Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D.C. 20212 

Technical information: (202) 691-6392 USDL 09-0186 

 http://www.bls.gov/lau/ 

 For release: 10:00 A.M. (EST) 

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Friday, February 27, 2009 

REGIONAL AND STATE UNEMPLOYMENT, 2008 ANNUAL AVERAGES 

Annual average unemployment rates rose in 2008 in all 4 regions and in 46 states and the District of 

Columbia, declined in 1 state, and were unchanged in 3 states, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. 

Department of Labor reported today. Employment-population ratios decreased in all 4 regions and in 45 

states and the District of Columbia, increased in 3 states, and were unchanged in 2 states. The U.S. jobless rate climbed by 1.2 percentage points over the year to 5.8 percent, while the national employmentpopulation ratio fell by 0.8 point to 62.2 percent. Most of the deterioration in the labor market occurred 

late in the year. 

Regional Unemployment

All four regions posted statistically significant unemployment rate increases from 2007: the West 

(+1.5 percentage points), South (+1.2 points), and Midwest and Northeast (+1.0 point each). In 2008, 

the West and Midwest registered jobless rates, 6.2 and 6.1 percent, respectively, that were significantly 

higher than the U.S. rate (5.8 percent), while the Northeast and South both had rates that were significantly below it, 5.4 and 5.5 percent, respectively. (See table 1.) 

All nine geographic divisions reported statistically significant over-the-year unemployment rate 

increases in 2008: the Pacific (+1.6 percentage points), South Atlantic (+1.5 points), Mountain (+1.3 

points), East South Central (+1.2 points), East North Central (+1.1 points), Middle Atlantic (+1.0 point), 

New England (+0.9 point), West North Central (+0.6 point), and West South Central (+0.5 point). The 

Pacific registered the highest unemployment rate in 2008, 6.8 percent, followed by the East North 

Central at 6.6 percent. The divisions with the lowest jobless rates in 2008 were the West South Central 

at 4.8 percent, and West North Central at 4.9 percent. Five divisions reported jobless rates that were 

significantly below the national rate of 5.8 percent in 2008: the Middle Atlantic, Mountain, New 

England, West North Central, and West South Central. Two divisions—the East North Central and 

Pacific—recorded rates that were significantly higher than the U.S. rate. 

State Unemployment

In 2008, 39 states and the District of Columbia posted statistically significant unemployment rate 

increases, while the remaining 11 states recorded unemployment rates that were not appreciably different from the previous year, even though some had changes that were at least as large numerically as the 

significant changes. Rhode Island had the largest jump in its jobless rate (+2.6 percentage points). 

Florida and Nevada reported the next largest rate increases (+2.1 and +2.0 percentage points, respecttively). Twenty-one additional states and the District of Columbia recorded increases in their unemNews United States 

Department 

of Labor 
2

ployment rates of at least 1.0 percentage point. The remaining 15 states with significant rate changes 

experienced increases ranging from +0.4 to +0.9 percentage point. (See table A and chart 1.) 

Michigan reported the highest unemployment rate, 8.4 percent in 2008, followed by Rhode Island 

and California, 7.8 and 7.2 percent, respectively. The District of Columbia recorded an unemployment 

rate of 7.0 percent in 2008. South Dakota posted the lowest jobless rate among the states, 3.0 percent, 

followed closely by Wyoming at 3.1 percent, and North Dakota at 3.2 percent. Twenty-six states had 

unemployment rates that were significantly lower than the U.S. rate of 5.8 percent, and 14 states and the 

District of Columbia recorded rates significantly above it. (See table B and chart 2.) 

Regional Employment-Population Ratios

In 2008, all four regions registered statistically significant declines in their employment-population 

ratios—the proportion of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years and over with a job. The 

Midwest experienced the largest over-the-year decrease in its employment-population ratio (-1.1 percentage points), followed by the South (-0.9 point), West (-0.8 point), and Northeast (-0.4 point). 

Despite the large decline in its employment-population ratio, the Midwest continued to report the highest proportion of employed persons, 63.8 percent, while the South, at 61.1 percent, and Northeast, at 

61.8 percent, recorded the lowest proportions in 2008. The West posted an employment-population 

ratio of 62.6 percent. The Midwest and West both had ratios that were significantly higher than the 

national figure of 62.2 percent, and the South had an appreciably lower ratio. (See table 2.) 

Seven of the 9 divisions registered statistically significant decreases in their employment-population ratios in 2008. The East North Central and East South Central reported the greatest declines 

(-1.2 percentage points each), followed closely by the South Atlantic (-1.1 points). Significant over-theyear decreases in employment-population ratios also occurred in the Mountain and Pacific (-0.8 percentage point each) and New England and West North Central (-0.7 point each). In 2008, the East South 

Central again recorded the lowest proportion of employed persons (57.8 percent), with the Middle 

Atlantic (61.0 percent), West South Central (61.7 percent), and Pacific and South Atlantic (61.8 percent 

each) posting the next lowest ratios. The West North Central again registered the highest employmentpopulation ratio (67.1 percent), followed by the Mountain (64.6 percent), New England (64.1 percent), 

and East North Central (62.4 percent). Five of the 9 divisions reported statistically significant differences in their ratios from that of the U.S.—the Mountain, New England, and West North Central divisions recorded employment-population ratios that were measurably higher, and the East South Central 

and Middle Atlantic divisions had ratios that were significantly lower. 

State Employment-Population Ratios

In 2008, 28 states registered statistically significant decreases in the proportion of employed persons, while the remaining 22 states and the District of Columbia did not have significant changes. 

Rhode Island experienced the largest over-the-year decline (-2.2 percentage points), followed by Idaho 

(-2.0 points). Fifteen other states reported significant decreases in their employment-population ratios 

from -1.0 to -1.9 percentage points, and the remaining 11 states had significant declines from -0.4 to 

-0.9 point. 

West Virginia and Mississippi again reported the lowest ratios among the states (53.2 and 55.9 

percent, respectively). Nine other states had employment-population ratios in 2008 that were below 

60.0 percent. Three states in the West North Central division again recorded the highest ratios: North 

Dakota (71.8 percent), Nebraska (71.0 percent), and South Dakota (70.6 percent). Twenty states and the 
3

District of Columbia registered employment-population ratios that were significantly above the U.S. 

ratio of 62.2 percent, and 15 states had ratios that were appreciably below it. The remaining 15 states 

recorded ratios that were not measurably different from that of the nation. (See tables C and D and 

chart 3.) 
4

Table A. States with statistically significant unemployment rate changes, 2007-08 

annual averages

Rate Over-the-year

2007 2008 rate change 

 Alabama ............................................ 3.5 5.0 1.5

 Arizona .............................................. 3.8 5.5 1.7

 California ........................................... 5.4 7.2 1.8

 Colorado ........................................... 3.9 4.9 1.0

 Connecticut ....................................... 4.6 5.7 1.1

 Delaware ........................................... 3.4 4.8 1.4

 District of Columbia ........................... 5.5 7.0 1.5

 Florida ............................................... 4.1 6.2 2.1

 Georgia ............................................. 4.6 6.2 1.6

 Hawaii ............................................... 2.6 3.9 1.3

 Idaho ................................................. 3.0 4.9 1.9

 Illinois ................................................ 5.1 6.5 1.4

 Indiana .............................................. 4.6 5.9 1.3

 Iowa .................................................. 3.7 4.1 .4

 Kentucky ........................................... 5.5 6.4 .9

 Louisiana .......................................... 3.8 4.6 .8

 Maine ................................................ 4.6 5.4 .8

 Maryland ........................................... 3.5 4.4 .9

 Massachusetts .................................. 4.5 5.3 .8

 Michigan ........................................... 7.1 8.4 1.3

 Minnesota ......................................... 4.6 5.4 .8

 Missouri ............................................ 5.1 6.1 1.0

 Montana ............................................ 3.4 4.5 1.1

 Nebraska .......................................... 2.9 3.3 .4

 Nevada ............................................. 4.7 6.7 2.0

 New Jersey ....................................... 4.3 5.5 1.2

 New Mexico ...................................... 3.5 4.2 .7

 New York .......................................... 4.5 5.4 .9

 North Carolina ................................... 4.7 6.3 1.6

 Ohio .................................................. 5.6 6.5 .9

 Oregon .............................................. 5.1 6.4 1.3

 Pennsylvania ..................................... 4.4 5.4 1.0

 Rhode Island ..................................... 5.2 7.8 2.6

 South Carolina .................................. 5.6 6.9 1.3

 Tennessee ........................................ 4.8 6.4 1.6

 Texas ................................................ 4.4 4.9 .5

 Utah .................................................. 2.7 3.4 .7

 Vermont ............................................ 4.0 4.8 .8

 Virginia .............................................. 3.0 4.0 1.0

 Washington ....................................... 4.5 5.3 .8

State
5

State Rate 

 United States .......................................................... 5.8

 Alaska ..................................................................... 6.7

 Arkansas ................................................................ 5.1

 California ................................................................ 7.2

 Colorado ................................................................. 4.9

 Delaware ................................................................ 4.8

 District of Columbia ................................................ 7.0

 Florida ..................................................................... 6.2

 Hawaii ..................................................................... 3.9

 Idaho ....................................................................... 4.9

 Illinois ...................................................................... 6.5

 Iowa ........................................................................ 4.1

 Kansas .................................................................... 4.4

 Kentucky ................................................................. 6.4

 Louisiana ................................................................ 4.6

 Maryland ................................................................. 4.4

 Massachusetts ....................................................... 5.3

 Michigan ................................................................. 8.4

 Mississippi .............................................................. 6.9

 Montana .................................................................. 4.5

 Nebraska ................................................................ 3.3

 Nevada ................................................................... 6.7

 New Hampshire ...................................................... 3.8

 New Mexico ............................................................ 4.2

 New York ................................................................ 5.4

 North Carolina ........................................................ 6.3

 North Dakota .......................................................... 3.2

 Ohio ........................................................................ 6.5

 Oklahoma ............................................................... 3.8

 Oregon .................................................................... 6.4

 Pennsylvania .......................................................... 5.4

 Rhode Island .......................................................... 7.8

 South Carolina ........................................................ 6.9

 South Dakota .......................................................... 3.0

 Tennessee .............................................................. 6.4

 Texas ...................................................................... 4.9

 Utah ........................................................................ 3.4

 Vermont .................................................................. 4.8

 Virginia .................................................................... 4.0

 West Virginia .......................................................... 4.3

 Wisconsin ............................................................... 4.7

 Wyoming ................................................................ 3.1

Table B. States with unemployment rates significantly different from that

of the U.S., 2008 annual averages
6

Table C. States with statistically significant employment-population ratio changes, 

2007-08 annual averages

Ratio Over-the-year

2007 2008 ratio change 

 Alabama ............................................ 59.0 57.2 -1.8

 California ........................................... 62.1 61.1 -1.0

 Colorado ........................................... 69.8 68.7 -1.1

 Delaware ........................................... 63.9 62.4 -1.5

 Florida ............................................... 60.9 59.9 -1.0

 Georgia ............................................. 64.7 63.1 -1.6

 Idaho ................................................. 65.5 63.5 -2.0

 Illinois ................................................ 64.7 63.4 -1.3

 Indiana .............................................. 63.6 62.4 -1.2

 Kentucky ........................................... 58.9 57.9 -1.0

 Maryland ........................................... 66.6 65.8 -.8

 Massachusetts .................................. 63.8 63.0 -.8

 Michigan ........................................... 59.9 58.1 -1.8

 Minnesota ......................................... 69.3 68.6 -.7

 Missouri ............................................ 63.6 62.2 -1.4

 Montana ............................................ 64.8 63.8 -1.0

 New Hampshire ................................ 68.6 68.0 -.6

 New Jersey ....................................... 63.6 62.9 -.7

 North Carolina ................................... 62.4 60.7 -1.7

 Ohio .................................................. 63.6 62.7 -.9

 Oregon .............................................. 62.3 61.5 -.8

 Rhode Island ..................................... 65.0 62.8 -2.2

 South Carolina .................................. 59.6 58.4 -1.2

 Tennessee ........................................ 60.4 59.2 -1.2

 Texas ................................................ 62.9 62.5 -.4

 Utah .................................................. 69.6 68.7 -.9

 Virginia .............................................. 67.3 66.8 -.5

 Wisconsin ......................................... 67.7 66.9 -.8

State
7

State Ratio 

 United States ............................................. ... 62.2

 Alabama ................................................................. 57.2

 Alaska ..................................................................... 66.5

 Arizona ................................................................... 60.7

 Arkansas ................................................................ 59.7

 California ................................................................ 61.1

 Colorado ................................................................. 68.7

 Connecticut ............................................................. 64.9

 District of Columbia ................................................ 64.2

 Florida ..................................................................... 59.9

 Illinois ...................................................................... 63.4

 Iowa ........................................................................ 69.1

 Kansas .................................................................... 67.6

 Kentucky ................................................................. 57.9

 Louisiana ................................................................ 59.4

 Maryland ................................................................. 65.8

 Michigan ................................................................. 58.1

 Minnesota ............................................................... 68.6

 Mississippi .............................................................. 55.9

 Montana .................................................................. 63.8

 Nebraska ................................................................ 71.0

 Nevada ................................................................... 65.0

 New Hampshire ...................................................... 68.0

 New Mexico ............................................................ 61.0

 New York ................................................................ 59.6

 North Carolina ........................................................ 60.7

 North Dakota .......................................................... 71.8

 South Carolina ........................................................ 58.4

 South Dakota .......................................................... 70.6

 Tennessee .............................................................. 59.2

 Utah ........................................................................ 68.7

 Vermont .................................................................. 67.2

 Virginia .................................................................... 66.8

 Washington ............................................................ 64.7

 West Virginia .......................................................... 53.2

 Wisconsin ............................................................... 66.9

 Wyoming ................................................................ 69.2

Table D. States with employment-population ratios significantly different 

from that of the U.S., 2008 annual averages
Technical Note 

This release presents labor force and unemployment 

data for census regions and divisions and states from the 

Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program. The 

LAUS program is a federal-state cooperative endeavor. 

Concepts 

Definitions. The labor force and unemployment data 

are based on the same concepts and definitions as those used 

for the official national estimates obtained from the Current 

Population Survey (CPS), a sample survey of households that 

is conducted for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) by the 

U.S. Census Bureau. The LAUS program measures 

employment and unemployment on a place-of-residence 

basis. The universe for each is the civilian noninstitutional 

population 16 years of age and over. Employed persons are 

those who did any work at all for pay or profit in the 

reference week (the week including the 12th of the month) or 

worked 15 hours or more without pay in a family business or 

farm, plus those not working who had a job from which they 

were temporarily absent, whether or not paid, for such 

reasons as labor-management dispute, illness, or vacation. 

Unemployed persons are those who were not employed 

during the reference week (based on the definition above), 

had actively looked for a job sometime in the 4-week period 

ending with the reference week, and were currently available 

for work; persons on layoff expecting recall need not be 

looking for work to be counted as unemployed. The labor 

force is the sum of employed and unemployed persons. The 

unemployment rate is the number of unemployed as a percent 

of the labor force. The employment-population ratio is the 

proportion of the civilian noninstitutional population aged 16 

years and over that is employed. 

Method of estimation. Estimates for 48 of the 50 

states, the District of Columbia, the Los Angeles-Long 

Beach-Glendale metropolitan division, New York City, and 

the balances of California and New York State are produced 

using estimating equations based on regression techniques. 

This method, which underwent substantial enhancement at 

the beginning of 2005, utilizes data from several sources, 

including the CPS, the Current Employment Statistics (CES) 

survey of nonfarm payroll employment, and state 

unemployment insurance (UI) programs. Estimates for the 

state of California are derived by summing the estimates for 

the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale metropolitan division 

and the balance of California. Similarly, estimates for New 

York State are derived by summing the estimates for New 

York City and the balance of New York State. Estimates for 

all nine census divisions are based on a similar regression 

approach that does not incorporate CES or UI data. 

Estimates for census regions are obtained by summing the 

model-based estimates for the component divisions and then 

calculating the unemployment rate. Each month, census 

division estimates are controlled to national totals; state 

estimates are then controlled to their respective division 

totals. Estimates for Puerto Rico are derived from a monthly 

household survey similar to the CPS. A detailed description 

of the estimation procedures is available from BLS upon 

request. 

Annual revisions. Labor force and unemployment data 

for prior years reflect adjustments made at the end of each 

year. The adjusted estimates reflect updated population data 

from the U.S. Census Bureau, any revisions in the other data 

sources, and model reestimation. In most years, historical 

data for the most recent 5 years (both seasonally adjusted and 

not seasonally adjusted) are revised near the beginning of 

each calendar year, prior to or coincident with the release of 

January estimates. 

Reliability of the estimates 

The estimates presented in this release are based on 

sample surveys, administrative data, and modeling and, thus, 

are subject to sampling and other types of errors. Sampling 

error is a measure of sampling variability—that is, variation 

that occurs by chance because a sample rather than the entire 

population is surveyed. Survey data also are subject to 

nonsampling errors, such as those which can be introduced 

into the data collection and processing operations. Estimates 

not directly derived from sample surveys are subject to 

additional errors resulting from the specific estimation 

processes used. The sums of individual items may not 

always equal the totals shown in the same tables because of 

rounding. Unemployment rates are computed from 

unrounded data and thus may differ slightly from rates 

computed using the rounded data displayed in the tables. 

Use of error measures. In 2005, the LAUS program 

introduced several improvements to its methodology. Among 

these was the development of model-based error measures for 

the monthly estimates and the estimates of over-the-month 

changes. Annual average error measures became available 

for the first time after 2006. The introductory section of this 

release preserves the long-time practice of highlighting the 

direction of the movements in regional and state unemployment rates regardless of their statistical significance. The 

remainder of the analysis in the release takes statistical 

significance into consideration. Model-based error measures 

are available online at http://www.bls.gov/lau/lastderr.htm. 

BLS uses a 90-percent confidence level in determining 

whether changes in LAUS unemployment rates are 

statistically significant. The average magnitude of the overthe-year change in an annual average state unemployment 

rate that is required in order to be statistically significant at 

the 90-percent confidence level is between 0.4 and 0.5 

percentage point. More details can be found on the Web site. 

Measures of nonsampling error are not available, but 

additional information on the subject is provided in 

Employment and Earnings Online available on the BLS Web 

site at http://www.bls.gov/opub/ee/home.htm. 
Additional information 

More complete information on the technical procedures 

used to develop these estimates and additional data appear in 

Employment and Earnings Online. 

Information in this release will be made available to 

sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 

(202) 691-5200; TDD message referral phone: 1-800-877-

8339. 
Table 1. Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years of age and over by region, division, and state, 

2007-08 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

 United States .................. 231,867 233,788 153,124 154,287 146,047 145,362 7,078 8,924 4.6 5.8 5.7 - 5.9

Northeast ........................ 42,991 43,230 27,967 28,240 26,729 26,709 1,239 1,531 4.4 5.4 5.3 - 5.6

 New England .................. 11,255 11,319 7,633 7,669 7,293 7,254 340 415 4.5 5.4 5.1 - 5.7

 Connecticut .................. 2,713 2,728 1,850 1,876 1,766 1,769 85 107 4.6 5.7 5.3 - 6.1

 Maine ........................... 1,057 1,061 703 707 670 669 33 38 4.6 5.4 4.9 - 5.9

 Massachusetts ............... 5,112 5,148 3,416 3,424 3,263 3,244 153 180 4.5 5.3 4.8 - 5.8

 New Hampshire ............... 1,038 1,045 738 739 712 711 26 28 3.5 3.8 3.5 - 4.1

 Rhode Island .................. 834 834 572 568 543 523 30 44 5.2 7.8 7.2 - 8.4

 Vermont ........................ 502 504 354 355 340 339 14 17 4.0 4.8 4.3 - 5.2

 Middle Atlantic .................. 31,736 31,911 20,334 20,571 19,435 19,455 899 1,116 4.4 5.4 5.2 - 5.6

 New Jersey .................. 6,719 6,756 4,462 4,497 4,272 4,251 191 246 4.3 5.5 5.0 - 5.9

 New York ..................... 15,259 15,351 9,575 9,680 9,141 9,153 434 527 4.5 5.4 5.2 - 5.7

 Pennsylvania .................. 9,758 9,804 6,297 6,395 6,023 6,051 274 344 4.4 5.4 5.0 - 5.8

Midwest ........................... 51,027 51,330 34,881 34,847 33,092 32,735 1,789 2,112 5.1 6.1 5.9 - 6.2

 East North Central ............ 35,657 35,833 24,005 23,919 22,678 22,343 1,327 1,576 5.5 6.6 6.4 - 6.8

 Illinois ........................... 9,806 9,885 6,690 6,697 6,349 6,264 341 434 5.1 6.5 6.0 - 6.9

 Indiana ........................ 4,834 4,873 3,221 3,230 3,074 3,040 147 191 4.6 5.9 5.3 - 6.5

 Michigan ........................ 7,785 7,783 5,024 4,936 4,667 4,519 357 416 7.1 8.4 7.9 - 9.0

 Ohio .............................. 8,875 8,904 5,977 5,972 5,641 5,582 336 390 5.6 6.5 6.0 - 7.0

 Wisconsin ..................... 4,357 4,389 3,094 3,084 2,948 2,938 146 146 4.7 4.7 4.3 - 5.1

 West North Central ............ 15,370 15,497 10,876 10,928 10,414 10,393 463 536 4.3 4.9 4.7 - 5.1

 Iowa .............................. 2,309 2,325 1,664 1,676 1,602 1,607 62 69 3.7 4.1 3.7 - 4.5

 Kansas ........................ 2,100 2,117 1,485 1,497 1,425 1,431 60 66 4.1 4.4 4.0 - 4.8

 Minnesota ..................... 4,007 4,043 2,911 2,933 2,776 2,773 135 160 4.6 5.4 5.1 - 5.8

 Missouri ........................ 4,511 4,547 3,023 3,012 2,870 2,829 153 183 5.1 6.1 5.5 - 6.7

 Nebraska ..................... 1,344 1,355 985 996 956 962 29 33 2.9 3.3 3.0 - 3.7

 North Dakota .................. 495 498 366 370 355 358 11 12 3.1 3.2 2.8 - 3.5

 South Dakota .................. 604 611 442 445 429 431 13 14 2.9 3.0 2.7 - 3.3

South .............................. 83,787 84,960 54,286 54,940 51,932 51,924 2,355 3,017 4.3 5.5 5.4 - 5.6

 South Atlantic .................. 44,423 44,992 29,154 29,480 27,935 27,797 1,219 1,683 4.2 5.7 5.5 - 5.9

 Delaware ..................... 666 676 441 443 426 422 15 21 3.4 4.8 4.3 - 5.2

 District of Columbia ......... 478 482 327 333 309 310 18 23 5.5 7.0 6.4 - 7.6

 Florida ........................... 14,318 14,454 9,088 9,231 8,717 8,660 372 572 4.1 6.2 5.9 - 6.5

 Georgia ........................ 7,076 7,204 4,798 4,848 4,579 4,546 219 302 4.6 6.2 5.8 - 6.7

 Maryland ........................ 4,331 4,357 2,988 2,998 2,882 2,867 105 131 3.5 4.4 4.0 - 4.7

 North Carolina ............... 6,880 7,011 4,506 4,544 4,293 4,257 213 287 4.7 6.3 5.9 - 6.7

 South Carolina ............... 3,367 3,431 2,125 2,153 2,006 2,004 119 149 5.6 6.9 6.3 - 7.6

 Virginia ........................ 5,862 5,927 4,068 4,125 3,945 3,960 122 165 3.0 4.0 3.6 - 4.4

 West Virginia .................. 1,445 1,450 813 806 778 772 35 34 4.3 4.3 3.6 - 4.9

 East South Central ............ 13,745 13,891 8,532 8,561 8,115 8,035 417 526 4.9 6.1 5.8 - 6.5

 Alabama ........................ 3,558 3,591 2,176 2,162 2,100 2,054 76 109 3.5 5.0 4.2 - 5.9

 Kentucky ........................ 3,266 3,301 2,036 2,043 1,923 1,911 113 132 5.5 6.4 5.8 - 7.1

 Mississippi ..................... 2,175 2,190 1,307 1,314 1,225 1,224 82 91 6.3 6.9 6.1 - 7.7

 Tennessee ..................... 4,746 4,808 3,013 3,041 2,868 2,846 146 195 4.8 6.4 5.8 - 7.0

 West South Central ............ 25,619 26,077 16,600 16,899 15,881 16,092 719 807 4.3 4.8 4.5 - 5.0

 Arkansas ........................ 2,160 2,180 1,361 1,370 1,292 1,301 69 70 5.1 5.1 4.5 - 5.7

 Louisiana ..................... 3,294 3,337 2,026 2,079 1,949 1,983 76 96 3.8 4.6 3.9 - 5.3

 Oklahoma ..................... 2,720 2,749 1,738 1,748 1,667 1,682 71 67 4.1 3.8 3.4 - 4.3

 Texas ........................... 17,445 17,812 11,475 11,702 10,972 11,126 503 575 4.4 4.9 4.6 - 5.2

West ................................. 52,993 53,845 35,278 35,971 33,617 33,725 1,661 2,246 4.7 6.2 6.1 - 6.4

 Mountain ........................ 16,040 16,378 10,887 11,133 10,486 10,579 401 554 3.7 5.0 4.8 - 5.2

 Arizona ........................ 4,762 4,877 3,036 3,133 2,920 2,960 116 172 3.8 5.5 4.9 - 6.1

 Colorado ........................ 3,702 3,778 2,686 2,730 2,582 2,596 104 134 3.9 4.9 4.5 - 5.3

 Idaho ........................... 1,109 1,131 749 755 726 718 23 37 3.0 4.9 4.2 - 5.5

 Montana ........................ 748 758 502 506 485 483 17 23 3.4 4.5 3.9 - 5.1

 Nevada ........................ 1,932 1,971 1,323 1,373 1,260 1,282 62 91 4.7 6.7 6.1 - 7.2

 New Mexico .................. 1,487 1,507 946 959 912 919 34 40 3.5 4.2 3.6 - 4.7

 Utah .............................. 1,897 1,945 1,357 1,384 1,320 1,336 37 48 2.7 3.4 3.0 - 3.8

 Wyoming ........................ 403 410 288 293 280 284 8 9 2.9 3.1 2.7 - 3.5

 Pacific ........................... 36,953 37,468 24,391 24,838 23,131 23,146 1,261 1,692 5.2 6.8 6.6 - 7.0

 Alaska ........................... 497 502 352 357 330 333 22 24 6.2 6.7 6.0 - 7.4

 California ..................... 27,541 27,910 18,078 18,392 17,109 17,060 969 1,332 5.4 7.2 7.0 - 7.5

 Hawaii ........................... 981 991 646 654 629 628 17 26 2.6 3.9 3.5 - 4.4

 Oregon ........................ 2,932 2,980 1,925 1,958 1,826 1,833 99 125 5.1 6.4 5.8 - 6.9

 Washington .................. 5,002 5,086 3,391 3,477 3,237 3,291 154 186 4.5 5.3 4.9 - 5.8

Puerto Rico ........................ 3,023 3,050 1,394 1,366 1,241 1,209 152 158 10.9 11.5

 1

 Error ranges are shown at the 90-percent confidence level and are based on unrounded data. unrounded levels. Data for subnational areas reflect revised population controls and

 NA = Data not available. model reestimation. As a result, they will not add to U.S. totals. Data for Puerto Rico

 NOTE: Data refer to place of residence. Unemployment rates are in percent and are based on are derived from a monthly household survey similar to the Current Population Survey. 

Error range of rate, 

2008 1

NA

Unemployed

2007 2008

Unemployment rate

2007 2008

Region, division, and state Population Civilian labor force Employed

2007 2008 2008 2007 2008 2007
Table 2. Employment-population ratios of persons 16 years of age and over by region, division, and state,

2007-08 annual averages 

(Percent)

2007 2008

 United States ............................................................ 63.0 62.2 -0.8 62.0 - 62.4

Northeast ..................................................................... 62.2 61.8 -.4 61.3 - 62.2

 New England ............................................................ 64.8 64.1 -.7 63.4 - 64.8

 Connecticut ............................................................... 65.1 64.9 -.2 63.7 - 66.0

 Maine ..................................................................... 63.4 63.0 -.4 61.8 - 64.2

 Massachusetts ......................................................... 63.8 63.0 -.8 61.9 - 64.1

 New Hampshire ......................................................... 68.6 68.0 -.6 67.0 - 69.0

 Rhode Island ............................................................ 65.0 62.8 -2.2 61.6 - 63.9

 Vermont .................................................................. 67.8 67.2 -.6 66.0 - 68.4

 Middle Atlantic ............................................................ 61.2 61.0 -.2 60.4 - 61.5

 New Jersey ............................................................... 63.6 62.9 -.7 62.0 - 63.9

 New York .................................................................. 59.9 59.6 -.3 59.0 - 60.3

 Pennsylvania ............................................................ 61.7 61.7 .0 60.9 - 62.5

Midwest ..................................................................... 64.9 63.8 -1.1 63.4 - 64.2

 East North Central ...................................................... 63.6 62.4 -1.2 61.8 - 62.9

 Illinois ..................................................................... 64.7 63.4 -1.3 62.4 - 64.3

 Indiana ..................................................................... 63.6 62.4 -1.2 61.0 - 63.8

 Michigan .................................................................. 59.9 58.1 -1.8 57.1 - 59.0

 Ohio ........................................................................ 63.6 62.7 -.9 61.9 - 63.5

 Wisconsin ............................................................... 67.7 66.9 -.8 65.6 - 68.3

 West North Central ...................................................... 67.8 67.1 -.7 66.5 - 67.7

 Iowa ........................................................................ 69.4 69.1 -.3 68.0 - 70.2

 Kansas ..................................................................... 67.9 67.6 -.3 66.5 - 68.7

 Minnesota ............................................................... 69.3 68.6 -.7 67.4 - 69.8

 Missouri .................................................................. 63.6 62.2 -1.4 60.9 - 63.6

 Nebraska .................................................................. 71.1 71.0 -.1 69.9 - 72.1

 North Dakota ............................................................ 71.6 71.8 .2 70.2 - 73.5

 South Dakota ............................................................ 71.1 70.6 -.5 69.4 - 71.8

South ........................................................................ 62.0 61.1 -.9 60.8 - 61.4

 South Atlantic ............................................................ 62.9 61.8 -1.1 61.3 - 62.2

 Delaware .................................................................. 63.9 62.4 -1.5 61.3 - 63.5

 District of Columbia ................................................... 64.7 64.2 -.5 63.0 - 65.4

 Florida ..................................................................... 60.9 59.9 -1.0 59.0 - 60.8

 Georgia .................................................................. 64.7 63.1 -1.6 62.1 - 64.1

 Maryland .................................................................. 66.6 65.8 -.8 64.9 - 66.7

 North Carolina ......................................................... 62.4 60.7 -1.7 59.7 - 61.7

 South Carolina ......................................................... 59.6 58.4 -1.2 57.4 - 59.4

 Virginia ..................................................................... 67.3 66.8 -.5 65.9 - 67.7

 West Virginia ............................................................ 53.8 53.2 -.6 51.6 - 54.9

 East South Central ...................................................... 59.0 57.8 -1.2 57.0 - 58.7

 Alabama .................................................................. 59.0 57.2 -1.8 55.5 - 58.9

 Kentucky .................................................................. 58.9 57.9 -1.0 56.6 - 59.2

 Mississippi ............................................................... 56.3 55.9 -.4 54.3 - 57.4

 Tennessee ............................................................... 60.4 59.2 -1.2 58.0 - 60.4

 West South Central ...................................................... 62.0 61.7 -.3 61.1 - 62.3

 Arkansas .................................................................. 59.8 59.7 -.1 58.4 - 60.9

 Louisiana .................................................................. 59.2 59.4 .2 57.8 - 61.0

 Oklahoma ............................................................... 61.3 61.2 -.1 59.9 - 62.5

 Texas ..................................................................... 62.9 62.5 -.4 61.7 - 63.2

West ........................................................................... 63.4 62.6 -.8 62.3 - 63.0

 Mountain .................................................................. 65.4 64.6 -.8 64.0 - 65.2

 Arizona .................................................................. 61.3 60.7 -.6 59.3 - 62.1

 Colorado .................................................................. 69.8 68.7 -1.1 67.2 - 70.2

 Idaho ..................................................................... 65.5 63.5 -2.0 62.1 - 64.9

 Montana .................................................................. 64.8 63.8 -1.0 62.4 - 65.1

 Nevada .................................................................. 65.2 65.0 -.2 63.9 - 66.2

 New Mexico ............................................................ 61.3 61.0 -.3 60.0 - 62.0

 Utah ........................................................................ 69.6 68.7 -.9 67.2 - 70.2

 Wyoming .................................................................. 69.5 69.2 -.3 67.8 - 70.5

 Pacific ..................................................................... 62.6 61.8 -.8 61.4 - 62.2

 Alaska ..................................................................... 66.4 66.5 .1 64.7 - 68.2

 California .................................................................. 62.1 61.1 -1.0 60.7 - 61.6

 Hawaii ..................................................................... 64.1 63.4 -.7 62.2 - 64.7

 Oregon ..................................................................... 62.3 61.5 -.8 60.5 - 62.5

 Washington ............................................................... 64.7 64.7 .0 63.7 - 65.7

Puerto Rico .................................................................. 41.1 39.6 -1.5

 1

 Employment as a percent of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years NOTE: Data refer to place of residence. Employment-population ratios are based

of age and over. on unrounded levels. Data for subnational areas reflect revised population controls

 2

 Error ranges are shown at the 90-percent confidence level and are based on and model reestimation. Data for Puerto Rico are derived from a monthly household

unrounded data. survey similar to the Current Population Survey.

 NA = Data not available.

NA

 Employment-population ratio 1

Region, division, and state change

Over-the-year Error range of employmentpopulation ratio, 2008 2
WASH.

ORE.

NEV.

CALIF.

IDAHO

MONT.

WYO.

UTAH

COLO.

N.D.

S.D.

NEB.

KAN.

ARIZ.

N.M.

TEXAS

OKLA.

ARK.

LA.

MISS.

TENN.

MO.

ILL.

MINN.

IOWA

WIS.

MICH.

IND. OHIO

KY.

N.Y.

PA.

W.VA.

VA.

N.C.

S.C.

GA.

FLA.

ALA.

VT.

N.H.

MAINE#

MASS.

#

CONN.

# N.J.

# DEL.

#

MD.

#

R.I.

D.C.

West

North Central Mountain

East

North Central

Middle

Atlantic

New England

South

Atlantic

East

South Central

West

South Central

Pacific

WASH.

ORE.

NEV.

CALIF.

IDAHO

MONT.

WYO.

UTAH

COLO.

N.D.

S.D.

NEB.

KAN.

ARIZ.

N.M.

TEXAS

OKLA.

ARK.

LA.

MISS.

TENN.

MO.

ILL.

MINN.

IOWA

WIS.

MICH.

IND. OHIO

KY.

N.Y.

PA.

W.VA.

VA.

N.C.

S.C.

GA.

FLA.

ALA.

VT.

N.H.

MAINE#

MASS.

#

CONN.

# N.J.

# DEL.

#

MD.

(U.S. change = +1.2 percentage points)

Chart 1. Over-the-year change in unemployment rates by state,2008 annual averages

+1.1 points or more+0.6 to +1.0 point+0.5 point or less

HAWAII

ALASKA
WASH.

ORE.

NEV.

CALIF.

IDAHO

MONT.

WYO.

UTAH

COLO.

N.D.

S.D.

NEB.

KAN.

ARIZ.

N.M.

TEXAS

OKLA.

ARK.

LA.

MISS.

TENN.

MO.

ILL.

MINN.

IOWA

WIS.

MICH.

IND. OHIO

KY.

N.Y.

PA.

W.VA.

VA.

N.C.

S.C.

GA.

FLA.

ALA.

VT.

N.H.

MAINE#

MASS.

#

CONN.

# N.J.

# DEL.

#

MD.

#

R.I.

D.C.

West

North Central Mountain

East

North Central

Middle

Atlantic

New England

South

Atlantic

East

South Central

West

South Central

Pacific

WASH.

ORE.

NEV.

CALIF.

IDAHO

MONT.

WYO.

UTAH

COLO.

N.D.

S.D.

NEB.

KAN.

ARIZ.

N.M.

TEXAS

OKLA.

ARK.

LA.

MISS.

TENN.

MO.

ILL.

MINN.

IOWA

WIS.

MICH.

IND. OHIO

KY.

N.Y.

PA.

W.VA.

VA.

N.C.

S.C.

GA.

FLA.

ALA.

VT.

N.H.

MAINE#

MASS.

#

CONN.

# N.J.

# DEL.

#

MD.

(U.S. rate = 5.8 percent)

Chart 2. Unemployment rates by state, 2008 annual averages

6.5% or higher5.5% to 6.4%4.5% to 5.4%3.5% to 4.4%3.4% or lower

HAWAII

ALASKA
WASH.

ORE.

NEV.

CALIF.

IDAHO

MONT.

WYO.

UTAH

COLO.

N.D.

S.D.

NEB.

KAN.

ARIZ.

N.M.

TEXAS

OKLA.

ARK.

LA.

MISS.

TENN.

MO.

ILL.

MINN.

IOWA

WIS.

MICH.

IND. OHIO

KY.

N.Y.

PA.

W.VA.

VA.

N.C.

S.C.

GA.

FLA.

ALA.

VT.

N.H.

MAINE#

MASS.

#

CONN.

# N.J.

# DEL.

#

MD.

#

R.I.

D.C.

West

North Central Mountain

East

North Central

Middle

Atlantic

New England

South

Atlantic

East

South Central

West

South Central

Pacific

WASH.

ORE.

NEV.

CALIF.

IDAHO

MONT.

WYO.

UTAH

COLO.

N.D.

S.D.

NEB.

KAN.

ARIZ.

N.M.

TEXAS

OKLA.

ARK.

LA.

MISS.

TENN.

MO.

ILL.

MINN.

IOWA

WIS.

MICH.

IND. OHIO

KY.

N.Y.

PA.

W.VA.

VA.

N.C.

S.C.

GA.

FLA.

ALA.

VT.

N.H.

MAINE#

MASS.

#

CONN.

# N.J.

# DEL.

#

MD.

(U.S. average = 62.2 percent)

Chart 3. Employment-population ratios by state, 2008 annual averages

64.0% or higher61.0% to 63.9%60.9% or lower

HAWAII

ALASKA