For release 10:00 a.m. (EST) Friday, February 26, 2016 USDL-16-0364 

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

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

REGIONAL AND STATE UNEMPLOYMENT — 2015 ANNUAL AVERAGES 

In 2015, annual average unemployment rates decreased in 47 states and the District of Columbia, 

increased in 2 states, and were unchanged in 1 state, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. 

Employment-population ratios increased in 35 states and the District of Columbia and decreased in 15 

states. The U.S. jobless rate declined by 0.9 percentage point from the prior year to 5.3 percent, and the 

national employment-population ratio rose by 0.3 point to 59.3 percent. 

Regional Unemployment 

All four regions had statistically significant unemployment rate decreases from 2014: the Midwest, 

Northeast, and West (-1.0 percentage point each) and the South (-0.7 point). The Midwest, at 4.8 

percent, had the only jobless rate significantly lower than that of the U.S. in 2015, while the West, at 

5.7 percent, had the only rate significantly above the national figure. (See table 1.) 

All nine geographic divisions had statistically significant over-the-year unemployment rate declines in 

2015, the largest of which occurred in the East North Central and Pacific (-1.2 percentage points each). 

The West North Central had the lowest jobless rate among divisions, 4.0 percent. The West South 

Central, at 4.7 percent, and New England, at 5.0 percent, also had rates significantly below the U.S. 

average. Two divisions had unemployment rates that were measurably higher than that of the U.S.: the 

Pacific, 6.0 percent, and East South Central, 5.9 percent. 

State Unemployment

Thirty-eight states and the District of Columbia had statistically significant unemployment rate 

decreases in 2015. The largest of these declines occurred in Michigan (-1.9 percentage points) and 

Rhode Island (-1.7 points). The remaining 12 states had annual average jobless rates in 2015 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 chart 1.)

North Dakota had the lowest unemployment rate, 2.7 percent in 2015, followed by Nebraska and South 

Dakota, 3.0 percent and 3.1 percent, respectively. Nevada and West Virginia had the highest jobless 

rates among the states, 6.7 percent each. The District of Columbia had a rate of 6.9 percent. Overall, 20 

states had unemployment rates that were significantly lower than the U.S. figure of 5.3 percent, while 13 

states and the District of Columbia had rates measurably above it. (See table B and chart 2.) 
- 2 - 

Regional Employment-Population Ratios

In 2015, 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 Northeast (+0.7 percentage point), Midwest (+0.6 point), 

and West (+0.4 point). The Midwest had the highest ratio, 61.9 percent, while the South, at 57.9 percent, 

had the lowest. The ratios in these two regions were the only ones that were significantly different from 

the national figure of 59.3 percent. (See table 2.)

Four of the nine geographic divisions had significant changes in their employment-population ratios 

from 2014 to 2015, all of which were increases: the Middle Atlantic (+0.8 percentage point), East North 

Central (+0.7 point), West North Central (+0.6 point), and Pacific (+0.5 point). The division with the 

highest employment-population ratio in 2015 was the West North Central, at 65.8 percent, followed by 

New England, at 62.0 percent. These two divisions, along with the East North Central and Mountain, at 

60.2 percent and 60.1 percent, respectively, had employment-population ratios measurably above that of 

the U.S. The East South Central had the lowest proportion of employed persons, 54.0 percent. The ratios 

in the South Atlantic (58.0 percent) and Pacific (58.5 percent) also were appreciably below the national 

average.

State Employment-Population Ratios 

In 2015, the largest employment-population ratio increases among the states occurred in Missouri 

(+1.7 percentage points) and Delaware (+1.5 points). Seventeen other states and the District of 

Columbia also had statistically significant increases in their ratios. Four states had significant over-theyear decreases in their employment-population ratios, the largest of which occurred in North Dakota 

(-1.6 percentage points). (See table C.) 

North Dakota had the highest proportion of employed persons, 69.1 percent in 2015. Four other states in 

the West North Central division had the next highest ratios: Nebraska, 68.0 percent; Minnesota, 67.6 

percent; Iowa, 67.3 percent; and South Dakota, 67.2 percent. West Virginia had the lowest employmentpopulation ratio among the states, 49.4 percent. (West Virginia has had the lowest employmentpopulation ratio each year since the series began in 1976.) Overall, 25 states and the District of 

Columbia had employment-population ratios that were significantly above the U.S. ratio of 59.3 percent 

and 17 states had ratios that were appreciably below it. Three states had the lowest employmentpopulation ratios in their series in 2015: Alaska, 62.7 percent; Kentucky, 53.7 percent; and New Mexico, 

53.5 percent. (See table D and chart 3.) 

_____________ 

The Regional and State Employment and Unemployment news release for January 2016 is 

scheduled to be released on Monday, March 14, 2016, at 10:00 a.m. (EDT). The Metropolitan Area 

Employment and Unemployment news release for January 2016 is scheduled to be released on 

Friday, March 18, 2016, at 10:00 a.m. (EDT). 
- 3 - 

Table A. States with statistically significant unemployment rate changes, 2014–15

annual averages

2014 2015

Alabama .................................. 6.8 6.1 -0.7

Arizona .................................... 6.8 6.1 -.7

Arkansas ................................. 6.1 5.2 -.9

California ................................. 7.5 6.2 -1.3

Colorado .................................. 5.0 3.9 -1.1

Connecticut ............................. 6.6 5.6 -1.0

Delaware ................................. 5.7 4.9 -.8

District of Columbia .................. 7.8 6.9 -.9

Florida ..................................... 6.3 5.4 -.9

Georgia ................................... 7.1 5.9 -1.2

Hawaii ..................................... 4.4 3.6 -.8

Idaho ....................................... 4.8 4.1 -.7

Illinois ...................................... 7.1 5.9 -1.2

Indiana .................................... 5.9 4.8 -1.1

Iowa ........................................ 4.2 3.7 -.5

Kentucky ................................. 6.5 5.4 -1.1

Maine ...................................... 5.6 4.4 -1.2

Maryland ................................. 5.8 5.2 -.6

Massachusetts ........................ 5.7 5.0 -.7

Michigan .................................. 7.3 5.4 -1.9

Minnesota ................................ 4.2 3.7 -.5

Mississippi .............................. 7.6 6.5 -1.1

Missouri .................................. 6.2 5.0 -1.2

Montana .................................. 4.7 4.1 -.6

Nevada .................................... 7.9 6.7 -1.2

New Hampshire ........................ 4.3 3.4 -.9

New Jersey .............................. 6.7 5.6 -1.1

New York ................................. 6.3 5.3 -1.0

North Carolina .......................... 6.3 5.7 -.6

Ohio ........................................ 5.8 4.9 -.9

Oregon .................................... 6.8 5.7 -1.1

Pennsylvania ............................ 5.9 5.1 -.8

Rhode Island ............................ 7.7 6.0 -1.7

Tennessee ............................... 6.5 5.8 -.7

Texas ...................................... 5.1 4.5 -.6

Vermont .................................. 4.0 3.7 -.3

Virginia .................................... 5.2 4.4 -.8

Washington ............................. 6.1 5.7 -.4

Wisconsin ............................... 5.4 4.6 -.8

Rate

State Over-the-year rate 

change 
- 4 - 

State Rate 

United States ................................................... 5.3

Alabama .......................................................... 6.1

Alaska ............................................................ 6.5

Arizona ........................................................... 6.1

California ......................................................... 6.2

Colorado .......................................................... 3.9

District of Columbia .......................................... 6.9

Georgia ........................................................... 5.9

Hawaii ............................................................. 3.6

Idaho ............................................................... 4.1

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

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

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

Louisiana ......................................................... 6.3

Maine .............................................................. 4.4

Minnesota ....................................................... 3.7

Mississippi ...................................................... 6.5

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

Nebraska ......................................................... 3.0

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

New Hampshire ................................................ 3.4

New Mexico ..................................................... 6.6

North Dakota ................................................... 2.7

Ohio ................................................................ 4.9

Oklahoma ........................................................ 4.2

Rhode Island .................................................... 6.0

South Carolina ................................................. 6.0

South Dakota ................................................... 3.1

Texas .............................................................. 4.5

Utah ................................................................ 3.5

Vermont .......................................................... 3.7

Virginia ............................................................ 4.4

West Virginia ................................................... 6.7

Wisconsin ....................................................... 4.6

Wyoming ......................................................... 4.2

of the U.S., 2015 annual averages

Table B. States with unemployment rates significantly different from that
- 5 - 

 

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

2014–15 annual averages

2014 2015

Arkansas ................................. 53.6 54.8 1.2

California ................................. 57.7 58.3 .6

Delaware ................................. 57.9 59.4 1.5

District of Columbia .................. 64.0 65.3 1.3

Hawaii ..................................... 59.0 59.7 .7

Illinois ...................................... 60.2 60.9 .7

Indiana .................................... 59.6 60.7 1.1

Kentucky ................................. 54.8 53.7 -1.1

Maryland ................................. 62.9 63.4 .5

Michigan .................................. 56.2 57.1 .9

Minnesota ................................ 67.1 67.6 .5

Mississippi .............................. 50.8 52.2 1.4

Missouri .................................. 60.7 62.4 1.7

Montana .................................. 60.9 61.4 .5

Nebraska ................................. 68.4 68.0 -.4

Nevada .................................... 58.4 58.9 .5

New Jersey .............................. 59.7 60.5 .8

New York ................................. 57.0 57.9 .9

North Dakota ............................ 70.7 69.1 -1.6

Oklahoma ................................ 58.3 59.3 1.0

Pennsylvania ............................ 58.9 59.6 .7

Rhode Island ............................ 60.2 61.0 .8

South Carolina ......................... 55.1 55.5 .4

Texas ...................................... 61.4 60.9 -.5

State

Ratio Over-the-year ratio 

change 
- 6 - 

State Ratio 

United States ................................................... 59.3

Alabama .......................................................... 53.0

Alaska ............................................................ 62.7

Arizona ........................................................... 56.1

Arkansas ......................................................... 54.8

California ......................................................... 58.3

Colorado .......................................................... 64.1

Connecticut ..................................................... 62.0

District of Columbia .......................................... 65.3

Florida ............................................................. 56.1

Georgia ........................................................... 57.7

Idaho ............................................................... 61.3

Illinois ............................................................. 60.9

Indiana ............................................................ 60.7

Iowa ................................................................ 67.3

Kansas ........................................................... 65.0

Kentucky ......................................................... 53.7

Louisiana ......................................................... 56.7

Maryland ......................................................... 63.4

Massachusetts ................................................ 61.7

Michigan ......................................................... 57.1

Minnesota ....................................................... 67.6

Mississippi ...................................................... 52.2

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

Montana .......................................................... 61.4

Nebraska ......................................................... 68.0

New Hampshire ................................................ 66.0

New Jersey ...................................................... 60.5

New Mexico ..................................................... 53.5

New York ........................................................ 57.9

North Carolina .................................................. 57.7

North Dakota ................................................... 69.1

Oregon ............................................................ 57.6

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

South Carolina ................................................. 55.5

South Dakota ................................................... 67.2

Tennessee ....................................................... 55.9

Texas .............................................................. 60.9

Utah ................................................................ 65.7

Vermont .......................................................... 64.4

Virginia ............................................................ 62.3

West Virginia ................................................... 49.4

Wisconsin ....................................................... 64.8

Wyoming ......................................................... 64.9

from that of the U.S., 2015 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 employment and 

unemployment 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 

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 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 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). 

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,

2014–15 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Population Civilian labor force Employed Unemployed Unemployment rate

2014 2015 2014 2015 2014 2015 2014 2015 2014 2015

United States ....................... 247,947 250,801 155,922 157,130 146,305 148,834 9,617 8,296 6.2 5.3 5.2 – 5.4 

Northeast ............................... 44,890 45,078 28,285 28,425 26,543 26,941 1,742 1,483 6.2 5.2 5.0 – 5.4 

New England ....................... 11,854 11,918 7,785 7,778 7,328 7,392 457 385 5.9 5.0 4.7 – 5.2 

Connecticut ...................... 2,866 2,873 1,886 1,888 1,762 1,782 125 106 6.6 5.6 5.1 – 6.2 

Maine ................................ 1,089 1,092 697 680 657 650 39 30 5.6 4.4 3.9 – 4.9 

Massachusetts ................. 5,454 5,499 3,557 3,570 3,353 3,392 204 178 5.7 5.0 4.6 – 5.4 

New Hampshire ................ 1,079 1,084 741 741 709 716 32 25 4.3 3.4 3.0 – 3.8 

Rhode Island .................... 852 855 556 555 513 521 43 33 7.7 6.0 5.3 – 6.6 

Vermont ............................ 515 515 348 344 334 332 14 13 4.0 3.7 3.3 – 4.0 

Middle Atlantic ..................... 33,036 33,160 20,500 20,647 19,215 19,549 1,286 1,098 6.3 5.3 5.1 – 5.5 

New Jersey ....................... 7,055 7,090 4,514 4,544 4,210 4,289 304 255 6.7 5.6 5.2 – 6.1 

New York .......................... 15,771 15,837 9,595 9,679 8,989 9,166 606 513 6.3 5.3 5.0 – 5.6 

Pennsylvania .................... 10,209 10,232 6,391 6,424 6,016 6,094 376 330 5.9 5.1 4.8 – 5.5 

Midwest .................................. 52,865 53,093 34,391 34,529 32,383 32,860 2,008 1,669 5.8 4.8 4.7 – 5.0 

East North Central .............. 36,619 36,737 23,287 23,324 21,790 22,104 1,497 1,220 6.4 5.2 5.0 – 5.4 

Illinois ................................ 10,049 10,059 6,515 6,512 6,054 6,126 461 386 7.1 5.9 5.5 – 6.3 

Indiana .............................. 5,097 5,125 3,228 3,266 3,036 3,109 192 157 5.9 4.8 4.3 – 5.3 

Michigan ........................... 7,848 7,874 4,754 4,751 4,408 4,493 346 258 7.3 5.4 5.0 – 5.9 

Ohio .................................. 9,092 9,124 5,703 5,700 5,373 5,423 330 277 5.8 4.9 4.5 – 5.3 

Wisconsin ......................... 4,534 4,554 3,086 3,095 2,919 2,953 167 143 5.4 4.6 4.1 – 5.1 

West North Central ............. 16,246 16,356 11,104 11,204 10,593 10,756 511 448 4.6 4.0 3.8 – 4.2 

Iowa .................................. 2,421 2,435 1,698 1,701 1,626 1,639 71 62 4.2 3.7 3.2 – 4.1 

Kansas .............................. 2,196 2,208 1,494 1,499 1,426 1,436 68 63 4.6 4.2 3.8 – 4.7 

Minnesota ......................... 4,258 4,289 2,983 3,010 2,859 2,899 124 112 4.2 3.7 3.3 – 4.1 

Missouri ............................ 4,718 4,744 3,052 3,114 2,864 2,958 188 156 6.2 5.0 4.5 – 5.5 

Nebraska .......................... 1,435 1,446 1,014 1,013 981 983 33 30 3.3 3.0 2.6 – 3.4 

North Dakota .................... 572 584 415 414 404 403 11 11 2.7 2.7 2.4 – 3.0 

South Dakota ................... 647 652 449 452 433 438 15 14 3.4 3.1 2.7 – 3.6 

South ...................................... 92,514 93,789 57,020 57,351 53,595 54,323 3,425 3,028 6.0 5.3 5.2 – 5.4 

South Atlantic ...................... 49,022 49,719 30,276 30,506 28,383 28,841 1,892 1,665 6.3 5.5 5.3 – 5.6 

Delaware .......................... 739 749 454 467 428 445 26 23 5.7 4.9 4.4 – 5.4 

District of Columbia .......... 545 554 378 388 349 362 29 27 7.8 6.9 6.4 – 7.4 

Florida ............................... 15,995 16,313 9,607 9,675 8,999 9,153 607 522 6.3 5.4 5.1 – 5.7 

Georgia ............................. 7,673 7,783 4,754 4,771 4,417 4,491 337 280 7.1 5.9 5.4 – 6.3 

Maryland ........................... 4,683 4,716 3,128 3,152 2,947 2,988 182 164 5.8 5.2 4.7 – 5.7 

North Carolina .................. 7,689 7,792 4,691 4,769 4,396 4,495 294 274 6.3 5.7 5.3 – 6.2 

South Carolina ................. 3,761 3,823 2,217 2,257 2,074 2,123 143 135 6.4 6.0 5.4 – 6.5 

Virginia .............................. 6,453 6,509 4,258 4,240 4,036 4,052 222 189 5.2 4.4 4.0 – 4.9 

West Virginia .................... 1,483 1,481 790 785 737 732 52 53 6.6 6.7 6.2 – 7.3 

East South Central .............. 14,598 14,692 8,463 8,435 7,893 7,939 570 496 6.7 5.9 5.6 – 6.2 

Alabama ........................... 3,785 3,803 2,161 2,146 2,014 2,015 147 131 6.8 6.1 5.6 – 6.6 

Kentucky ........................... 3,424 3,441 2,006 1,953 1,876 1,848 130 105 6.5 5.4 4.8 – 6.0 

Mississippi ........................ 2,274 2,281 1,249 1,273 1,155 1,190 94 83 7.6 6.5 5.9 – 7.1 

Tennessee ........................ 5,115 5,167 3,047 3,063 2,848 2,886 199 177 6.5 5.8 5.3 – 6.3 

West South Central ............ 28,895 29,379 18,282 18,411 17,319 17,544 963 867 5.3 4.7 4.5 – 4.9 

Arkansas .......................... 2,286 2,299 1,304 1,330 1,224 1,261 80 69 6.1 5.2 4.7 – 5.7 

Louisiana .......................... 3,550 3,573 2,157 2,160 2,019 2,025 138 135 6.4 6.3 5.7 – 6.8 

Oklahoma ......................... 2,946 2,975 1,798 1,842 1,717 1,764 81 78 4.5 4.2 3.8 – 4.7 

Texas ................................ 20,113 20,531 13,023 13,078 12,359 12,494 664 584 5.1 4.5 4.2 – 4.7 

West ....................................... 58,221 59,050 36,566 36,954 34,102 34,831 2,463 2,123 6.7 5.7 5.6 – 5.9 

Mountain .............................. 17,733 18,045 11,271 11,417 10,618 10,838 653 579 5.8 5.1 4.8 – 5.3 

Arizona ............................. 5,179 5,275 3,097 3,153 2,886 2,960 211 193 6.8 6.1 5.6 – 6.7 

Colorado ........................... 4,148 4,240 2,815 2,829 2,675 2,719 141 110 5.0 3.9 3.4 – 4.3 

Idaho ................................. 1,229 1,248 781 797 744 764 38 33 4.8 4.1 3.7 – 4.6 

Montana ............................ 808 816 516 523 492 501 24 22 4.7 4.1 3.7 – 4.5 

Nevada ............................. 2,210 2,256 1,402 1,426 1,291 1,330 111 96 7.9 6.7 6.1 – 7.4 

New Mexico ...................... 1,602 1,607 921 920 859 859 62 61 6.7 6.6 6.0 – 7.2 

Utah .................................. 2,106 2,151 1,432 1,464 1,377 1,412 55 52 3.8 3.5 3.1 – 4.0 

Wyoming .......................... 451 452 307 306 294 293 13 13 4.1 4.2 3.7 – 4.6 

Pacific .................................. 40,488 41,005 25,294 25,537 23,484 23,993 1,810 1,544 7.2 6.0 5.8 – 6.3 

Alaska ............................... 540 542 366 364 341 340 25 24 6.9 6.5 5.8 – 7.1 

California .......................... 30,163 30,523 18,828 18,982 17,418 17,799 1,410 1,183 7.5 6.2 6.0 – 6.5 

Hawaii ............................... 1,084 1,093 668 677 639 653 29 25 4.4 3.6 3.2 – 4.0 

Oregon .............................. 3,173 3,225 1,939 1,969 1,807 1,857 132 112 6.8 5.7 5.1 – 6.3 

Washington ...................... 5,529 5,622 3,493 3,544 3,279 3,344 214 200 6.1 5.7 5.2 – 6.1 

Region, division, and state Error range of rate, 

2015 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 

reestimation. 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,

2014–15 annual averages

(Percent)

Employment-population ratio 1

2014 2015

United States ................................................................ 59.0 59.3 0.3 59.2 – 59.5 

Northeast ......................................................................... 59.1 59.8 .7 59.3 – 60.2 

New England ................................................................ 61.8 62.0 .2 61.3 – 62.7 

Connecticut ................................................................ 61.5 62.0 .5 60.6 – 63.4 

Maine ......................................................................... 60.3 59.5 -.8 58.1 – 61.0 

Massachusetts .......................................................... 61.5 61.7 .2 60.6 – 62.8 

New Hampshire ......................................................... 65.7 66.0 .3 65.0 – 67.0 

Rhode Island ............................................................. 60.2 61.0 .8 59.9 – 62.2 

Vermont ..................................................................... 64.9 64.4 -.5 63.2 – 65.6 

Middle Atlantic .............................................................. 58.2 59.0 .8 58.4 – 59.5 

New Jersey ................................................................ 59.7 60.5 .8 59.6 – 61.4 

New York ................................................................... 57.0 57.9 .9 57.1 – 58.7 

Pennsylvania ............................................................. 58.9 59.6 .7 58.8 – 60.3 

Midwest ........................................................................... 61.3 61.9 .6 61.5 – 62.3 

East North Central ....................................................... 59.5 60.2 .7 59.6 – 60.7 

Illinois ......................................................................... 60.2 60.9 .7 60.0 – 61.8 

Indiana ....................................................................... 59.6 60.7 1.1 59.4 – 61.9 

Michigan .................................................................... 56.2 57.1 .9 56.0 – 58.1 

Ohio ........................................................................... 59.1 59.4 .3 58.4 – 60.4 

Wisconsin .................................................................. 64.4 64.8 .4 63.5 – 66.2 

West North Central ...................................................... 65.2 65.8 .6 65.1 – 66.4 

Iowa ........................................................................... 67.2 67.3 .1 66.0 – 68.6 

Kansas ....................................................................... 64.9 65.0 .1 63.8 – 66.3 

Minnesota .................................................................. 67.1 67.6 .5 66.5 – 68.7 

Missouri ..................................................................... 60.7 62.4 1.7 61.0 – 63.7 

Nebraska ................................................................... 68.4 68.0 -.4 67.0 – 68.9 

North Dakota ............................................................. 70.7 69.1 -1.6 67.6 – 70.5 

South Dakota ............................................................. 67.0 67.2 .2 66.0 – 68.4 

South ............................................................................... 57.9 57.9 .0 57.6 – 58.2 

South Atlantic ............................................................... 57.9 58.0 .1 57.6 – 58.4 

Delaware .................................................................... 57.9 59.4 1.5 58.1 – 60.6 

District of Columbia ................................................... 64.0 65.3 1.3 64.2 – 66.4 

Florida ........................................................................ 56.3 56.1 -.2 55.4 – 56.8 

Georgia ...................................................................... 57.6 57.7 .1 56.8 – 58.6 

Maryland .................................................................... 62.9 63.4 .5 62.4 – 64.3 

North Carolina ........................................................... 57.2 57.7 .5 56.7 – 58.7 

South Carolina ........................................................... 55.1 55.5 .4 54.7 – 56.4 

Virginia ....................................................................... 62.6 62.3 -.3 61.1 – 63.4 

West Virginia ............................................................. 49.7 49.4 -.3 48.1 – 50.8 

East South Central ....................................................... 54.1 54.0 -.1 53.3 – 54.8 

Alabama .................................................................... 53.2 53.0 -.2 51.9 – 54.1 

Kentucky .................................................................... 54.8 53.7 -1.1 52.3 – 55.1 

Mississippi ................................................................. 50.8 52.2 1.4 50.9 – 53.4 

Tennessee ................................................................. 55.7 55.9 .2 54.7 – 57.1 

West South Central ...................................................... 59.9 59.7 -.2 59.1 – 60.3 

Arkansas .................................................................... 53.6 54.8 1.2 53.7 – 55.9 

Louisiana ................................................................... 56.9 56.7 -.2 55.6 – 57.7 

Oklahoma .................................................................. 58.3 59.3 1.0 58.0 – 60.6 

Texas ......................................................................... 61.4 60.9 -.5 60.1 – 61.6 

West ................................................................................ 58.6 59.0 .4 58.6 – 59.3 

Mountain ....................................................................... 59.9 60.1 .2 59.4 – 60.7 

Arizona ....................................................................... 55.7 56.1 .4 54.9 – 57.3 

Colorado .................................................................... 64.5 64.1 -.4 62.7 – 65.5 

Idaho .......................................................................... 60.5 61.3 .8 59.9 – 62.6 

Montana ..................................................................... 60.9 61.4 .5 60.2 – 62.6 

Nevada ...................................................................... 58.4 58.9 .5 57.8 – 60.1 

New Mexico ............................................................... 53.6 53.5 -.1 52.3 – 54.7 

Utah ........................................................................... 65.4 65.7 .3 64.5 – 66.9 

Wyoming .................................................................... 65.3 64.9 -.4 63.5 – 66.3 

Pacific ........................................................................... 58.0 58.5 .5 58.1 – 58.9 

Alaska ........................................................................ 63.1 62.7 -.4 60.9 – 64.6 

California .................................................................... 57.7 58.3 .6 57.9 – 58.8 

Hawaii ........................................................................ 59.0 59.7 .7 58.6 – 60.9 

Oregon ....................................................................... 57.0 57.6 .6 56.5 – 58.7 

Washington ............................................................... 59.3 59.5 .2 58.5 – 60.5 

Region, division, and state Error range of ratio, 

2015 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 reestimation.
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.

MAINE

W.VA.

VT. N.H.

+0.to -0.1 point

 -0.2 to -0.6 point

-0.7 to -1.1 points

-1.2 to -1.6 points

-1.7 points or more

MD.

DEL.

MASS.

N.J.

CONN. R.I.

D.C.

HAWAII

ALASKA

Pacific

Mountain

West

North Central

East

North Central

New England

Middle

Atlantic

South

Atlantic

East

South Central

West

South Central

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

2015 annual averages

(U.S. change = -0.9 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.

MAINE

W.VA.

VT. N.H.

6.5% or higher

5.5% to 6.4%

4.5% to 5.4%

3.5% to 4.4%

3.4% or lower

MD.

DEL.

MASS.

N.J.

CONN. R.I.

D.C.

HAWAII

ALASKA

Pacific

Mountain

West

North Central

East

North Central

New England

Middle

Atlantic

South

Atlantic

East

South Central

West

South Central

Chart 2. Unemployment rates by state, 2015 annual averages

(U.S. rate = 5.3 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.

MAINE

W.VA.

VT. N.H.

62.0 or higher

57.0 to 61.9

56.9 or lower

MD.

DEL.

MASS.

N.J.

CONN. R.I.

D.C.

HAWAII

ALASKA

Pacific

Mountain

West

North Central

East

North Central

New England

Middle

Atlantic

South

Atlantic

East

South Central

West

South Central

&Kart 3. Employment-population ratios by state,

2015 annual averaJHV

(U.S. UDWLR = 59.3 percent)