For release 10:00 a.m. (EST) Friday, February 28, 2014 USDL-14-0315 

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

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

REGIONAL AND STATE UNEMPLOYMENT — 2013 ANNUAL AVERAGES 

In 2013, annual average unemployment rates declined in 43 states and the District of Columbia, rose in 

2 states, and were unchanged in 5 states, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. 

Employment-population ratios decreased in 28 states, increased in 17 states and the District of 

Columbia, and were unchanged in 5 states. The U.S. jobless rate declined by 0.7 percentage point from 

the prior year to 7.4 percent, and the national employment-population ratio was unchanged at 58.6 

percent. 

Regional Unemployment 

All four regions experienced statistically significant unemployment rate decreases from 2012, with the 

West having the largest decline (-1.2 percentage points). The West, at 8.0 percent, had the only jobless 

rate significantly higher than that of the U.S. in 2013, while the South, at 7.0 percent, had the only rate 

significantly below the national figure. (See table 1.) 

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

in 2013, all of which were decreases. The largest of these occurred in the Pacific and South Atlantic 

(-1.4 percentage points and -1.0 point, respectively). For the sixth year in a row, the Pacific had the 

highest unemployment rate, 8.4 percent in 2013. Three other divisions had rates significantly higher than 

the U.S. average. The West North Central division again had the lowest jobless rate, 5.2 percent. Two 

other divisions, the West South Central and Mountain, at 6.3 percent and 7.0 percent, respectively, had 

rates significantly below the national figure. 

State Unemployment 

In 2013, 25 states and the District of Columbia had statistically significant unemployment rate 

decreases, the largest of which were in Nevada (-1.7 percentage points), Florida (-1.6 points), and 

California (-1.5 points). Six additional states had decreases greater than 1.0 percentage point. The 

remaining 25 states had annual average unemployment rates for 2013 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.) 

Nevada again had the highest unemployment rate (9.8 percent) in 2013, followed by Rhode Island (9.5 

percent) and Illinois (9.2 percent). North Dakota had the lowest jobless rate among the states for the fifth 

year in a row (2.9 percent), followed by South Dakota (3.8 percent) and Nebraska (3.9 percent). Overall, 
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25 states had unemployment rates that were significantly lower than the U.S. rate of 7.4 percent, while 

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

Regional Employment-Population Ratios

In 2013, no region had a statistically significant change in its employment-population ratio—the 

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

Midwest continued to have the highest ratio, 60.5 percent, while the South, at 57.8 percent, had the 

lowest, followed by the West, at 57.9 percent. The ratios in these three regions were significantly 

different from the national figure of 58.6 percent. (See table 2.) 

The East South Central was the only division with a statistically significant change in its employmentpopulation ratio in 2013 (-0.8 percentage point). The East South Central again had the lowest proportion 

of employed persons, 54.4 percent. The next lowest ratios were in the Pacific (57.4 percent), South 

Atlantic (57.7 percent), and Middle Atlantic (58.0 percent). Ratios in all four of these divisions were 

significantly below the national average. The division with the highest employment-population ratio was 

the West North Central, at 64.8 percent, followed by New England, at 60.9 percent. These two divisions, 

along with the West South Central, at 59.6 percent, had employment-population ratios measurably above 

that of the U.S. 

State Employment-Population Ratios 

In 2013, the largest employment-population ratio decrease among the states occurred in Tennessee (-1.1 

percentage points), followed by Arkansas and North Dakota (-1.0 point each). Five other states also had 

statistically significant decreases in their ratios. Utah had the largest increase in its employmentpopulation ratio among the states (+1.4 percentage points). California and Florida had the only other 

statistically significant increases in their ratios over the year (+0.5 percentage point each). (See table C.) 

West Virginia again had the lowest employment-population ratio among the states, 50.1 percent in 2013. 

West Virginia has had the lowest employment-population ratio each year since the series began in 1976. 

Four states in the West North Central division again had the highest ratios: North Dakota (69.4 percent), 

Nebraska (69.2 percent), South Dakota (67.2 percent), and Minnesota (66.8 percent). Overall, 22 states 

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

ratio of 58.6 percent, and 18 states had ratios that were appreciably below it. Three states had the lowest 

employment-population ratios in their series in 2013: Delaware, 56.7 percent; Nevada, 57.2 percent; and 

Oregon, 56.7 percent. (See table D and chart 3.) 

_____________ 

The Regional and State Employment and Unemployment news release for January 2014 is 

scheduled to be released on Monday, March 17, 2014, at 10:00 a.m. (EDT). The Metropolitan Area 

Employment and Unemployment news release for January 2014 is scheduled to be released on 

Friday, March 21, 2014, at 10:00 a.m. (EDT). 
- 3 - 

Table A. States with statistically significant unemployment rate changes, 2012–13

annual averages

2012 2013

California ................................. 10.4 8.9 -1.5

Colorado .................................. 7.8 6.8 -1.0

District of Columbia .................. 9.1 8.3 -.8

Florida ..................................... 8.8 7.2 -1.6

Georgia ................................... 9.0 8.2 -.8

Hawaii ..................................... 5.7 4.8 -.9

Idaho ....................................... 7.3 6.2 -1.1

Indiana .................................... 8.1 7.5 -.6

Iowa ........................................ 5.2 4.6 -.6

Maine ...................................... 7.2 6.7 -.5

Minnesota ................................ 5.6 5.1 -.5

Nevada .................................... 11.5 9.8 -1.7

New Jersey .............................. 9.3 8.2 -1.1

New York ................................. 8.5 7.7 -.8

North Carolina .......................... 9.2 8.0 -1.2

Oregon .................................... 8.8 7.7 -1.1

Pennsylvania ............................ 7.9 7.4 -.5

Rhode Island ............................ 10.3 9.5 -.8

South Carolina ......................... 9.0 7.6 -1.4

South Dakota ........................... 4.2 3.8 -.4

Texas ...................................... 6.8 6.3 -.5

Utah ........................................ 5.4 4.4 -1.0

Vermont .................................. 4.9 4.4 -.5

Washington ............................. 8.1 7.0 -1.1

West Virginia ........................... 7.2 6.5 -.7

Wyoming ................................. 5.4 4.6 -.8

Rate

State Over-the-year rate 

change 
- 4 - 

State Rate 

United States ................................................... 7.4

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

California ......................................................... 8.9

Colorado .......................................................... 6.8

Delaware ......................................................... 6.7

District of Columbia .......................................... 8.3

Georgia ........................................................... 8.2

Hawaii ............................................................. 4.8

Idaho ............................................................... 6.2

Illinois ............................................................. 9.2

Iowa ................................................................ 4.6

Kansas ........................................................... 5.4

Kentucky ......................................................... 8.3

Louisiana ......................................................... 6.2

Maine .............................................................. 6.7

Maryland ......................................................... 6.6

Michigan ......................................................... 8.8

Minnesota ....................................................... 5.1

Mississippi ...................................................... 8.6

Missouri .......................................................... 6.5

Montana .......................................................... 5.6

Nebraska ......................................................... 3.9

Nevada ............................................................ 9.8

New Hampshire ................................................ 5.3

New Jersey ...................................................... 8.2

North Carolina .................................................. 8.0

North Dakota ................................................... 2.9

Oklahoma ........................................................ 5.4

Rhode Island .................................................... 9.5

South Dakota ................................................... 3.8

Tennessee ....................................................... 8.2

Texas .............................................................. 6.3

Utah ................................................................ 4.4

Vermont .......................................................... 4.4

Virginia ............................................................ 5.5

West Virginia ................................................... 6.5

Wisconsin ....................................................... 6.7

Wyoming ......................................................... 4.6

of the U.S., 2013 annual averages

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

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

2012–13 annual averages

2012 2013

Arizona .................................... 55.5 54.6 -0.9

Arkansas ................................. 54.9 53.9 -1.0

California ................................. 56.5 57.0 .5

Connecticut ............................. 60.9 60.1 -.8

Florida ..................................... 55.3 55.8 .5

Massachusetts ........................ 60.6 60.1 -.5

Mississippi .............................. 52.9 52.0 -.9

North Dakota ............................ 70.4 69.4 -1.0

Oregon .................................... 57.3 56.7 -.6

Tennessee ............................... 56.7 55.6 -1.1

Utah ........................................ 64.2 65.6 1.4

State

Ratio Over-the-year ratio 

change 
- 6 - 

State Ratio 

United States ................................................... 58.6

Alabama .......................................................... 53.1

Alaska ............................................................ 63.4

Arizona ........................................................... 54.6

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

California ......................................................... 57.0

Colorado .......................................................... 63.2

Connecticut ..................................................... 60.1

Delaware ......................................................... 56.7

District of Columbia .......................................... 63.5

Florida ............................................................. 55.8

Idaho ............................................................... 60.1

Iowa ................................................................ 66.3

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

Kentucky ......................................................... 55.7

Louisiana ......................................................... 55.9

Maine .............................................................. 60.9

Maryland ......................................................... 63.0

Massachusetts ................................................ 60.1

Michigan ......................................................... 55.0

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

Mississippi ...................................................... 52.0

Missouri .......................................................... 60.1

Montana .......................................................... 60.5

Nebraska ......................................................... 69.2

Nevada ............................................................ 57.2

New Hampshire ................................................ 65.6

New Mexico ..................................................... 54.1

New York ........................................................ 56.8

North Carolina .................................................. 56.9

North Dakota ................................................... 69.4

Oregon ............................................................ 56.7

South Carolina ................................................. 54.4

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

Tennessee ....................................................... 55.6

Texas .............................................................. 61.1

Utah ................................................................ 65.6

Vermont .......................................................... 65.5

Virginia ............................................................ 62.7

West Virginia ................................................... 50.1

Wisconsin ....................................................... 63.6

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

from that of the U.S., 2013 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 over. Employed persons are those who did 

any work at all for pay or profit in the reference week (the 

week including the 12th of the month) or worked 15 hours or 

more without pay in a family business or farm, plus those not 

working who had a job from which they were temporarily 

absent, whether or not paid, for such reasons as labormanagement 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 over that is employed. 

Method of estimation. Estimates for 48 of the 50 

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

Beach-Glendale metropolitan division, New York City, and 

the balances of California and New York State are produced 

using estimating equations based on regression techniques. 

This method, which underwent substantial enhancement at 

the beginning of 2005, utilizes data from several sources, 

including the CPS, the Current Employment Statistics (CES) 

survey of nonfarm payroll employment, and state 

unemployment insurance (UI) programs. Estimates for the 

State of California are derived by summing the estimates for 

the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale metropolitan division 

and the balance of California. Similarly, estimates for New 

York State are derived by summing the estimates for New 

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

all nine census divisions are based on a similar regression 

approach that does not incorporate CES or UI data. Estimates 

for census regions are obtained by summing the model-based 

estimates for the component divisions and then calculating 

the unemployment rate. Each month, census division 

estimates are controlled to national totals; state estimates are 

then controlled to their respective division totals. Estimates 

for Puerto Rico are derived from a monthly household survey 

similar to the CPS. A detailed description of the estimation 

procedures is available from BLS upon request. 

Annual revisions. Labor force and unemployment data 

for prior years reflect adjustments made at the end of each 

year. The adjusted estimates incorporate updated population 

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

data sources, and model reestimation. The population data 

(except for Puerto Rico) reflect, for the first time, the results 

of 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 are changed for 5 years, the population 

estimates are adjusted back to the new decennial estimates 

base of 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. In 2005, the LAUS program 

introduced several improvements to its methodology. Among 

these was the development of model-based error measures for 

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

changes. Annual average model-based error measures 

became available for the first time after 2006. The 

introductory section of this release preserves the long-time 

practice of highlighting the direction of the movements in 

regional and state unemployment rates and employmentpopulation 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 or employment-population ratios are 

statistically significant. The average magnitude of the overthe-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 0.5 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,

2012–13 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Population Civilian labor force Employed Unemployed Unemployment rate

2012 2013 2012 2013 2012 2013 2012 2013 2012 2013

United States ....................... 243,284 245,679 154,975 155,389 142,469 143,929 12,506 11,460 8.1 7.4 7.3 – 7.5 

Northeast ............................... 44,372 44,611 28,370 28,336 26,060 26,203 2,310 2,133 8.1 7.5 7.3 – 7.7 

New England ....................... 11,684 11,760 7,721 7,702 7,164 7,157 557 545 7.2 7.1 6.8 – 7.4 

Connecticut ...................... 2,842 2,855 1,887 1,860 1,731 1,715 156 145 8.3 7.8 7.3 – 8.3 

Maine ................................ 1,083 1,086 707 709 656 662 51 47 7.2 6.7 6.2 – 7.2 

Massachusetts ................. 5,337 5,387 3,470 3,484 3,235 3,238 235 246 6.8 7.1 6.5 – 7.6 

New Hampshire ................ 1,066 1,072 743 742 702 703 41 39 5.5 5.3 4.9 – 5.6 

Rhode Island .................... 845 847 559 556 501 503 57 53 10.3 9.5 8.8 – 10.2 

Vermont ............................ 511 513 356 351 338 336 17 15 4.9 4.4 4.0 – 4.8 

Middle Atlantic ..................... 32,688 32,851 20,649 20,634 18,896 19,047 1,753 1,587 8.5 7.7 7.4 – 7.9 

New Jersey ....................... 6,965 7,008 4,562 4,538 4,137 4,166 425 372 9.3 8.2 7.7 – 8.7 

New York .......................... 15,569 15,661 9,621 9,636 8,806 8,899 815 737 8.5 7.7 7.3 – 8.0 

Pennsylvania .................... 10,154 10,182 6,466 6,460 5,954 5,982 513 478 7.9 7.4 7.0 – 7.8 

Midwest .................................. 52,318 52,600 34,180 34,302 31,654 31,844 2,526 2,458 7.4 7.2 7.0 – 7.4 

East North Central .............. 36,309 36,469 23,212 23,282 21,305 21,398 1,908 1,884 8.2 8.1 7.8 – 8.4 

Illinois ................................ 9,982 10,020 6,570 6,554 5,982 5,954 588 600 8.9 9.2 8.6 – 9.7 

Indiana .............................. 5,032 5,066 3,169 3,180 2,912 2,941 257 239 8.1 7.5 6.9 – 8.2 

Michigan ........................... 7,781 7,813 4,670 4,707 4,244 4,294 426 413 9.1 8.8 8.2 – 9.4 

Ohio .................................. 9,028 9,059 5,741 5,766 5,317 5,341 424 425 7.4 7.4 6.9 – 7.9 

Wisconsin ......................... 4,486 4,511 3,063 3,075 2,850 2,868 212 207 6.9 6.7 6.2 – 7.2 

West North Central ............. 16,009 16,131 10,968 11,021 10,350 10,446 618 575 5.6 5.2 5.0 – 5.4 

Iowa .................................. 2,389 2,404 1,663 1,671 1,577 1,594 86 78 5.2 4.6 4.2 – 5.1 

Kansas .............................. 2,174 2,184 1,487 1,484 1,401 1,403 86 80 5.8 5.4 5.0 – 5.9 

Minnesota ......................... 4,187 4,225 2,961 2,974 2,795 2,823 166 150 5.6 5.1 4.7 – 5.4 

Missouri ............................ 4,670 4,693 2,997 3,018 2,787 2,821 209 197 7.0 6.5 5.9 – 7.2 

Nebraska .......................... 1,413 1,424 1,020 1,025 979 985 41 40 4.0 3.9 3.5 – 4.3 

North Dakota .................... 544 560 395 401 383 389 12 12 3.0 2.9 2.6 – 3.2 

South Dakota ................... 633 641 446 448 427 431 19 17 4.2 3.8 3.5 – 4.2 

South ...................................... 90,117 91,184 56,480 56,677 52,117 52,698 4,363 3,979 7.7 7.0 6.9 – 7.2 

South Atlantic ...................... 47,744 48,311 29,989 30,054 27,521 27,887 2,467 2,167 8.2 7.2 7.0 – 7.4 

Delaware .......................... 720 728 441 443 410 413 31 30 7.1 6.7 6.2 – 7.3 

District of Columbia .......... 526 535 364 370 331 340 33 31 9.1 8.3 7.7 – 8.9 

Florida ............................... 15,455 15,669 9,367 9,432 8,547 8,750 820 683 8.8 7.2 6.9 – 7.6 

Georgia ............................. 7,485 7,567 4,772 4,767 4,342 4,378 430 389 9.0 8.2 7.6 – 8.7 

Maryland ........................... 4,599 4,642 3,126 3,128 2,910 2,922 216 206 6.9 6.6 6.2 – 7.0 

North Carolina .................. 7,495 7,590 4,707 4,695 4,271 4,318 435 377 9.2 8.0 7.5 – 8.5 

South Carolina ................. 3,658 3,707 2,185 2,182 1,989 2,016 196 165 9.0 7.6 6.9 – 8.3 

Virginia .............................. 6,318 6,385 4,221 4,240 3,973 4,005 248 235 5.9 5.5 5.1 – 6.0 

West Virginia .................... 1,488 1,487 807 796 748 745 58 51 7.2 6.5 5.7 – 7.2 

East South Central .............. 14,405 14,499 8,647 8,561 7,948 7,889 700 672 8.1 7.8 7.4 – 8.3 

Alabama ........................... 3,746 3,767 2,163 2,138 2,010 2,000 153 138 7.1 6.5 5.5 – 7.5 

Kentucky ........................... 3,382 3,403 2,072 2,066 1,900 1,895 172 171 8.3 8.3 7.6 – 9.0 

Mississippi ........................ 2,254 2,262 1,313 1,286 1,192 1,176 120 111 9.2 8.6 7.7 – 9.5 

Tennessee ........................ 5,022 5,067 3,100 3,070 2,846 2,818 253 252 8.2 8.2 7.5 – 8.9 

West South Central ............ 27,967 28,374 17,844 18,063 16,648 16,922 1,196 1,140 6.7 6.3 6.1 – 6.6 

Arkansas .......................... 2,264 2,276 1,345 1,327 1,244 1,226 101 100 7.5 7.5 6.8 – 8.3 

Louisiana .......................... 3,501 3,525 2,079 2,099 1,944 1,970 135 129 6.5 6.2 5.3 – 7.0 

Oklahoma ......................... 2,892 2,921 1,794 1,817 1,698 1,718 96 99 5.4 5.4 4.9 – 6.0 

Texas ................................ 19,309 19,652 12,627 12,820 11,762 12,007 864 813 6.8 6.3 6.0 – 6.7 

West ....................................... 56,581 57,289 36,010 36,076 32,697 33,186 3,313 2,890 9.2 8.0 7.8 – 8.2 

Mountain .............................. 17,171 17,424 11,043 11,080 10,174 10,301 868 780 7.9 7.0 6.8 – 7.3 

Arizona ............................. 5,001 5,077 3,026 3,012 2,774 2,772 252 240 8.3 8.0 7.3 – 8.7 

Colorado ........................... 3,992 4,063 2,746 2,755 2,531 2,568 215 187 7.8 6.8 6.3 – 7.2 

Idaho ................................. 1,194 1,209 772 775 716 727 56 48 7.3 6.2 5.5 – 6.9 

Montana ............................ 793 801 507 514 477 485 31 29 6.0 5.6 5.0 – 6.3 

Nevada ............................. 2,131 2,163 1,384 1,373 1,225 1,238 159 135 11.5 9.8 9.2 – 10.5 

New Mexico ...................... 1,590 1,595 925 926 860 863 65 64 7.1 6.9 6.1 – 7.6 

Utah .................................. 2,028 2,067 1,377 1,419 1,303 1,356 74 63 5.4 4.4 4.0 – 4.9 

Wyoming .......................... 444 450 306 306 289 292 17 14 5.4 4.6 4.2 – 5.1 

Pacific .................................. 39,410 39,865 24,968 24,996 22,523 22,886 2,445 2,110 9.8 8.4 8.2 – 8.7 

Alaska ............................... 535 537 366 364 340 340 25 24 6.9 6.5 5.8 – 7.2 

California .......................... 29,337 29,683 18,519 18,597 16,590 16,933 1,929 1,663 10.4 8.9 8.7 – 9.2 

Hawaii ............................... 1,061 1,070 649 649 612 618 37 31 5.7 4.8 4.3 – 5.3 

Oregon .............................. 3,100 3,133 1,949 1,925 1,777 1,776 172 149 8.8 7.7 7.1 – 8.3 

Washington ...................... 5,377 5,442 3,485 3,461 3,203 3,218 281 243 8.1 7.0 6.5 – 7.6 

Puerto Rico ............................ 2,915 2,897 1,214 1,189 1,038 1,019 176 170 14.5 14.3 NA

Region, division, and state Error range of rate, 

2013 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 

reestimation. 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,

2012–13 annual averages

(Percent)

Employment-population ratio 1

2012 2013

United States ................................................................ 58.6 58.6 0.0 58.4 – 58.8 

Northeast ......................................................................... 58.7 58.7 .0 58.3 – 59.2 

New England ................................................................ 61.3 60.9 -.4 60.1 – 61.6 

Connecticut ................................................................ 60.9 60.1 -.8 58.9 – 61.2 

Maine ......................................................................... 60.6 60.9 .3 59.7 – 62.1 

Massachusetts .......................................................... 60.6 60.1 -.5 59.0 – 61.2 

New Hampshire ......................................................... 65.8 65.6 -.2 64.6 – 66.6 

Rhode Island ............................................................. 59.4 59.3 -.1 58.2 – 60.5 

Vermont ..................................................................... 66.2 65.5 -.7 64.3 – 66.7 

Middle Atlantic .............................................................. 57.8 58.0 .2 57.4 – 58.5 

New Jersey ................................................................ 59.4 59.4 .0 58.5 – 60.4 

New York ................................................................... 56.6 56.8 .2 56.2 – 57.5 

Pennsylvania ............................................................. 58.6 58.8 .2 57.9 – 59.6 

Midwest ........................................................................... 60.5 60.5 .0 60.1 – 60.9 

East North Central ....................................................... 58.7 58.7 .0 58.2 – 59.2 

Illinois ......................................................................... 59.9 59.4 -.5 58.5 – 60.4 

Indiana ....................................................................... 57.9 58.0 .1 56.6 – 59.5 

Michigan .................................................................... 54.5 55.0 .5 54.0 – 55.9 

Ohio ........................................................................... 58.9 59.0 .1 58.1 – 59.8 

Wisconsin .................................................................. 63.5 63.6 .1 62.2 – 64.9 

West North Central ...................................................... 64.7 64.8 .1 64.2 – 65.3 

Iowa ........................................................................... 66.0 66.3 .3 65.2 – 67.4 

Kansas ....................................................................... 64.4 64.3 -.1 63.1 – 65.4 

Minnesota .................................................................. 66.8 66.8 .0 65.7 – 68.0 

Missouri ..................................................................... 59.7 60.1 .4 58.8 – 61.4 

Nebraska ................................................................... 69.3 69.2 -.1 68.1 – 70.3 

North Dakota ............................................................. 70.4 69.4 -1.0 68.1 – 70.8 

South Dakota ............................................................. 67.5 67.2 -.3 66.0 – 68.4 

South ............................................................................... 57.8 57.8 .0 57.5 – 58.1 

South Atlantic ............................................................... 57.6 57.7 .1 57.3 – 58.2 

Delaware .................................................................... 56.9 56.7 -.2 55.7 – 57.8 

District of Columbia ................................................... 63.0 63.5 .5 62.4 – 64.7 

Florida ........................................................................ 55.3 55.8 .5 54.9 – 56.8 

Georgia ...................................................................... 58.0 57.9 -.1 56.8 – 58.9 

Maryland .................................................................... 63.3 63.0 -.3 62.1 – 63.8 

North Carolina ........................................................... 57.0 56.9 -.1 55.9 – 57.9 

South Carolina ........................................................... 54.4 54.4 .0 53.2 – 55.6 

Virginia ....................................................................... 62.9 62.7 -.2 61.5 – 63.9 

West Virginia ............................................................. 50.3 50.1 -.2 48.4 – 51.7 

East South Central ....................................................... 55.2 54.4 -.8 53.6 – 55.2 

Alabama .................................................................... 53.6 53.1 -.5 51.4 – 54.8 

Kentucky .................................................................... 56.2 55.7 -.5 54.4 – 57.0 

Mississippi ................................................................. 52.9 52.0 -.9 50.5 – 53.5 

Tennessee ................................................................. 56.7 55.6 -1.1 54.4 – 56.9 

West South Central ...................................................... 59.5 59.6 .1 59.0 – 60.2 

Arkansas .................................................................... 54.9 53.9 -1.0 52.7 – 55.1 

Louisiana ................................................................... 55.5 55.9 .4 54.3 – 57.5 

Oklahoma .................................................................. 58.7 58.8 .1 57.5 – 60.1 

Texas ......................................................................... 60.9 61.1 .2 60.4 – 61.8 

West ................................................................................ 57.8 57.9 .1 57.6 – 58.3 

Mountain ....................................................................... 59.3 59.1 -.2 58.5 – 59.7 

Arizona ....................................................................... 55.5 54.6 -.9 53.0 – 56.2 

Colorado .................................................................... 63.4 63.2 -.2 61.7 – 64.7 

Idaho .......................................................................... 60.0 60.1 .1 58.7 – 61.5 

Montana ..................................................................... 60.2 60.5 .3 59.0 – 62.0 

Nevada ...................................................................... 57.5 57.2 -.3 56.1 – 58.4 

New Mexico ............................................................... 54.1 54.1 .0 53.0 – 55.2 

Utah ........................................................................... 64.2 65.6 1.4 64.1 – 67.1 

Wyoming .................................................................... 65.1 64.9 -.2 63.6 – 66.2 

Pacific ........................................................................... 57.1 57.4 .3 57.0 – 57.8 

Alaska ........................................................................ 63.6 63.4 -.2 61.6 – 65.1 

California .................................................................... 56.5 57.0 .5 56.6 – 57.5 

Hawaii ........................................................................ 57.7 57.7 .0 56.5 – 58.9 

Oregon ....................................................................... 57.3 56.7 -.6 55.7 – 57.7 

Washington ............................................................... 59.6 59.1 -.5 58.2 – 60.1 

Puerto Rico ..................................................................... 35.6 35.2 -.4 

Region, division, and state Error range of ratio, 

2013 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 reestimation. 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.

MAINE

W.VA.

VT. N.H.

0.0 point or more

-0.1 to -0.5 point

-0.6 to -1.0 point

-1.1 to -1.5 points

-1.6 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,

2013 annual averages

(U.S. change = -0.7 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.

8.5% or higher

7.5% to 8.4%

6.5% to 7.4%

5.5% to 6.4%

5.4% 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, 2013 annual averages

(U.S. rate = 7.4 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

Chart 3. Employment-population ratios by state, 

2013 annual averages

(U.S. ratio = 58.6 percent)