-----------|-----------| Over-the-month
             State              |  January  | February  |    change(p)
                                |   2024    |  2024(p)  |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Connecticut ....................|     4.4   |     4.5   |       0.1
Massachusetts ..................|     3.0   |     2.9   |       -.1
Rhode Island ...................|     3.6   |     3.9   |        .3
Tennessee ......................|     3.5   |     3.3   |       -.2
Washington .....................|     4.6   |     4.7   |        .1
Wisconsin ......................|     3.2   |     3.0   |       -.2
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
   (p) = preliminary.


Table C. States with statistically significant unemployment rate changes
from February 2023 to February 2024, seasonally adjusted
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                |          Rate         |
                                |-----------|-----------|  Over-the-year
             State              | February  | February  |    change(p)
                                |   2023    |  2024(p)  |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alabama ........................|     2.3   |     3.0   |       0.7
Alaska .........................|     3.9   |     4.7   |        .8
Arizona ........................|     3.7   |     4.1   |        .4
Arkansas .......................|     2.9   |     3.6   |        .7
California .....................|     4.5   |     5.3   |        .8
Colorado .......................|     3.0   |     3.5   |        .5
Connecticut ....................|     3.5   |     4.5   |       1.0
Florida ........................|     2.8   |     3.1   |        .3
Idaho ..........................|     2.9   |     3.3   |        .4
Illinois .......................|     4.3   |     4.8   |        .5
                                |           |           |
Indiana ........................|     3.2   |     3.5   |        .3
Louisiana ......................|     3.6   |     4.2   |        .6
Maine ..........................|     2.4   |     3.4   |       1.0
Massachusetts ..................|     3.6   |     2.9   |       -.7
Missouri .......................|     2.8   |     3.3   |        .5
Montana ........................|     2.5   |     3.4   |        .9
Nebraska .......................|     2.1   |     2.5   |        .4
New Hampshire ..................|     1.9   |     2.6   |        .7
New Jersey .....................|     4.0   |     4.8   |        .8
New Mexico .....................|     3.6   |     3.9   |        .3
                                |           |           |
New York .......................|     4.0   |     4.4   |        .4
Oklahoma .......................|     3.0   |     3.6   |        .6
Oregon .........................|     3.6   |     4.2   |        .6
Pennsylvania ...................|     3.7   |     3.4   |       -.3
Rhode Island ...................|     2.8   |     3.9   |       1.1
Utah ...........................|     2.5   |     2.8   |        .3
Vermont ........................|     1.9   |     2.3   |        .4
Washington .....................|     4.0   |     4.7   |        .7
West Virginia ..................|     3.5   |     4.3   |        .8
Wisconsin ......................|     2.6   |     3.0   |        .4
Wyoming ........................|     3.1   |     2.8   |       -.3
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
   (p) = preliminary.


Table D. States with statistically significant employment changes from
January 2024 to February 2024, seasonally adjusted
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              |             |             | Over-the-month change(p)
            State             |   January   |   February  |---------------------------
                              |     2024    |    2024(p)  |    Level    |   Percent
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Illinois .....................|   6,099,700 |   6,122,800 |      23,100 |      0.4
Iowa .........................|   1,596,200 |   1,607,200 |      11,000 |       .7
Michigan .....................|   4,457,100 |   4,472,300 |      15,200 |       .3
Texas ........................|  14,053,900 |  14,103,700 |      49,800 |       .4
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   (p) = preliminary.


Table E. States with statistically significant employment changes from
February 2023 to February 2024, seasonally adjusted
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              |             |             |  Over-the-year change(p)
            State             |   February  |   February  |---------------------------
                              |     2023    |    2024(p)  |    Level    |   Percent
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alabama ......................|   2,151,800 |   2,187,900 |      36,100 |      1.7
Alaska .......................|     324,900 |     334,900 |      10,000 |      3.1
Arizona ......................|   3,172,000 |   3,238,100 |      66,100 |      2.1
California ...................|  17,791,400 |  17,971,100 |     179,700 |      1.0
Colorado .....................|   2,915,500 |   2,975,800 |      60,300 |      2.1
Florida ......................|   9,661,400 |   9,887,600 |     226,200 |      2.3
Georgia ......................|   4,889,300 |   4,938,200 |      48,900 |      1.0
Idaho ........................|     839,000 |     862,100 |      23,100 |      2.8
Indiana ......................|   3,230,300 |   3,272,400 |      42,100 |      1.3
Minnesota ....................|   2,970,500 |   3,008,200 |      37,700 |      1.3
                              |             |             |             |       
Missouri .....................|   2,965,400 |   3,011,400 |      46,000 |      1.6
Nebraska .....................|   1,042,200 |   1,060,400 |      18,200 |      1.7
Nevada .......................|   1,523,000 |   1,574,200 |      51,200 |      3.4
New Jersey ...................|   4,297,700 |   4,370,700 |      73,000 |      1.7
New York .....................|   9,669,600 |   9,802,600 |     133,000 |      1.4
North Carolina ...............|   4,909,900 |   4,981,500 |      71,600 |      1.5
Oklahoma .....................|   1,748,200 |   1,774,800 |      26,600 |      1.5
Pennsylvania .................|   6,060,700 |   6,131,700 |      71,000 |      1.2
South Carolina ...............|   2,283,700 |   2,351,300 |      67,600 |      3.0
South Dakota .................|     458,400 |     468,300 |       9,900 |      2.2
                              |             |             |             |       
Texas ........................|  13,812,300 |  14,103,700 |     291,400 |      2.1
Utah .........................|   1,708,100 |   1,743,900 |      35,800 |      2.1
Virginia .....................|   4,151,600 |   4,209,900 |      58,300 |      1.4
Washington ...................|   3,583,900 |   3,630,800 |      46,900 |      1.3
West Virginia ................|     708,200 |     721,900 |      13,700 |      1.9
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   (p) = preliminary.

 

About Bureau of Labor Statistics

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is an agency of the United States Department of Labor. It is the principal fact-finding agency in the broad field of labor economics and statistics and serves as part of the U.S. Federal Statistical System. BLS collects, calculates, analyzes, and publishes data essential to the public, employers, researchers, and government organizations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics measures labor market activity, working conditions, price changes, and productivity in the U.S. economy to support public and private decision making. 

To learn more, visit bls.gov.

 

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