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                                       For release:  10:00 A.M. EST
Media contact:               691-5902  Friday, February 25, 2000


           STATE AND REGIONAL UNEMPLOYMENT, 1999 ANNUAL AVERAGES
   
   
   Unemployment rates decreased in 35 states and the District of Columbia
from 1998 to 1999, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of
Labor reported today.  All four regions and eight of the nine geographic
divisions also had rate declines.  The national jobless rate decreased from
4.5 percent to 4.2 percent from 1998 to 1999.
   
   As the national unemployment rate reached its lowest point in 30 years,
14 states achieved the lowest annual average rates in their series.  (All
state series date back at least to 1976.)  Jobless rates were lower in 1999
than in the prior year in 35 states and the District of Columbia, higher in
11 states, and unchanged in 4 states.  Ten states reported consecutive
decreases for at least the most recent 5 years.  Among the states, Maryland
and Oklahoma posted the largest rate declines in 1999 (-1.1 points each),
followed by Arkansas (-1.0 point).  The District of Columbia's rate dropped
by 2.5 percentage points.  Eight additional states recorded decreases of at
least 0.5 percentage point.  The largest rate increases occurred in South
Carolina (0.7 percentage point) and Alabama and Alaska (0.6 point each).
   
   Iowa reported the lowest 1999 annual average unemployment rate (2.5
percent), followed by New Hampshire (2.7 percent).  The other states with
rates below 3.0 percent were Minnesota and Virginia (2.8 percent each) and
Colorado, Nebraska, and South Dakota (2.9 percent each).  Nine of the 17
states with jobless rates below 3.5 percent were in the Midwest.  West
Virginia again reported the highest rate of any state (6.6 percent), 
followed by Alaska (6.4 percent).  The District of Columbia's rate was
6.3 percent.  Of the 11 states with jobless rates above 5.0 percent, 7 were
in the West.  Overall, 26 states had unemployment rates below the national
average, while 24 states and the District of Columbia posted higher rates--
the most even distribution in 12 years.
   
   For the ninth straight year, the Midwest had the lowest regional jobless
rate (3.6 percent).  The West registered the highest unemployment rate (4.9
percent) for the eighth consecutive year.  This is the narrowest range
between the highest and lowest regional unemployment rates since 1991.
Three regions--the Midwest, South, and West--achieved the lowest annual
rates in their series, while the Northeast registered its lowest rate since
1988.  The West region recorded the largest decline over the year, -0.5
percentage point, followed by the Northeast and South, -0.3 point each.
   
   Among the nation's nine geographic divisions, the West North Central
posted the lowest unemployment rate (3.0 percent), as it has for the last
10 years.  For the eighth consecutive year, the Pacific division had the
highest jobless rate (5.2 percent).  However, the Pacific division, along

                                  - 2 -

with the West South Central division, recorded the largest rate decrease
from 1998 (-0.5 percentage point each).  The drop in the Pacific rate was
largely due to improvements in the California labor market.  Five divisions
recorded new annual lows for their series--the East North Central,
Mountain, South Atlantic, West North Central, and West South Central.
   
   All estimates presented in this release, except those for Puerto Rico,
were derived from the Current Population Survey, a sample survey of about
50,000 households conducted monthly for the Bureau of Labor Statistics by
the U.S. Census Bureau.  A description of the survey and information about
the reliability of the state estimates appear in Geographic Profile of
Employment and Unemployment, 1998, Bulletin 2524.  The length of the annual
series varies by state and ranges from 24 to 30 years.  The region and
division annual series begin in 1976.
   
   Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired
individuals upon request.  Voice phone:  202-606-5886; TDD message referral
phone number:  1-800-877-8339.
Table 1.  Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years of age and over by region, division, and
state, 1998-99 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                          
                         Population      Civilian labor       Employed         Unemployed      Unemployment               
 Region, division,                           force                                                 rate       Error range 
     and state                                                                                                  of rate,  
                                                                                                                1999(1)   
                       1998     1999     1998     1999     1998     1999     1998     1999     1998    1999               
                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                          
   United States(2).  205,220  207,753  137,673  139,368  131,463  133,488    6,210    5,880    4.5     4.2   4.1  -   4.3
                                                                                                                          
Northeast...........   39,917   40,063   26,059   26,206   24,845   25,056    1,214    1,150    4.7     4.4   4.3  -   4.5
  New England.......   10,366   10,404    7,104    7,147    6,854    6,912      249      235    3.5     3.3   3.1  -   3.5
    Connecticut.....    2,514    2,505    1,699    1,692    1,641    1,638       57       53    3.4     3.2   2.7  -   3.7
    Maine...........      982      990      652      672      624      644       29       28    4.4     4.1   3.5  -   4.7
    Massachusetts...    4,750    4,772    3,273    3,278    3,164    3,173      109      105    3.3     3.2   2.9  -   3.5
    New Hampshire...      909      921      651      666      633      648       19       18    2.9     2.7   2.2  -   3.2
    Rhode Island....      750      750      498      504      473      483       24       21    4.9     4.1   3.5  -   4.7
    Vermont.........      461      466      330      336      319      326       11       10    3.4     3.0   2.5  -   3.5
                                                                                                                          
  Middle Atlantic...   29,551   29,659   18,956   19,059   17,991   18,144      965      915    5.1     4.8   4.6  -   5.0
    New Jersey......    6,225    6,266    4,140    4,207    3,949    4,013      191      193    4.6     4.6   4.2  -   5.0
    New York........   14,056   14,122    8,882    8,883    8,384    8,424      499      459    5.6     5.2   4.9  -   5.5
    Pennsylvania....    9,270    9,271    5,934    5,969    5,659    5,707      275      262    4.6     4.4   4.1  -   4.7
                                                                                                                          
Midwest.............   47,675   47,947   33,183   33,442   31,941   32,245    1,242    1,198    3.7     3.6   3.5  -   3.7
  East North Central   33,595   33,761   22,999   23,240   22,090   22,346      909      894    4.0     3.8   3.6  -   4.0
    Illinois........    9,106    9,165    6,240    6,385    5,962    6,112      278      274    4.5     4.3   4.0  -   4.6
    Indiana.........    4,482    4,507    3,089    3,078    2,993    2,985       96       93    3.1     3.0   2.6  -   3.4
    Michigan........    7,461    7,493    5,029    5,136    4,835    4,942      194      194    3.9     3.8   3.5  -   4.1
    Ohio............    8,577    8,598    5,689    5,749    5,447    5,503      242      246    4.3     4.3   4.0  -   4.6
    Wisconsin.......    3,969    3,998    2,953    2,892    2,853    2,804       99       88    3.4     3.0   2.6  -   3.4
                                                                                                                          
  West North Central   14,080   14,186   10,183   10,202    9,851    9,899      332      303    3.3     3.0   2.8  -   3.2
    Iowa............    2,179    2,189    1,568    1,574    1,525    1,534       43       40    2.8     2.5   2.1  -   2.9
    Kansas..........    1,972    1,988    1,418    1,434    1,363    1,392       54       43    3.8     3.0   2.5  -   3.5
    Minnesota.......    3,554    3,594    2,680    2,699    2,612    2,623       68       75    2.5     2.8   2.4  -   3.2
    Missouri........    4,112    4,144    2,859    2,847    2,740    2,751      119       96    4.2     3.4   2.9  -   3.9
    Nebraska........    1,241    1,247      916      911      892      885       25       26    2.7     2.9   2.4  -   3.4
    North Dakota....      479      478      346      337      335      325       11       11    3.2     3.4   2.9  -   3.9
    South Dakota....      543      546      395      400      384      388       11       12    2.9     2.9   2.5  -   3.3
                                                                                                                          
South...............   72,436   73,417   47,775   48,398   45,665   46,405    2,110    1,993    4.4     4.1   4.0  -   4.2
  South Atlantic....   37,517   38,043   24,697   25,067   23,693   24,129    1,003      938    4.1     3.7   3.5  -   3.9
    Delaware........      573      580      392      389      377      375       15       14    3.8     3.5   3.0  -   4.0
    District of                                                                                                           
   Columbia.........      416      417      269      282      245      264       24       18    8.8     6.3   5.6  -   7.0
    Florida.........   11,613   11,792    7,230    7,366    6,920    7,082      310      284    4.3     3.9   3.6  -   4.2
    Georgia.........    5,750    5,873    4,015    4,088    3,846    3,925      169      163    4.2     4.0   3.5  -   4.5
    Maryland........    3,933    3,962    2,750    2,766    2,625    2,668      125       98    4.6     3.5   3.0  -   4.0
    North Carolina..    5,684    5,764    3,797    3,874    3,666    3,752      131      122    3.5     3.2   2.8  -   3.6
    South Carolina..    2,947    2,990    1,962    1,962    1,888    1,874       75       88    3.8     4.5   3.9  -   5.1
    Virginia........    5,153    5,217    3,484    3,522    3,382    3,424      102       98    2.9     2.8   2.4  -   3.2
    West Virginia...    1,448    1,448      798      817      745      763       53       54    6.6     6.6   5.9  -   7.3
                                                                                                                          
  East South Central   12,659   12,784    8,112    8,204    7,749    7,836      364      368    4.5     4.5   4.2  -   4.8
    Alabama.........    3,362    3,391    2,156    2,145    2,066    2,043       91      102    4.2     4.8   4.2  -   5.4
    Kentucky........    3,029    3,062    1,930    1,970    1,841    1,882       89       88    4.6     4.5   3.9  -   5.1
    Mississippi.....    2,057    2,077    1,267    1,270    1,199    1,205       68       65    5.4     5.1   4.5  -   5.7
    Tennessee.......    4,211    4,254    2,759    2,819    2,643    2,705      116      114    4.2     4.0   3.5  -   4.5
                                                                                                                          
  West South Central   22,260   22,590   14,966   15,128   14,223   14,440      743      687    5.0     4.5   4.3  -   4.7
    Arkansas........    1,933    1,946    1,210    1,222    1,144    1,167       67       55    5.5     4.5   3.9  -   5.1
    Louisiana.......    3,260    3,278    2,054    2,052    1,937    1,948      117      104    5.7     5.1   4.5  -   5.7
    Oklahoma........    2,509    2,529    1,620    1,648    1,546    1,591       73       57    4.5     3.4   2.9  -   3.9
    Texas...........   14,558   14,837   10,082   10,206    9,597    9,734      485      472    4.8     4.6   4.3  -   4.9
                                                                                                                          
West................   45,294   46,123   30,721   31,187   29,072   29,654    1,648    1,533    5.4     4.9   4.7  -   5.1
  Mountain..........   12,560   12,813    8,685    8,854    8,303    8,485      382      369    4.4     4.2   4.0  -   4.4
    Arizona.........    3,498    3,570    2,255    2,364    2,162    2,260       93      104    4.1     4.4   3.9  -   4.9
    Colorado........    3,010    3,080    2,241    2,264    2,155    2,198       86       66    3.8     2.9   2.5  -   3.3
    Idaho...........      918      940      654      655      621      621       33       34    5.0     5.2   4.6  -   5.8
    Montana.........      680      685      466      474      440      449       26       25    5.6     5.2   4.6  -   5.8
    Nevada..........    1,318    1,363      919      942      880      900       40       42    4.3     4.4   3.9  -   4.9
    New Mexico......    1,295    1,307      831      810      780      764       51       46    6.2     5.6   5.0  -   6.2
    Utah............    1,475    1,500    1,061    1,084    1,021    1,043       40       40    3.8     3.7   3.2  -   4.2
    Wyoming.........      366      368      257      262      245      249       12       13    4.8     4.9   4.3  -   5.5
                                                                                                                          
  Pacific...........   32,734   33,310   22,036   22,332   20,769   21,169    1,267    1,163    5.7     5.2   5.0  -   5.4
    Alaska..........      427      429      317      315      299      295       18       20    5.8     6.4   5.7  -   7.1
    California......   24,551   25,028   16,324   16,586   15,356   15,722      968      864    5.9     5.2   5.0  -   5.4
    Hawaii..........      883      888      595      595      558      561       37       33    6.2     5.6   4.9  -   6.3
    Oregon..........    2,552    2,582    1,764    1,760    1,665    1,660       99      100    5.6     5.7   5.1  -   6.3
    Washington......    4,321    4,383    3,036    3,076    2,892    2,931      144      145    4.8     4.7   4.1  -   5.3
                                                                                                                          
Puerto Rico(3)......    2,760    2,803    1,311    1,302    1,136    1,149     175       153    13.3   11.7       (4)     

  1 Error ranges are shown at the 90-percent confidence level.
  2 Because of separate processing and weighting procedures, totals for the United States differ from the results obtained
by aggregating the data for regions, divisions, or states.
  3 The source of these data is the Employment Security Agency of Puerto Rico.
  4 Not available.
 NOTE:  Region and division data are derived from summing the component states.  Sub-national data incorporate updated
1990 census-based population controls.  Historical data have been revised.