For release 10:00 a.m. (EST) Tuesday, February 28, 2017 USDL-17-0286 

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

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

REGIONAL AND STATE UNEMPLOYMENT — 2016 ANNUAL AVERAGES

Annual average unemployment rates decreased in 38 states and the District of Columbia, 

increased in 9 states, and were unchanged in 3 states in 2016, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 

reported today. Employment-population ratios increased in 36 states and the District, decreased 

in 12 states, and were unchanged in 2 states. The U.S. jobless rate declined by 0.4 percentage 

point from the prior year to 4.9 percent, and the national employment-population ratio rose by 

0.4 point to 59.7 percent. 

Regional Unemployment 

All four regions had statistically significant unemployment rate decreases from 2015: the West

(-0.6 percentage point), Northeast (-0.5 point), South (-0.4 point), and Midwest (-0.1 point). The 

Midwest, at 4.7 percent, had the only jobless rate significantly lower than that of the U.S. in 

2016, while the West, at 5.1 percent, had the only rate significantly above the national figure. 

(See table 1.)

Six of the 9 geographic divisions had statistically significant over-the-year unemployment rate 

changes in 2016, all of which were declines. The largest of these occurred in New England (-0.8 

percentage point) and the Pacific and South Atlantic (-0.7 point each). The West North Central 

had the lowest jobless rate among the divisions, 3.9 percent. New England, at 4.1 percent, and 

the Mountain division, at 4.6 percent, also had rates significantly below the U.S. average. The 

East South Central and Pacific, at 5.3 percent each, had unemployment rates that were 

measurably higher than that of the U.S. 

State Unemployment

Twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia had statistically significant unemployment rate 

decreases in 2016. The largest declines occurred in Massachusetts and South Carolina (-1.2 

percentage points each), closely followed by Arkansas and Nevada (-1.1 points each). Three 

states had significant over-the-year rate increases: Wyoming (+1.1 percentage points), Oklahoma 

(+0.5 point), and North Dakota (+0.4 point). The remaining 20 states had annual average jobless 

rates in 2016 that were not appreciably different from those of the previous year, though some 

had changes that were at least as large numerically as the significant changes. (See table A and 

map 1.) 
- 2 - 

New Hampshire and South Dakota had the lowest unemployment rates, 2.8 percent each in 2016. 

New Mexico and Alaska had the highest jobless rates, 6.7 percent and 6.6 percent, respectively. 

Overall, 19 states had unemployment rates that were significantly lower than the U.S. figure of 

4.9 percent, while 12 states and the District of Columbia had rates measurably above it. Arkansas 

had the lowest unemployment rate in its series in 2016, 4.0 percent, while Oregon matched its 

series low of 4.9 percent, last recorded in 1995. (All region, division, and state series begin in 

1976. See table B and map 2.) 

Regional Employment-Population Ratios

In 2016, three regions had statistically significant changes in their employment-population 

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

are employed—all of which were increases. These occurred in the West (+0.5 percentage point) 

and the Midwest and South (+0.4 point each). The Midwest had the highest ratio, 62.2 percent, 

while the South, at 58.3 percent, had the lowest. These two regions had the only ratios that were 

significantly different from the national figure of 59.7 percent. (See table 2.)

Among the nine geographic divisions, all of the significant changes in employment-population 

ratios from 2015 to 2016 were increases: the East South Central (+0.7 percentage point) and the 

East North Central, Pacific, and South Atlantic (+0.6 point each). The division with the highest 

employment-population ratio in 2016 was the West North Central, at 65.4 percent, followed by 

New England, at 62.7 percent. These two divisions, along with the East North Central and 

Mountain, at 60.8 percent and 60.5 percent, respectively, had employment-population ratios 

measurably above that of the U.S. The East South Central had the lowest proportion of employed 

persons, 55.0 percent. The ratios in the South Atlantic (58.6 percent), Middle Atlantic (59.0 

percent), and Pacific (59.2 percent) also were appreciably below the national average.

State Employment-Population Ratios 

In 2016, the largest employment-population ratio increases among the states occurred in Oregon 

(+1.5 percentage points) and Georgia (+1.1 points). Twelve other states also had statistically 

significant increases in their ratios. Three states had significant over-the-year decreases in their 

employment-population ratios: Louisiana and Wyoming (-1.2 percentage points each) and 

Nebraska (-0.4 point). (See table C.)

North Dakota had the highest proportion of employed persons, 69.2 percent in 2016. Four other 

states in the West North Central division had the next highest ratios: Nebraska, 67.3 percent; 

Iowa and South Dakota, 67.0 percent each; and Minnesota, 66.8 percent. West Virginia had the 

lowest employment-population ratio among the states, 50.0 percent. (West Virginia has had the 

lowest employment-population ratio each year since the series began in 1976.) Overall, 24 states 

and the District of Columbia had employment-population ratios that were significantly above the 

U.S. ratio of 59.7 percent and 16 states had ratios that were appreciably below it. Alaska and 

New Mexico, at 61.7 percent and 53.7 percent, respectively, had the lowest employmentpopulation ratios in their series in 2016. (See table D and map 3.) 
- 3 - 

_____________ 

The State Employment and Unemployment news release for January 2017 is scheduled to 

be released on Monday, March 13, 2017, at 10:00 a.m. (EDT). The Metropolitan Area 

Employment and Unemployment news release for January 2017 is scheduled to be released 

on Friday, March 17, 2017, at 10:00 a.m. (EDT). 
- 4 - 

Table A. States with statistically significant unemployment rate changes, 2015–16

annual averages

2015 2016

Arizona .................................... 6.0 5.3 -0.7

Arkansas ................................. 5.1 4.0 -1.1

California ................................. 6.2 5.4 -.8

Colorado .................................. 3.9 3.3 -.6

Connecticut ............................. 5.7 5.1 -.6

District of Columbia .................. 6.9 6.0 -.9

Florida ..................................... 5.4 4.9 -.5

Georgia ................................... 6.0 5.4 -.6

Hawaii ..................................... 3.6 3.0 -.6

Idaho ....................................... 4.2 3.8 -.4

Maine ...................................... 4.4 3.9 -.5

Maryland ................................. 5.1 4.3 -.8

Massachusetts ........................ 4.9 3.7 -1.2

Michigan .................................. 5.4 4.9 -.5

Mississippi .............................. 6.4 5.8 -.6

Missouri .................................. 5.0 4.5 -.5

Nevada .................................... 6.8 5.7 -1.1

New Hampshire ........................ 3.4 2.8 -.6

New Jersey .............................. 5.8 5.0 -.8

New York ................................. 5.3 4.8 -.5

North Carolina .......................... 5.8 5.1 -.7

North Dakota ............................ 2.8 3.2 .4

Oklahoma ................................ 4.4 4.9 .5

Oregon .................................... 5.6 4.9 -.7

Rhode Island ............................ 6.0 5.3 -.7

South Carolina ......................... 6.0 4.8 -1.2

Tennessee ............................... 5.6 4.8 -.8

Vermont .................................. 3.6 3.3 -.3

Virginia .................................... 4.5 4.0 -.5

West Virginia ........................... 6.8 6.0 -.8

Wyoming ................................. 4.2 5.3 1.1

Rate

State Over-the-year rate 

change 
- 5 - 

State Rate 

United States ................................................... 4.9

Alabama .......................................................... 6.0

Alaska ............................................................ 6.6

Arkansas ......................................................... 4.0

California ......................................................... 5.4

Colorado .......................................................... 3.3

District of Columbia .......................................... 6.0

Georgia ........................................................... 5.4

Hawaii ............................................................. 3.0

Idaho ............................................................... 3.8

Illinois ............................................................. 5.9

Iowa ................................................................ 3.7

Kansas ........................................................... 4.2

Louisiana ......................................................... 6.1

Maine .............................................................. 3.9

Maryland ......................................................... 4.3

Massachusetts ................................................ 3.7

Minnesota ....................................................... 3.9

Mississippi ...................................................... 5.8

Montana .......................................................... 4.1

Nebraska ......................................................... 3.2

Nevada ............................................................ 5.7

New Hampshire ................................................ 2.8

New Mexico ..................................................... 6.7

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

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

South Dakota ................................................... 2.8

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

Vermont .......................................................... 3.3

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

Washington ..................................................... 5.4

West Virginia ................................................... 6.0

Wisconsin ....................................................... 4.1

of the U.S., 2016 annual averages

Table B. States with unemployment rates significantly different from that
- 6 - 

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

2015–16 annual averages

2015 2016

Arkansas ................................. 55.1 55.8 0.7

California ................................. 58.3 58.9 .6

Florida ..................................... 55.8 56.3 .5

Georgia ................................... 57.9 59.0 1.1

Hawaii ..................................... 59.8 60.8 1.0

Indiana .................................... 60.8 61.8 1.0

Louisiana ................................. 56.7 55.5 -1.2

Maryland ................................. 63.5 64.2 .7

Michigan .................................. 57.2 58.2 1.0

Nebraska ................................. 67.7 67.3 -.4

New Hampshire ........................ 66.2 66.7 .5

North Carolina .......................... 57.7 58.7 1.0

Oregon .................................... 58.0 59.5 1.5

South Carolina ......................... 55.8 56.3 .5

Tennessee ............................... 56.2 57.2 1.0

Washington ............................. 59.6 60.2 .6

Wyoming ................................. 64.7 63.5 -1.2

State

Ratio Over-the-year ratio 

change 
- 7 - 

State Ratio 

United States ................................................... 59.7

Alabama .......................................................... 53.4

Alaska ............................................................ 61.7

Arizona ........................................................... 57.1

Arkansas ......................................................... 55.8

California ......................................................... 58.9

Colorado .......................................................... 64.7

Connecticut ..................................................... 62.6

District of Columbia .......................................... 65.9

Florida ............................................................. 56.3

Idaho ............................................................... 61.5

Illinois ............................................................. 61.4

Indiana ............................................................ 61.8

Iowa ................................................................ 67.0

Kansas ........................................................... 64.3

Kentucky ......................................................... 54.7

Louisiana ......................................................... 55.5

Maryland ......................................................... 64.2

Massachusetts ................................................ 62.5

Michigan ......................................................... 58.2

Minnesota ....................................................... 66.8

Mississippi ...................................................... 52.8

Missouri .......................................................... 62.4

Montana .......................................................... 61.2

Nebraska ......................................................... 67.3

New Hampshire ................................................ 66.7

New Mexico ..................................................... 53.7

New York ........................................................ 57.7

North Carolina .................................................. 58.7

North Dakota ................................................... 69.2

Oklahoma ........................................................ 58.2

Rhode Island .................................................... 61.0

South Carolina ................................................. 56.3

South Dakota ................................................... 67.0

Tennessee ....................................................... 57.2

Texas .............................................................. 60.7

Utah ................................................................ 66.4

Vermont .......................................................... 64.8

Virginia ............................................................ 62.2

West Virginia ................................................... 50.0

Wisconsin ....................................................... 65.4

Wyoming ......................................................... 63.5

from that of the U.S., 2016 annual averages

Table D. States with employment-population ratios significantly different 
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 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 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 

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). 

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. The introductory section of 

this release preserves the long-time practice of 

highlighting the direction of the movements in 

regional and state unemployment rates and 

employment-population ratios regardless of their 

statistical significance. The remainder of the analysis 
in the release—other than historical highs and lows—

takes statistical significance into consideration. 

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 0.4 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 0.6 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,

2015–16 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Population Civilian labor force Employed Unemployed Unemployment rate

2015 2016 2015 2016 2015 2016 2015 2016 2015 2016

United States ....................... 250,801 253,538 157,130 159,187 148,834 151,436 8,296 7,751 5.3 4.9 4.8 – 4.9 

Northeast ............................... 44,981 45,097 28,342 28,397 26,850 27,041 1,493 1,357 5.3 4.8 4.6 – 4.9 

New England ....................... 11,905 11,956 7,795 7,817 7,412 7,499 383 317 4.9 4.1 3.8 – 4.3 

Connecticut ...................... 2,868 2,870 1,891 1,892 1,782 1,796 108 96 5.7 5.1 4.5 – 5.7 

Maine ................................ 1,092 1,095 683 691 653 664 30 27 4.4 3.9 3.3 – 4.4 

Massachusetts ................. 5,492 5,528 3,580 3,589 3,406 3,456 174 133 4.9 3.7 3.3 – 4.1 

New Hampshire ................ 1,083 1,090 743 749 718 727 25 21 3.4 2.8 2.5 – 3.2 

Rhode Island .................... 855 857 554 552 520 523 33 29 6.0 5.3 4.7 – 6.0 

Vermont ............................ 515 515 345 345 333 334 12 11 3.6 3.3 2.9 – 3.6 

Middle Atlantic ..................... 33,076 33,141 20,548 20,581 19,438 19,541 1,110 1,039 5.4 5.1 4.8 – 5.3 

New Jersey ....................... 7,068 7,092 4,531 4,524 4,268 4,300 263 224 5.8 5.0 4.5 – 5.4 

New York .......................... 15,788 15,818 9,591 9,584 9,085 9,121 507 463 5.3 4.8 4.5 – 5.1 

Pennsylvania .................... 10,220 10,231 6,426 6,472 6,085 6,120 341 352 5.3 5.4 5.1 – 5.8 

Midwest .................................. 53,020 53,207 34,460 34,714 32,790 33,093 1,671 1,621 4.8 4.7 4.5 – 4.8 

East North Central .............. 36,689 36,783 23,323 23,536 22,101 22,356 1,222 1,180 5.2 5.0 4.8 – 5.2 

Illinois ................................ 10,035 10,031 6,507 6,539 6,121 6,155 386 384 5.9 5.9 5.5 – 6.3 

Indiana .............................. 5,118 5,145 3,272 3,327 3,114 3,180 158 147 4.8 4.4 4.0 – 4.9 

Michigan ........................... 7,870 7,896 4,757 4,837 4,500 4,599 257 238 5.4 4.9 4.5 – 5.4 

Ohio .................................. 9,115 9,140 5,692 5,713 5,413 5,431 279 282 4.9 4.9 4.5 – 5.3 

Wisconsin ......................... 4,551 4,571 3,095 3,120 2,954 2,991 141 129 4.6 4.1 3.7 – 4.6 

West North Central ............. 16,331 16,424 11,138 11,178 10,688 10,737 449 441 4.0 3.9 3.7 – 4.2 

Iowa .................................. 2,432 2,445 1,703 1,701 1,638 1,638 65 62 3.8 3.7 3.2 – 4.1 

Kansas .............................. 2,203 2,211 1,489 1,484 1,427 1,422 62 62 4.2 4.2 3.7 – 4.6 

Minnesota ......................... 4,283 4,317 2,976 3,001 2,865 2,884 111 117 3.7 3.9 3.5 – 4.3 

Missouri ............................ 4,736 4,758 3,097 3,112 2,942 2,971 155 141 5.0 4.5 4.1 – 5.0 

Nebraska .......................... 1,443 1,454 1,008 1,011 978 979 31 32 3.0 3.2 2.8 – 3.6 

North Dakota .................... 581 582 414 416 403 403 12 13 2.8 3.2 2.8 – 3.5 

South Dakota ................... 651 657 451 453 437 440 14 13 3.1 2.8 2.4 – 3.2 

South ...................................... 93,650 94,862 57,271 58,145 54,250 55,306 3,021 2,839 5.3 4.9 4.8 – 5.0 

South Atlantic ...................... 49,652 50,338 30,441 30,992 28,774 29,493 1,667 1,499 5.5 4.8 4.7 – 5.0 

Delaware .......................... 748 756 467 473 445 452 23 21 4.8 4.4 3.9 – 4.9 

District of Columbia .......... 552 560 387 392 360 369 27 24 6.9 6.0 5.5 – 6.5 

Florida ............................... 16,291 16,616 9,619 9,839 9,098 9,359 521 480 5.4 4.9 4.6 – 5.2 

Georgia ............................. 7,774 7,886 4,787 4,920 4,502 4,656 285 264 6.0 5.4 4.9 – 5.8 

Maryland ........................... 4,704 4,726 3,147 3,170 2,987 3,034 161 136 5.1 4.3 3.8 – 4.7 

North Carolina .................. 7,786 7,892 4,768 4,876 4,494 4,629 274 246 5.8 5.1 4.6 – 5.5 

South Carolina ................. 3,822 3,887 2,270 2,298 2,135 2,187 136 111 6.0 4.8 4.3 – 5.3 

Virginia .............................. 6,497 6,542 4,212 4,240 4,024 4,070 188 170 4.5 4.0 3.6 – 4.4 

West Virginia .................... 1,478 1,472 783 783 730 736 53 47 6.8 6.0 5.5 – 6.5 

East South Central .............. 14,682 14,777 8,459 8,576 7,970 8,121 489 455 5.8 5.3 5.0 – 5.6 

Alabama ........................... 3,800 3,816 2,152 2,169 2,021 2,039 132 130 6.1 6.0 5.5 – 6.5 

Kentucky ........................... 3,441 3,458 1,966 1,992 1,862 1,892 104 100 5.3 5.0 4.4 – 5.6 

Mississippi ........................ 2,279 2,285 1,270 1,280 1,189 1,206 81 75 6.4 5.8 5.3 – 6.4 

Tennessee ........................ 5,162 5,217 3,071 3,135 2,899 2,984 172 151 5.6 4.8 4.4 – 5.3 

West South Central ............ 29,317 29,747 18,371 18,577 17,506 17,692 866 885 4.7 4.8 4.6 – 5.0 

Arkansas .......................... 2,298 2,311 1,333 1,343 1,265 1,289 67 54 5.1 4.0 3.6 – 4.4 

Louisiana .......................... 3,570 3,587 2,161 2,121 2,024 1,992 137 129 6.3 6.1 5.6 – 6.6 

Oklahoma ......................... 2,970 2,988 1,834 1,828 1,753 1,739 80 89 4.4 4.9 4.4 – 5.4 

Texas ................................ 20,479 20,862 13,044 13,285 12,463 12,672 581 613 4.5 4.6 4.4 – 4.9 

West ....................................... 58,864 59,665 36,879 37,486 34,772 35,574 2,108 1,912 5.7 5.1 4.9 – 5.3 

Mountain .............................. 18,018 18,352 11,425 11,638 10,845 11,106 580 532 5.1 4.6 4.3 – 4.8 

Arizona ............................. 5,267 5,374 3,165 3,238 2,974 3,066 191 172 6.0 5.3 4.8 – 5.8 

Colorado ........................... 4,234 4,323 2,834 2,891 2,723 2,795 111 96 3.9 3.3 2.9 – 3.7 

Idaho ................................. 1,247 1,273 797 815 763 783 34 31 4.2 3.8 3.4 – 4.2 

Montana ............................ 816 824 520 526 498 505 22 22 4.2 4.1 3.8 – 4.5 

Nevada ............................. 2,249 2,297 1,415 1,427 1,318 1,346 96 81 6.8 5.7 5.1 – 6.3 

New Mexico ...................... 1,604 1,610 924 927 863 865 61 62 6.6 6.7 6.2 – 7.3 

Utah .................................. 2,148 2,200 1,466 1,511 1,413 1,460 53 52 3.6 3.4 3.0 – 3.8 

Wyoming .......................... 452 451 305 302 292 286 13 16 4.2 5.3 4.8 – 5.8 

Pacific .................................. 40,846 41,313 25,454 25,848 23,926 24,467 1,528 1,380 6.0 5.3 5.1 – 5.5 

Alaska ............................... 542 546 363 360 339 337 23 24 6.4 6.6 6.0 – 7.3 

California .......................... 30,379 30,669 18,893 19,103 17,723 18,065 1,170 1,038 6.2 5.4 5.2 – 5.7 

Hawaii ............................... 1,088 1,093 675 685 651 665 24 21 3.6 3.0 2.6 – 3.4 

Oregon .............................. 3,221 3,283 1,978 2,055 1,867 1,955 111 100 5.6 4.9 4.4 – 5.4 

Washington ...................... 5,616 5,722 3,546 3,644 3,346 3,446 200 198 5.6 5.4 5.0 – 5.9 

Puerto Rico ............................ 2,814 2,787 1,122 1,121 988 989 135 132 12.0 11.8 NA

Region, division, and state Error range of rate, 

2016 1

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

NA = Data not available.

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. Data for Puerto Rico are 

derived from a monthly household survey similar to the Current Population Survey.
Table 2. Employment-population ratios of persons 16 years of age and over by region, division, and state,

2015–16 annual averages

(Percent)

Employment-population ratio 1

2015 2016

United States ................................................................ 59.3 59.7 0.4 59.5 – 59.9 

Northeast ........................................................................ 59.7 60.0 .3 59.5 – 60.4 

New England ................................................................ 62.3 62.7 .4 62.0 – 63.5 

Connecticut ............................................................... 62.1 62.6 .5 61.1 – 64.0 

Maine ......................................................................... 59.8 60.7 .9 59.1 – 62.2 

Massachusetts .......................................................... 62.0 62.5 .5 61.5 – 63.6 

New Hampshire ......................................................... 66.2 66.7 .5 65.7 – 67.8 

Rhode Island ............................................................. 60.9 61.0 .1 59.8 – 62.2 

Vermont ..................................................................... 64.7 64.8 .1 63.5 – 66.0 

Middle Atlantic .............................................................. 58.8 59.0 .2 58.4 – 59.5 

New Jersey ................................................................ 60.4 60.6 .2 59.7 – 61.5 

New York ................................................................... 57.5 57.7 .2 56.9 – 58.5 

Pennsylvania ............................................................. 59.5 59.8 .3 59.1 – 60.6 

Midwest ........................................................................... 61.8 62.2 .4 61.8 – 62.6 

East North Central ....................................................... 60.2 60.8 .6 60.2 – 61.3 

Illinois ......................................................................... 61.0 61.4 .4 60.5 – 62.2 

Indiana ....................................................................... 60.8 61.8 1.0 60.6 – 63.0 

Michigan .................................................................... 57.2 58.2 1.0 57.2 – 59.3 

Ohio ........................................................................... 59.4 59.4 .0 58.4 – 60.4 

Wisconsin .................................................................. 64.9 65.4 .5 64.1 – 66.8 

West North Central ...................................................... 65.4 65.4 .0 64.7 – 66.1 

Iowa ........................................................................... 67.3 67.0 -.3 65.6 – 68.4 

Kansas ....................................................................... 64.8 64.3 -.5 63.0 – 65.6 

Minnesota .................................................................. 66.9 66.8 -.1 65.7 – 67.9 

Missouri ..................................................................... 62.1 62.4 .3 61.1 – 63.8 

Nebraska ................................................................... 67.7 67.3 -.4 66.3 – 68.3 

North Dakota ............................................................. 69.3 69.2 -.1 67.8 – 70.6 

South Dakota ............................................................. 67.1 67.0 -.1 65.8 – 68.3 

South ............................................................................... 57.9 58.3 .4 58.0 – 58.6 

South Atlantic ............................................................... 58.0 58.6 .6 58.2 – 59.0 

Delaware ................................................................... 59.5 59.8 .3 58.5 – 61.1 

District of Columbia ................................................... 65.3 65.9 .6 64.8 – 66.9 

Florida ........................................................................ 55.8 56.3 .5 55.6 – 57.0 

Georgia ...................................................................... 57.9 59.0 1.1 58.2 – 59.9 

Maryland .................................................................... 63.5 64.2 .7 63.2 – 65.2 

North Carolina ........................................................... 57.7 58.7 1.0 57.7 – 59.6 

South Carolina ........................................................... 55.8 56.3 .5 55.4 – 57.1 

Virginia ....................................................................... 61.9 62.2 .3 61.0 – 63.4 

West Virginia ............................................................. 49.4 50.0 .6 48.7 – 51.3 

East South Central ....................................................... 54.3 55.0 .7 54.2 – 55.7 

Alabama .................................................................... 53.2 53.4 .2 52.3 – 54.5 

Kentucky .................................................................... 54.1 54.7 .6 53.3 – 56.1 

Mississippi ................................................................. 52.2 52.8 .6 51.5 – 54.0 

Tennessee ................................................................. 56.2 57.2 1.0 56.0 – 58.4 

West South Central ...................................................... 59.7 59.5 -.2 58.9 – 60.1 

Arkansas .................................................................... 55.1 55.8 .7 54.7 – 56.9 

Louisiana ................................................................... 56.7 55.5 -1.2 54.5 – 56.5 

Oklahoma .................................................................. 59.0 58.2 -.8 56.9 – 59.5 

Texas ......................................................................... 60.9 60.7 -.2 60.1 – 61.4 

West ................................................................................ 59.1 59.6 .5 59.3 – 60.0 

Mountain ....................................................................... 60.2 60.5 .3 59.9 – 61.2 

Arizona ...................................................................... 56.5 57.1 .6 55.9 – 58.3 

Colorado .................................................................... 64.3 64.7 .4 63.2 – 66.1 

Idaho .......................................................................... 61.2 61.5 .3 60.3 – 62.8 

Montana ..................................................................... 61.1 61.2 .1 60.1 – 62.4 

Nevada ...................................................................... 58.6 58.6 .0 57.4 – 59.8 

New Mexico ............................................................... 53.8 53.7 -.1 52.6 – 54.9 

Utah ........................................................................... 65.8 66.4 .6 65.2 – 67.5 

Wyoming ................................................................... 64.7 63.5 -1.2 62.0 – 64.9 

Pacific ........................................................................... 58.6 59.2 .6 58.8 – 59.6 

Alaska ........................................................................ 62.6 61.7 -.9 59.8 – 63.6 

California ................................................................... 58.3 58.9 .6 58.4 – 59.4 

Hawaii ........................................................................ 59.8 60.8 1.0 59.7 – 61.9 

Oregon ....................................................................... 58.0 59.5 1.5 58.4 – 60.7 

Washington ............................................................... 59.6 60.2 .6 59.2 – 61.2 

Puerto Rico ..................................................................... 35.1 35.5 .4

Region, division, and state Error range of ratio, 

2016 2

Over-the-year 

change

 NA

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. 

NA = Data not available.

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. Data for 

Puerto Rico are derived from a monthly household survey similar to the 

Current Population Survey.
TEXAS

N.M.

CALIF.

MONT.

NEV.

ARIZ.

ORE.

S.D.

WYO.

COLO. KAN. MO.

N.D.

NEB.

UTAH

GA.

ILL.

MINN.

LA.

IDAHO

FLA.

PA.

WIS.

N.Y.

OKLA.

N.C.

KY.

ALA.

VA.

ARK.

WASH.

IOWA

MISS.

IND.

OHIO

S.C.

MICH.

TENN.

MA

W.VA.

VT. N.H.

MD.

DEL

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 ra2016 annual averages

(U.S. change = -0.4 percentage point)
TEXAS

N.M.

CALIF.

MONT.

NEV.

ARIZ.

ORE.

S.D.

WYO.

COLO. KAN. MO.

N.D.

NEB.

UTAH

GA.

ILL.

MINN.

LA.

IDAHO

FLA.

PA.

WIS.

N.Y.

OKLA.

N.C.

KY.

ALA.

VA.

ARK.

WASH.

IOWA

MISS.

IND.

OHIO

S.C.

MICH.

TENN.

MA

W.VA.

VT. N.H.

MD.

DEL

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, 2016 annua

(U.S. rate = 4.9 percent)
TEXAS

N.M.

CALIF.

MONT.

NEV.

ARIZ.

ORE.

S.D.

WYO.

COLO. KAN. MO.

N.D.

NEB.

UTAH

GA.

ILL.

MINN.

LA.

IDAHO

FLA.

PA.

WIS.

N.Y.

OKLA.

N.C.

KY.

ALA.

VA.

ARK.

WASH.

IOWA

MISS.

IND.

OHIO

S.C.

MICH.

TENN.

MA

W.VA.

VT. N.H.

MD.

DEL

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,2016 annual averaJHV

(U.S. UDWLR = 59.7 percent)