For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Wednesday, March 3, 2021 USDL-21-0363

Technical information: (202) 691-6392 • lausinfo@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/lau

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 • PressOffice@bls.gov

REGIONAL AND STATE UNEMPLOYMENT— 2020 ANNUAL AVERAGES

Annual average unemployment rates rose in 2020 in all regions, divisions, and states, the U.S. 

Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment-population ratios decreased across all of

these geographic areas as well. The U.S. jobless rate increased by 4.4 percentage points from the 

prior year to 8.1 percent, while the national employment-population ratio fell by 4.0 points to

56.8 percent. The deterioration in the labor market in 2020 reflected the impact of the 

coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and efforts to contain it.

Regional Unemployment

All four regions posted unemployment rate increases from 2019, from a maximum of 5.5 

percentage points in the Northeast to a minimum of 3.7 points in the South. The Northeast, 9.2 

percent, and West, 9.0 percent, registered jobless rates higher than the U.S. rate in 2020, while 

the Midwest and South, 7.6 percent and 7.2 percent, respectively, both had rates below the 

national figure. (See table 1.)

All nine geographic divisions had over-the-year unemployment rate increases in 2020, with the 

largest of these occurring in the Middle Atlantic and Pacific (+5.8 percentage points and +5.6 

points, respectively). The divisions with the smallest rate increases were the West North Central 

(+2.6 percentage points) and East South Central (+3.2 points). The highest jobless rates among 

the divisions were in the Middle Atlantic and Pacific, 9.7 percent each, followed by the East 

Changes to Local Area Unemployment Statistics Data

All subnational estimates presented in this news release were produced using a new generation of 

time-series models. Information on the changes to model-based estimation is available on the 

BLS website at www.bls.gov/lau/gen-5-changes-in-2021.htm.

Effective with this news release, data have been re-estimated back to 1976 for regions, divisions, 

states, and the District of Columbia. The annual average data shown in tables 1 and 2 were 

affected, as were monthly seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted data.
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North Central, 8.5 percent. The divisions with the lowest jobless rates in 2020 were the West 

North Central, 5.7 percent, and East South Central, 7.0 percent. The Mountain, South Atlantic, 

and West South Central divisions also had rates below the national figure. The unemployment 

rate in the Middle Atlantic (9.7 percent) was the highest in its annual average series. (All region, 

division, and state series begin in 1976.)

State Unemployment

In 2020, all 50 states and the District of Columbia had unemployment rate increases, the largest 

of which occurred in Hawaii (+9.1 percentage points) and Nevada (+8.9 points). Seven 

additional states recorded rate increases of at least 5.0 percentage points. Nebraska and South 

Dakota had the smallest rate increases (+1.2 percentage points and +1.6 points, respectively).

(See table A and map 1.)

Four states reported jobless rates of 10.0 percent or more in 2020: Nevada, 12.8 percent; Hawaii, 

11.6 percent; California, 10.1 percent; and New York, 10.0 percent. The rate in Hawaii was the 

highest in its annual average series. Nebraska and South Dakota had the lowest jobless rates

among the states, 4.2 percent and 4.6 percent, respectively. Overall, 22 states had unemployment 

rates lower than the U.S. figure of 8.1 percent, 8 states had higher rates, and 20 states and the 

District of Columbia had rates that were not appreciably different from that of the nation. (See 

table B and map 2.)

Regional Employment-Population Ratios

In 2020, all four census regions had decreases in their employment-population ratios—the 

proportion of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years of age and over who are 

employed. The Northeast (-4.6 percentage points) and West (-4.5 points) had the largest ratio 

decreases. The South, 56.0 percent, and West, 56.3 percent, had the lowest ratios, while the 

Midwest had the highest ratio, 59.1 percent. The ratios in the South and West were the lowest in 

their respective series. (See table 2.)

All nine census divisions had decreases in their employment-population ratios from 2019 to 

2020, the largest of which were in New England (-5.2 percentage points) and the Pacific (-4.9 

points). Four divisions had ratios that were lower than the national average of 56.8 percent: the 

East South Central, 54.2 percent; Pacific, 55.2 percent; Middle Atlantic, 55.3 percent; and South 

Atlantic, 55.9 percent. Three divisions had ratios notably higher than the U.S. ratio: the West 

North Central, 63.2 percent; New England, 59.3 percent; and the Mountain, 58.6 percent. The 

Mountain (58.6 percent), Pacific (55.2 percent), South Atlantic (55.9 percent), and West South 

Central (57.0 percent) each had the lowest employment-population ratios in their respective 

series.

State Employment-Population Ratios

In 2020, all 50 states and the District of Columbia had over-the-year decreases in their 

employment-population ratios. The largest of these declines occurred in Nevada (-8.1 percentage 

points), Hawaii (-7.1 points), and Massachusetts (-6.1 points). Three additional states recorded 
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ratio decreases of at least 5.0 percentage points. The smallest over-the-year decrease occurred in 

Nebraska (-1.5 percentage points), followed by South Dakota and Wyoming (-1.7 points each). 

(See table C.)

Fifteen states registered the lowest employment-population ratios in their respective series in 

2020. West Virginia and Mississippi had the lowest proportions of employed persons among the 

states, 50.3 percent and 50.6 percent, respectively. Nebraska had the highest employmentpopulation ratio, 66.7 percent, followed by North Dakota, 66.0 percent. Overall, 23 states and the 

District of Columbia had employment-population ratios higher than the U.S. ratio of 56.8 

percent, 15 states had lower ratios, and 12 states had ratios that were not appreciably different 

from that of the nation. (See tables D and E and map 3.)

_____________

The State Employment and Unemployment news release for January 2021 is scheduled to 

be released on Monday, March 15, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. (ET). The Metropolitan Area 

Employment and Unemployment news release for January 2021 is scheduled to be released 

on Friday, March 19, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).
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Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Impact on 2020 Household Survey Data

The 2020 annual average estimates of household employment and unemployment presented in 

this news release were averaged from monthly data that were revised using a new generation of 

time-series models in conjunction with updated estimation inputs. The changes to the models 

were designed to allow them to better cope with the unusually large frequency and magnitudes of 

breaks in the input data attributable to the pandemic and efforts to contain it. More information 

about the changes to the models is available at www.bls.gov/lau/gen-5-changes-in-2021.htm. For 

the estimation inputs to the models, BLS continued to implement level-shift outliers based on 

statistical evaluation of movements in each area's inputs. Both the Current Population Survey 

inputs, which serve as the primary inputs to the models, and the nonfarm payroll employment 

and unemployment insurance claims covariates were examined for outliers. The resulting 

implementation of level shifts preserved movements in the published estimates that the models 

otherwise would have discounted, without requiring changes to how the models create estimates 

at other points in the time series.

The "Impact summary" documents associated with the Employment Situation news release listed 

at www.bls.gov/covid19/effects-of-covid-19-pandemic-and-response-on-the-employmentsituation-news-release.htm#summaries extensively discuss the monthly impacts of a 

misclassification in the household survey on the national estimates beginning in March 2020. 

Despite the considerable decline in its degree relative to the initial months of the pandemic, this 

misclassification continued to be widespread geographically through the end of 2020, with BLS 

analysis indicating that most states still were affected to at least some extent as of December. 

However, according to usual practice, the data from the household survey are accepted as 

recorded. To maintain data integrity, no ad hoc actions are taken to reclassify survey responses. 

Hence, the household survey estimates of employed and unemployed people that serve as the 

primary inputs to the state models were affected to varying degrees by the misclassification, 

which in turn affected the monthly estimates underlying the 2020 annual averages presented in 

this news release.
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Table A. States with statistically significant unemployment rate changes, 2019–20

annual averages

2019 2020

Alabama ................................... 3.0 5.9 2.9

Alaska ...................................... 5.4 7.8 2.4

Arizona ..................................... 4.9 7.9 3.0

Arkansas .................................. 3.5 6.1 2.6

California .................................. 4.2 10.1 5.9

Colorado ................................... 2.7 7.3 4.6

Connecticut .............................. 3.6 7.9 4.3

Delaware .................................. 3.7 7.8 4.1

District of Columbia ................... 5.4 8.0 2.6

Florida ...................................... 3.3 7.7 4.4

Georgia .................................... 3.5 6.5 3.0

Hawaii ...................................... 2.5 11.6 9.1

Idaho ........................................ 2.8 5.4 2.6

Illinois ....................................... 4.0 9.5 5.5

Indiana ..................................... 3.2 7.1 3.9

Iowa ......................................... 2.8 5.3 2.5

Kansas ..................................... 3.2 5.9 2.7

Kentucky .................................. 4.1 6.6 2.5

Louisiana .................................. 4.7 8.3 3.6

Maine ....................................... 2.7 5.4 2.7

Maryland .................................. 3.5 6.8 3.3

Massachusetts .......................... 3.0 8.9 5.9

Michigan ................................... 4.1 9.9 5.8

Minnesota ................................. 3.2 6.2 3.0

Mississippi ................................ 5.5 8.1 2.6

Missouri .................................... 3.3 6.1 2.8

Montana ................................... 3.6 5.9 2.3

Nebraska .................................. 3.0 4.2 1.2

Nevada ..................................... 3.9 12.8 8.9

New Hampshire ......................... 2.6 6.7 4.1

New Jersey ............................... 3.4 9.8 6.4

New Mexico .............................. 5.0 8.4 3.4

New York .................................. 3.8 10.0 6.2

North Carolina ........................... 3.8 7.3 3.5

North Dakota ............................. 2.3 5.1 2.8

Ohio ......................................... 4.2 8.1 3.9

Oklahoma ................................. 3.1 6.1 3.0

Oregon ..................................... 3.7 7.6 3.9

Pennsylvania ............................. 4.5 9.1 4.6

Rhode Island ............................. 3.6 9.4 5.8

South Carolina .......................... 2.8 6.2 3.4

South Dakota ............................ 3.0 4.6 1.6

Tennessee ................................ 3.4 7.5 4.1

Texas ....................................... 3.5 7.6 4.1

Utah ......................................... 2.5 4.7 2.2

Vermont .................................... 2.3 5.6 3.3

Virginia ..................................... 2.7 6.2 3.5

Washington .............................. 4.1 8.4 4.3

West Virginia ............................ 4.9 8.3 3.4

Wisconsin ................................ 3.3 6.3 3.0

Wyoming .................................. 3.7 5.8 2.1

Rate

State Over-the-year rate 

change 
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State Rate 

United States .................................................... 8.1

Alabama ........................................................... 5.9

Arkansas .......................................................... 6.1

California ......................................................... 10.1

Georgia ............................................................ 6.5

Hawaii .............................................................. 11.6

Idaho ............................................................... 5.4

Illinois .............................................................. 9.5

Indiana ............................................................. 7.1

Iowa ................................................................. 5.3

Kansas ............................................................. 5.9

Maine ............................................................... 5.4

Maryland .......................................................... 6.8

Michigan .......................................................... 9.9

Minnesota ......................................................... 6.2

Missouri ........................................................... 6.1

Montana ........................................................... 5.9

Nebraska .......................................................... 4.2

Nevada ............................................................. 12.8

New Jersey ...................................................... 9.8

New York ......................................................... 10.0

North Dakota .................................................... 5.1

Oklahoma ......................................................... 6.1

Pennsylvania .................................................... 9.1

South Carolina .................................................. 6.2

South Dakota .................................................... 4.6

Utah ................................................................. 4.7

Vermont ........................................................... 5.6

Virginia ............................................................ 6.2

Wisconsin ........................................................ 6.3

Wyoming ......................................................... 5.8

of the U.S., 2020 annual averages

Table B. States with unemployment rates significantly different from that
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Table C. States with statistically significant employment-population ratio changes,

2019–20 annual averages

2019 2020

Alabama ................................... 56.1 54.1 -2.0

Alaska ...................................... 61.3 58.7 -2.6

Arizona ..................................... 58.8 56.1 -2.7

Arkansas .................................. 56.2 53.9 -2.3

California .................................. 59.8 54.4 -5.4

Colorado ................................... 66.9 62.8 -4.1

Connecticut .............................. 64.1 59.8 -4.3

Delaware .................................. 60.2 56.5 -3.7

District of Columbia ................... 67.6 64.6 -3.0

Florida ...................................... 57.4 52.9 -4.5

Georgia .................................... 60.5 57.1 -3.4

Hawaii ...................................... 59.8 52.7 -7.1

Idaho ........................................ 62.4 60.0 -2.4

Illinois ....................................... 61.9 56.8 -5.1

Indiana ..................................... 62.4 58.5 -3.9

Iowa ......................................... 68.2 63.7 -4.5

Kansas ..................................... 64.9 63.1 -1.8

Kentucky .................................. 56.7 53.8 -2.9

Louisiana .................................. 56.4 53.2 -3.2

Maine ....................................... 60.9 57.2 -3.7

Maryland .................................. 66.2 62.0 -4.2

Massachusetts .......................... 65.1 59.0 -6.1

Michigan ................................... 59.4 54.6 -4.8

Minnesota ................................. 67.7 65.3 -2.4

Mississippi ................................ 52.9 50.6 -2.3

Missouri .................................... 61.9 59.3 -2.6

Montana ................................... 60.8 59.0 -1.8

Nebraska .................................. 68.2 66.7 -1.5

Nevada ..................................... 61.9 53.8 -8.1

New Hampshire ......................... 67.1 62.9 -4.2

New Jersey ............................... 61.7 57.3 -4.4

New Mexico .............................. 55.5 52.3 -3.2

New York .................................. 58.4 53.7 -4.7

North Carolina ........................... 59.2 54.9 -4.3

North Dakota ............................. 68.5 66.0 -2.5

Ohio ......................................... 60.6 57.1 -3.5

Oklahoma ................................. 59.0 56.8 -2.2

Oregon ..................................... 59.5 56.5 -3.0

Pennsylvania ............................. 60.4 56.5 -3.9

Rhode Island ............................. 62.4 56.8 -5.6

South Carolina .......................... 56.6 54.2 -2.4

South Dakota ............................ 66.7 65.0 -1.7

Tennessee ................................ 59.8 56.0 -3.8

Texas ....................................... 61.7 57.9 -3.8

Utah ......................................... 66.8 64.8 -2.0

Vermont .................................... 64.9 60.1 -4.8

Virginia ..................................... 64.5 60.6 -3.9

Washington .............................. 62.2 58.8 -3.4

West Virginia ............................ 52.4 50.3 -2.1

Wisconsin ................................ 64.6 61.7 -2.9

Wyoming .................................. 63.2 61.5 -1.7

State

Ratio Over-the-year ratio 

change 
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State Ratio

Alaska .............................................................. 58.7

California ......................................................... 54.4

Delaware .......................................................... 56.5

Georgia ............................................................ 57.1

Hawaii .............................................................. 52.7

Illinois .............................................................. 56.8

Kentucky .......................................................... 53.8

Nevada ............................................................. 53.8

New Mexico ...................................................... 52.3

North Carolina .................................................. 54.9

Oregon ............................................................. 56.5

Rhode Island .................................................... 56.8

Texas ............................................................... 57.9

Virginia ............................................................ 60.6

Wyoming ......................................................... 61.5

1

 All state series begin in 1976.

Table D. States with new series low employment-population ratios,

2020 annual averages 1
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State Ratio 

United States .................................................... 56.8

Alabama ........................................................... 54.1

Alaska .............................................................. 58.7

Arkansas .......................................................... 53.9

California ......................................................... 54.4

Colorado .......................................................... 62.8

Connecticut ...................................................... 59.8

District of Columbia ........................................... 64.6

Florida ............................................................. 52.9

Hawaii .............................................................. 52.7

Idaho ............................................................... 60.0

Indiana ............................................................. 58.5

Iowa ................................................................. 63.7

Kansas ............................................................. 63.1

Kentucky .......................................................... 53.8

Louisiana ......................................................... 53.2

Maryland .......................................................... 62.0

Massachusetts .................................................. 59.0

Michigan .......................................................... 54.6

Minnesota ......................................................... 65.3

Mississippi ........................................................ 50.6

Missouri ........................................................... 59.3

Montana ........................................................... 59.0

Nebraska .......................................................... 66.7

Nevada ............................................................. 53.8

New Hampshire ................................................. 62.9

New Mexico ...................................................... 52.3

New York ......................................................... 53.7

North Carolina .................................................. 54.9

North Dakota .................................................... 66.0

South Carolina .................................................. 54.2

South Dakota .................................................... 65.0

Texas ............................................................... 57.9

Utah ................................................................. 64.8

Vermont ........................................................... 60.1

Virginia ............................................................ 60.6

Washington ...................................................... 58.8

West Virginia .................................................... 50.3

Wisconsin ........................................................ 61.7

Wyoming ......................................................... 61.5

from that of the U.S., 2020 annual averages

Table E. States with employment-population ratios significantly different 
Technical Note

 Special technical note: All subnational estimates 

presented in this news release were produced using a 

new generation of time-series models. Information on 

the changes to model-based estimation is available on 

the BLS website at www.bls.gov/lau/gen-5-changesin-2021.htm.

This news 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 employed and 

unemployed persons on a place-of-residence basis. 

The universe for each is the civilian noninstitutional 

population 16 years of age and older. 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 

persons expressed as a percent of the labor force. The 

employment-population ratio is the proportion of the 

civilian noninstitutional population 16 years of age 

and older 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 uses 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 modelbased 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. 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 

beginning of each year. The adjusted estimates 

incorporate updated population controls from the U.S. 

Census Bureau, any revisions in the other data sources, 

and model re-estimation. The population controls 

reflect extrapolation from the 2010 Census. 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 the release of January estimates. Though the labor 

force estimates typically are updated for 5 years, the 

population estimates are revised back to the decennial 

estimates base (April 2010). With the introduction of 

a new generation of times-series models in 2021, 

historical data were re-estimated back to January 1976 

for regions, divisions, states, the District of Columbia, 

the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale metropolitan 

division, New York City, and the balances of 

California and New York states.

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. In table 1, level estimates 

for states may not sum to level estimates for regions 
and divisions because of rounding. Unemployment 

rates and employment-population ratios are computed 

from unrounded levels and, thus, may differ slightly 

from rates and ratios computed using the rounded level 

estimates displayed in table 1.

Use of error measures. Changes in unemployment 

rates and employment-population ratios are cited in 

the analysis of this release only if they have been 

determined to be statistically significant. Furthermore, 

unemployment rates and employment-population 

ratios for the latest year generally are cited only if they 

have been determined to be significantly different 

from the corresponding U.S. measure. The underlying 

model-based error measures are available online at 

www.bls.gov/lau/lastderr.htm. BLS uses 90-percent 

confidence levels in determining whether changes in 

LAUS unemployment rates and employmentpopulation ratios are statistically significant. The 

average magnitude of the over-the-year change in an 

annual state unemployment rate that is required in 

order to be statistically significant at the 90-percent

confidence level is about 1.0 percentage point. The 

average magnitude of the over-the-year change in an

annual state employment-population ratio that is

required in order to be statistically significant at the 

90-percent confidence level is about 0.9 percentage 

point. Measures of nonsampling error are not 

available.

Additional information

Information in this release will be made available to 

sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice 

phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: 

(800) 877-8339.
Table 1. Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years of age and over by region, division, and state,

2019–20 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Population Civilian labor force Employed Unemployed Unemployment rate

2019 2020 2019 2020 2019 2020 2019 2020 2019 2020

United States ....................... 259,175 260,329 163,539 160,742 157,538 147,795 6,001 12,947 3.7 8.1 8.0 – 8.2 

Northeast ............................... 45,145 45,097 28,598 28,013 27,539 25,436 1,059 2,577 3.7 9.2 8.9 – 9.5 

New England ....................... 12,136 12,162 8,072 7,841 7,822 7,212 250 629 3.1 8.0 7.7 – 8.4 

Connecticut ...................... 2,885 2,883 1,917 1,873 1,848 1,725 69 148 3.6 7.9 6.5 – 9.3 

Maine ................................ 1,112 1,118 696 677 677 640 19 37 2.7 5.4 4.0 – 6.9 

Massachusetts ................. 5,636 5,648 3,782 3,658 3,668 3,334 114 324 3.0 8.9 7.9 – 9.8 

New Hampshire ................ 1,122 1,130 773 762 753 711 20 51 2.6 6.7 5.2 – 8.2 

Rhode Island .................... 863 864 559 542 539 491 20 51 3.6 9.4 7.8 – 11.0 

Vermont ............................ 518 519 344 330 336 312 8 18 2.3 5.6 4.7 – 6.5 

Middle Atlantic ..................... 33,009 32,936 20,526 20,172 19,717 18,224 809 1,948 3.9 9.7 9.3 – 10.0 

New Jersey ....................... 7,074 7,077 4,522 4,495 4,367 4,055 155 440 3.4 9.8 8.5 – 11.0 

New York .......................... 15,659 15,581 9,507 9,289 9,143 8,361 364 928 3.8 10.0 9.1 – 10.9 

Pennsylvania .................... 10,275 10,278 6,497 6,388 6,207 5,808 290 580 4.5 9.1 8.1 – 10.1 

Midwest .................................. 53,783 53,890 35,027 34,445 33,766 31,839 1,261 2,606 3.6 7.6 7.4 – 7.8 

East North Central .............. 37,108 37,140 23,715 23,229 22,802 21,261 913 1,967 3.8 8.5 8.2 – 8.8 

Illinois ................................ 9,997 9,960 6,446 6,249 6,189 5,658 257 592 4.0 9.5 8.4 – 10.6 

Indiana .............................. 5,244 5,273 3,382 3,319 3,273 3,083 109 236 3.2 7.1 6.2 – 8.0 

Michigan ........................... 7,991 7,995 4,949 4,841 4,748 4,363 201 478 4.1 9.9 8.6 – 11.2 

Ohio .................................. 9,243 9,258 5,842 5,754 5,599 5,285 243 469 4.2 8.1 6.9 – 9.4 

Wisconsin ......................... 4,634 4,655 3,094 3,065 2,993 2,873 101 193 3.3 6.3 5.4 – 7.2 

West North Central ............. 16,675 16,749 11,313 11,216 10,964 10,578 348 638 3.1 5.7 5.4 – 6.0 

Iowa .................................. 2,471 2,479 1,734 1,666 1,686 1,579 48 88 2.8 5.3 4.4 – 6.1 

Kansas .............................. 2,228 2,234 1,494 1,497 1,446 1,409 47 88 3.2 5.9 4.7 – 7.1 

Minnesota ......................... 4,424 4,449 3,093 3,095 2,995 2,904 98 191 3.2 6.2 4.7 – 7.6 

Missouri ............................ 4,815 4,835 3,079 3,053 2,978 2,867 101 186 3.3 6.1 5.2 – 7.0 

Nebraska .......................... 1,479 1,487 1,041 1,035 1,009 991 31 44 3.0 4.2 3.5 – 5.0 

North Dakota .................... 584 585 409 407 400 386 10 21 2.3 5.1 4.3 – 6.0 

South Dakota ................... 674 680 463 463 449 442 14 22 3.0 4.6 3.7 – 5.6 

South ...................................... 98,135 99,146 60,608 59,789 58,481 55,496 2,127 4,293 3.5 7.2 7.0 – 7.3 

South Atlantic ...................... 52,211 52,751 32,322 31,728 31,232 29,482 1,090 2,246 3.4 7.1 6.9 – 7.3 

Delaware .......................... 781 791 488 484 470 446 18 38 3.7 7.8 6.4 – 9.2 

District of Columbia .......... 581 584 415 410 393 377 22 33 5.4 8.0 7.0 – 9.0 

Florida ............................... 17,421 17,647 10,330 10,114 9,991 9,333 339 781 3.3 7.7 6.6 – 8.9 

Georgia ............................. 8,204 8,298 5,148 5,072 4,966 4,741 182 331 3.5 6.5 5.7 – 7.3 

Maryland ........................... 4,766 4,773 3,270 3,173 3,156 2,958 114 215 3.5 6.8 5.8 – 7.7 

North Carolina .................. 8,255 8,360 5,077 4,951 4,886 4,587 192 363 3.8 7.3 6.4 – 8.3 

South Carolina ................. 4,069 4,131 2,368 2,385 2,303 2,237 65 147 2.8 6.2 5.0 – 7.3 

Virginia .............................. 6,685 6,724 4,427 4,347 4,309 4,075 119 271 2.7 6.2 5.3 – 7.2 

West Virginia .................... 1,450 1,444 798 792 759 726 39 66 4.9 8.3 7.3 – 9.4 

East South Central .............. 15,031 15,114 8,917 8,799 8,580 8,186 337 613 3.8 7.0 6.6 – 7.3 

Alabama ........................... 3,866 3,882 2,237 2,230 2,169 2,099 68 131 3.0 5.9 4.9 – 6.9 

Kentucky ........................... 3,497 3,508 2,070 2,020 1,985 1,886 86 134 4.1 6.6 5.2 – 8.1 

Mississippi ........................ 2,287 2,287 1,280 1,259 1,209 1,158 71 102 5.5 8.1 7.0 – 9.2 

Tennessee ........................ 5,381 5,438 3,329 3,289 3,217 3,044 112 246 3.4 7.5 6.4 – 8.5 

West South Central ............ 30,892 31,281 19,368 19,263 18,669 17,828 700 1,435 3.6 7.4 7.2 – 7.7 

Arkansas .......................... 2,346 2,358 1,365 1,354 1,317 1,272 48 82 3.5 6.1 5.2 – 6.9 

Louisiana .......................... 3,584 3,581 2,120 2,077 2,021 1,905 99 171 4.7 8.3 7.2 – 9.3 

Oklahoma ......................... 3,031 3,053 1,846 1,848 1,788 1,735 57 114 3.1 6.1 5.2 – 7.1 

Texas ................................ 21,931 22,289 14,038 13,983 13,542 12,915 496 1,068 3.5 7.6 7.0 – 8.3 

West ....................................... 61,482 61,982 38,907 38,364 37,368 34,907 1,539 3,457 4.0 9.0 8.8 – 9.2 

Mountain .............................. 19,372 19,727 12,514 12,528 12,054 11,570 460 958 3.7 7.6 7.3 – 8.0 

Arizona ............................. 5,728 5,860 3,539 3,570 3,367 3,288 172 282 4.9 7.9 6.7 – 9.1 

Colorado ........................... 4,547 4,610 3,126 3,122 3,043 2,895 83 227 2.7 7.3 6.1 – 8.5 

Idaho ................................. 1,370 1,406 879 892 855 844 24 48 2.8 5.4 4.5 – 6.2 

Montana ............................ 852 862 537 540 518 508 19 32 3.6 5.9 5.1 – 6.7 

Nevada ............................. 2,433 2,481 1,566 1,531 1,505 1,334 61 196 3.9 12.8 11.1 – 14.6 

New Mexico ...................... 1,642 1,653 960 943 912 864 48 79 5.0 8.4 7.5 – 9.3 

Utah .................................. 2,350 2,400 1,609 1,632 1,569 1,556 41 76 2.5 4.7 4.0 – 5.4 

Wyoming .......................... 451 454 296 297 285 279 11 17 3.7 5.8 5.0 – 6.7 

Pacific .................................. 42,110 42,255 26,393 25,836 25,314 23,337 1,079 2,499 4.1 9.7 9.4 – 10.0 

Alaska ............................... 546 546 354 347 335 320 19 27 5.4 7.8 6.6 – 9.1 

California .......................... 31,043 31,084 19,354 18,821 18,551 16,913 803 1,908 4.2 10.1 9.6 – 10.7 

Hawaii ............................... 1,091 1,086 669 648 653 573 16 75 2.5 11.6 10.1 – 13.1 

Oregon .............................. 3,409 3,441 2,107 2,105 2,029 1,945 78 159 3.7 7.6 6.5 – 8.6 

Washington ...................... 6,021 6,099 3,909 3,915 3,747 3,586 162 329 4.1 8.4 7.4 – 9.4 

Region, division, and state Error range of rate, 

2020 1

1 Error ranges are shown at the 90-percent confidence level and are based on unrounded data. 

NOTE: Data refer to place of residence. Unemployment rates are in percent and are based on

unrounded levels. Data for subnational areas reflect revised population controls and model 

re-estimation. As a result, they will not add to U.S. totals.
Table 2. Employment-population ratios of persons 16 years of age and over by region, division, and state,

2019–20 annual averages

(Percent)

Employment-population ratio 1

2019 2020

United States ................................................................ 60.8 56.8 -4.0 56.6 – 56.9 

Northeast ......................................................................... 61.0 56.4 -4.6 56.0 – 56.8 

New England ................................................................ 64.5 59.3 -5.2 58.6 – 60.0 

Connecticut ................................................................ 64.1 59.8 -4.3 58.2 – 61.4 

Maine ......................................................................... 60.9 57.2 -3.7 55.3 – 59.2 

Massachusetts .......................................................... 65.1 59.0 -6.1 57.9 – 60.2

New Hampshire ......................................................... 67.1 62.9 -4.2 61.6 – 64.2

Rhode Island ............................................................. 62.4 56.8 -5.6 55.0 – 58.6

Vermont ..................................................................... 64.9 60.1 -4.8 58.7 – 61.5

Middle Atlantic .............................................................. 59.7 55.3 -4.4 54.8 – 55.9

New Jersey ................................................................ 61.7 57.3 -4.4 56.0 – 58.6

New York ................................................................... 58.4 53.7 -4.7 52.8 – 54.5

Pennsylvania ............................................................. 60.4 56.5 -3.9 55.4 – 57.6

Midwest ........................................................................... 62.8 59.1 -3.7 58.7 – 59.5

East North Central ....................................................... 61.4 57.2 -4.2 56.7 – 57.8

Illinois ......................................................................... 61.9 56.8 -5.1 55.4 – 58.2

Indiana ....................................................................... 62.4 58.5 -3.9 57.1 – 59.8

Michigan .................................................................... 59.4 54.6 -4.8 53.1 – 56.0

Ohio ........................................................................... 60.6 57.1 -3.5 55.9 – 58.3

Wisconsin .................................................................. 64.6 61.7 -2.9 60.3 – 63.2

West North Central ...................................................... 65.8 63.2 -2.6 62.5 – 63.8

Iowa ........................................................................... 68.2 63.7 -4.5 62.2 – 65.2

Kansas ....................................................................... 64.9 63.1 -1.8 61.6 – 64.5 

Minnesota .................................................................. 67.7 65.3 -2.4 63.7 – 66.8 

Missouri ..................................................................... 61.9 59.3 -2.6 57.7 – 60.9 

Nebraska ................................................................... 68.2 66.7 -1.5 65.3 – 68.0

North Dakota ............................................................. 68.5 66.0 -2.5 64.2 – 67.8

South Dakota ............................................................. 66.7 65.0 -1.7 63.0 – 66.9

South ............................................................................... 59.6 56.0 -3.6 55.7 – 56.3

South Atlantic ............................................................... 59.8 55.9 -3.9 55.4 – 56.3

Delaware .................................................................... 60.2 56.5 -3.7 54.6 – 58.3

District of Columbia ................................................... 67.6 64.6 -3.0 63.1 – 66.0 

Florida ........................................................................ 57.4 52.9 -4.5 51.9 – 53.9

Georgia ...................................................................... 60.5 57.1 -3.4 55.9 – 58.4

Maryland .................................................................... 66.2 62.0 -4.2 60.5 – 63.5

North Carolina ........................................................... 59.2 54.9 -4.3 53.7 – 56.1

South Carolina ........................................................... 56.6 54.2 -2.4 52.9 – 55.5

Virginia ....................................................................... 64.5 60.6 -3.9 59.3 – 61.9

West Virginia ............................................................. 52.4 50.3 -2.1 48.6 – 52.0

East South Central ....................................................... 57.1 54.2 -2.9 53.4 – 54.9

Alabama .................................................................... 56.1 54.1 -2.0 52.5 – 55.7

Kentucky .................................................................... 56.7 53.8 -2.9 52.0 – 55.5

Mississippi ................................................................. 52.9 50.6 -2.3 49.2 – 52.0

Tennessee ................................................................. 59.8 56.0 -3.8 54.4 – 57.5

West South Central ...................................................... 60.4 57.0 -3.4 56.5 – 57.5

Arkansas .................................................................... 56.2 53.9 -2.3 52.5 – 55.4

Louisiana ................................................................... 56.4 53.2 -3.2 51.8 – 54.6

Oklahoma .................................................................. 59.0 56.8 -2.2 55.4 – 58.3

Texas ......................................................................... 61.7 57.9 -3.8 57.1 – 58.8

West ................................................................................ 60.8 56.3 -4.5 55.9 – 56.7

Mountain ....................................................................... 62.2 58.6 -3.6 58.0 – 59.3

Arizona ....................................................................... 58.8 56.1 -2.7 54.7 – 57.6

Colorado .................................................................... 66.9 62.8 -4.1 61.2 – 64.4

Idaho .......................................................................... 62.4 60.0 -2.4 58.6 – 61.4

Montana ..................................................................... 60.8 59.0 -1.8 57.6 – 60.4

Nevada ...................................................................... 61.9 53.8 -8.1 52.0 – 55.6

New Mexico ............................................................... 55.5 52.3 -3.2 50.8 – 53.7

Utah ........................................................................... 66.8 64.8 -2.0 63.3 – 66.4

Wyoming .................................................................... 63.2 61.5 -1.7 60.0 – 63.0

Pacific ........................................................................... 60.1 55.2 -4.9 54.8 – 55.7 

Alaska ........................................................................ 61.3 58.7 -2.6 57.0 – 60.4 

California .................................................................... 59.8 54.4 -5.4 53.7 – 55.1 

Hawaii ........................................................................ 59.8 52.7 -7.1 51.1 – 54.3 

Oregon ....................................................................... 59.5 56.5 -3.0 54.9 – 58.1 

Washington ............................................................... 62.2 58.8 -3.4 57.2 – 60.4 

Region, division, and state Error range of ratio, 

2020 2

Over-the-year 

change

1 Employment as a percent of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 

years of age and over.

2 Error ranges are shown at the 90-percent confidence level and are 

based on unrounded data.

NOTE: Data refer to place of residence. Employment-population 

ratios are based on unrounded levels. Data for subnational areas 

reflect revised population controls and model re-estimation.
TX

CA

MT

AZ NM

NV

ID

CO

OR

WY

UT

KS

MN

NE

IL

SD

IA

ND

OK

FL

MO

WA

WI

GA

AL

AR

LA

NY

NC

PA

MI

MS

INTN

VA

KY

OH

SC

M

WV

VT NH

MD.

DE

N.J.

CO

HAWAII

ALASKA

Pacific

Mountain

West

North Central

East

North Central

New England

Middle

Atlantic

So

Atla

East

South Central

West

South Central

Map 1. Over-the-year change in unemployment rat2019–20 annual averages

(U.S. change = +4.4 percentage points)
TX

CA

MT

AZ NM

NV

ID

CO

OR

WY

UT

KS

MN

NE

IL

SD

IA

ND

OK

FL

MO

WA

WI

GA

AL

AR

LA

NY

NC

PA

MI

MS

INTN

VA

KY

OH

SC

M

WV

VT NH

MD.

DE

N.J.

CO

HAWAII

ALASKA

Pacific

Mountain

West

North Central

East

North Central

New England

Middle

Atlantic

So

Atla

East

South Central

West

South Central

Map 2. Unemployment rates by state, 2020 annua

(U.S. rate = 8.1 percent)
TX

CA

MT

AZ NM

NV

ID

CO

OR

WY

UT

KS

MN

NE

IL

SD

IA

ND

OK

FL

MO

WA

WI

GA

AL

AR

LA

NY

NC

PA

MI

MS

INTN

VA

KY

OH

SC

M

VT NH

MD.

DE

N.J.

CO

HAWAII

ALASKA

Pacific

Mountain

West

North Central

East

North Central

New England

Middle

Atlantic

So

Atla

East

South Central

West

South Central

Map 3. Employment-population ratios by state,2020 annual averaJHV

(U.S. UDWLR = 56.8 percent)

WV