Technical information:  (202) 691-6392       USDL 05-385
               http://www.bls.gov/lau/
                                             For release:  10:00 A.M. EST
Media contact:                691-5902       Thursday, March 10, 2005
   

           STATE AND REGIONAL UNEMPLOYMENT, 2004 ANNUAL AVERAGES
   
   Annual average unemployment rates were down in all four regions and 43
states in 2004, while employment-population ratios were little changed in
three regions and half the states, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the
U.S. Department of Labor reported today.  At the national level, the job-
less rate fell by 0.5 percentage point to 5.5 percent, while the employ-
ment-population ratio was unchanged at 62.3 percent.
   
Regional Unemployment
   
   Among the four regions, the West and Northeast registered the largest
annual average unemployment rate decreases from 2003 (-0.7 and -0.6 percent-
age point, respectively).  The Northeast and South reported the lowest job-
less rates in 2004, 5.3 percent each, while the West continued to record
the highest rate, 5.9 percent.  The Midwest had a rate of 5.7 percent.  The
range between the high and low regional unemployment rates narrowed from
0.9 percentage point in 2003 to 0.6 point in 2004.
   
   At the division level, the Middle Atlantic, New England, Pacific, and
West South Central had the largest unemployment rate declines in 2004
(-0.6 percentage point each).  No division posted a rate increase over the
year.  The New England and South Atlantic divisions recorded the lowest job-
less rates in 2004, 4.8 percent each, little different from that of the West
North Central, 4.9 percent.  The Pacific and East North Central divisions
reported the highest unemployment rates, 6.3 and 6.1 percent, respectively.
   
State Unemployment
   
   Annual average unemployment rates decreased in 43 states from 2003 to
2004, rose in 4 states and the District of Columbia, and were unchanged in
3 states.  The largest rate declines were in Washington (-1.2 percentage
points), New Jersey (-1.1 points), and North Carolina (-1.0 point).  Twenty-
two additional states registered over-the-year rate decreases of at least
one-half percentage point.  This group included most of the states in the
West.  In 2004, no state had an unemployment rate increase larger than
0.4 percentage point.  The District of Columbia's rate rose by 1.0 percent-
age point.  (See table 1.)

    ------------------------------------------------------------------      
   |    All subnational estimates presented in this release, except   |
   | those for Puerto Rico, were derived from newly updated time-     |
   | series models with real-time benchmarking to national Current    |
   | Population Survey (CPS) estimates.  A description of the changes |
   | to the estimation methodology is available from the Local Area   |
   | Unemployment Statistics Web site at http://www.bls.gov/lau/laus  |
   | redesignqa.htm.  Data for Puerto Rico are not included in the    |
   | U.S. totals.                                                     |
   |    Effective with this release, annual averages for regions,     |
   | divisions, states, and the District of Columbia shown in tables  |
   | 1 and 2, reflect historical revisions back to 1976.              |
    ------------------------------------------------------------------     
                                                              
                                  - 2 -
                                         
   Hawaii had the lowest jobless rate among all states, 3.3 percent.  Two
West North Central states posted the next lowest rates--North Dakota, 3.4
percent, and South Dakota, 3.5 percent.  Five additional states reported
annual average unemployment rates below 4.0 percent.  Two Pacific states--
Alaska and Oregon--recorded the highest jobless rates in 2004, 7.5 and
7.4 percent, respectively.  Michigan, at 7.1 percent, was the only other
state with a rate above 7.0 percent.  The District of Columbia's rate was
8.2 percent.
   
   Overall, 30 states had unemployment rates below the national average of
5.5 percent, 16 states and the District of Columbia had rates above it, and
4 states had the same rate.  All six states in the New England division, six
of the eight states in the Mountain, and five of the seven states in the West
North Central posted rates below that of the U.S.  In contrast, four of the
five Pacific division states and three of the four West South Central states
recorded rates above the national rate.  
   
Regional Employment-Population Ratios
   
   Three of the four regions registered little or no change in their employ-
ment-population ratios--the proportion of the civilian noninstitutional popu-
lation 16 years and over that was employed--from 2003.  The Northeast posted
the largest change, an increase of 0.4 percentage point.  Relative to the
62.3 percent employment-population ratio for the U.S., the Midwest (64.5 per-
cent) and West (62.6 percent) reported higher ratios, while the Northeast
(61.5 percent) and South (61.3 percent) had lower ratios.
   
   Of the nine geographic divisions, the Middle Atlantic recorded the
largest over-the-year change in its employment-population ratio, an
increase of 0.6 percentage point.  The West North Central again registered
the highest proportion of employed persons (68.0 percent), while the East
South Central continued to report the lowest proportion (58.9 percent).
   
State Employment-Population Ratios
   
   In 2004, 25 states posted declines in their proportions of employed
persons from 2003, 19 states and the District of Columbia reported
increases, and 6 states had no change.  The largest employment-population
ratio declines were in Delaware (-1.0 percentage point) and Rhode Island
(-0.9 point).  Five other states recorded declines of at least one-half
percentage point.  Washington reported the largest increase in its
employment-population ratio in 2004 (+1.2 percentage points).  Colorado
had the next largest increase (+0.9 percentage point), followed by Arkansas,
New York, and Pennsylvania (+0.6 point each).  (See table 2.)
   
   West Virginia continued to have the lowest employment-population ratio
among all states in 2004, 51.4 percent.  No other state reported a ratio
below 57 percent.  Seven of the other nine states with employment-population
ratios below 60 percent also were located in the South.  Minnesota continued
to record the highest proportion of employed persons, 71.4 percent, followed
by two other West North Central states--Nebraska and South Dakota--at 71.2
and 70.5 percent, respectively.  These three were the only states with ratios
over 70.0 percent.  Thirty-two states recorded employment-population ratios
higher than the U.S. figure (62.3 percent), while 18 states and the District
of Columbia registered lower ratios.  All states in the New England and the
West North Central divisions again reported employment-population ratios
above that of the U.S., while all states in the East South Central division
again had ratios below it.
   
   Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired
individuals upon request.  Voice phone:  202-691-5200; 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, 2003-04 annual averages
 
(Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                      
                                    Population      Civilian labor       Employed         Unemployed     Unemployment 
                                                        force                                                rate     
  Region, division, and state                                                                                         
                                                                                                                      
                                  2003     2004     2003     2004     2003     2004      2003     2004    2003   2004  
                                                                                                                      

                                                                                                                      
     United States ............  221,168 223,357  146,510  147,401  137,736  139,252    8,774    8,149    6.0    5.5 
                                                                                  
Northeast......................   42,237  42,429   27,408   27,546   25,796   26,081    1,612    1,466    5.9    5.3 
   New England.................   11,091  11,155    7,551    7,529    7,140    7,166      410      363    5.4    4.8 
      Connecticut..............    2,680   2,700    1,805    1,797    1,706    1,710       99       88    5.5    4.9 
      Maine....................    1,042   1,055      694      699      660      667       35       32    5.0    4.6 
      Massachusetts............    5,027   5,036    3,414    3,393    3,216    3,219      198      174    5.8    5.1 
      New Hampshire............    1,005   1,018      717      723      685      696       32       27    4.5    3.8 
      Rhode Island.............      844     848      569      562      538      533       31       29    5.4    5.2 
      Vermont..................      494     499      352      353      336      340       16       13    4.5    3.7 
                                                                             
   Middle Atlantic.............   31,146  31,274   19,857   20,018   18,656   18,915    1,202    1,103    6.1    5.5 
      New Jersey...............    6,618   6,666    4,371    4,388    4,115    4,176      256      212    5.9    4.8 
      New York.................   14,875  14,906    9,300    9,355    8,705    8,812      595      543    6.4    5.8 
      Pennsylvania.............    9,653   9,702    6,186    6,275    5,835    5,927      351      348    5.7    5.5 
                                                                             
Midwest........................   49,984  50,378   34,284   34,440   32,263   32,472    2,020    1,968    5.9    5.7 
   East North Central..........   34,981  35,222   23,522   23,601   22,033   22,167    1,489    1,434    6.3    6.1 
      Illinois.................    9,576   9,641    6,361    6,396    5,934    6,000      427      396    6.7    6.2 
      Indiana..................    4,687   4,725    3,169    3,170    3,001    3,005      168      165    5.3    5.2 
      Michigan.................    7,703   7,748    5,054    5,079    4,695    4,719      358      360    7.1    7.1 
      Ohio.....................    8,781   8,828    5,869    5,885    5,506    5,523      363      362    6.2    6.1 
      Wisconsin................    4,233   4,280    3,069    3,071    2,897    2,919      172      152    5.6    4.9 
                                                                             
   West North Central..........   15,003  15,156   10,762   10,838   10,231   10,305      531      533    4.9    4.9 
      Iowa.....................    2,287   2,307    1,620    1,624    1,548    1,545       72       78    4.4    4.8 
      Kansas...................    2,053   2,069    1,447    1,464    1,366    1,384       81       80    5.6    5.5 
      Minnesota................    3,898   3,943    2,929    2,952    2,786    2,814      143      138    4.9    4.7 
      Missouri.................    4,378   4,424    3,014    3,031    2,846    2,859      168      172    5.6    5.7 
      Nebraska.................    1,318   1,331      976      985      937      948       39       37    4.0    3.8 
      North Dakota.............      492     497      351      354      339      342       13       12    3.6    3.4 
      South Dakota.............      578     586      424      428      409      413       15       15    3.5    3.5 
                                                                             
South..........................   78,713  80,003   51,235   51,767   48,300   49,037    2,935    2,730    5.7    5.3 
   South Atlantic..............   41,316  42,053   26,939   27,297   25,526   25,975    1,414    1,322    5.2    4.8 
      Delaware.................      630     643      420      423      404      406       17       17    4.0    4.1 
      District of Columbia.....      448     443      298      299      277      274       21       24    7.2    8.2 
      Florida..................   13,197  13,521    8,195    8,396    7,764    7,997      431      399    5.3    4.8 
      Georgia..................    6,416   6,534    4,341    4,390    4,135    4,188      206      202    4.7    4.6 
      Maryland.................    4,178   4,223    2,880    2,883    2,751    2,761      128      122    4.5    4.2 
      North Carolina...........    6,340   6,439    4,230    4,256    3,957    4,021      273      236    6.5    5.5 
      South Carolina...........    3,147   3,193    2,013    2,046    1,878    1,907      135      140    6.7    6.8 
      Virginia.................    5,516   5,605    3,767    3,815    3,612    3,674      155      140    4.1    3.7 
      West Virginia............    1,445   1,452      796      788      748      747       48       42    6.0    5.3 
                                                                             
   East South Central..........   13,267  13,411    8,337    8,361    7,845    7,899      492      461    5.9    5.5 
      Alabama..................    3,451   3,484    2,133    2,149    2,009    2,029      124      119    5.8    5.6 
      Kentucky.................    3,163   3,194    1,979    1,974    1,856    1,870      123      104    6.2    5.3 
      Mississippi..............    2,146   2,169    1,322    1,330    1,237    1,248       85       82    6.4    6.2 
      Tennessee................    4,507   4,564    2,903    2,908    2,742    2,752      161      156    5.5    5.4 
                                                                             
   West South Central..........   24,129  24,539   15,959   16,110   14,929   15,163    1,030      946    6.5    5.9 
      Arkansas.................    2,076   2,102    1,279    1,306    1,205    1,232       75       74    5.9    5.7 
      Louisiana................    3,349   3,377    2,042    2,058    1,915    1,940      128      117    6.3    5.7 
      Oklahoma.................    2,647   2,671    1,710    1,710    1,614    1,628       95       83    5.6    4.8 
      Texas....................   16,057  16,388   10,927   11,035   10,196   10,363      731      672    6.7    6.1 
                                                                             
West...........................   49,706  50,546   33,228   33,648   31,048   31,663    2,181    1,985    6.6    5.9 
   Mountain....................   14,441  14,790    9,859   10,057    9,302    9,549      557      509    5.6    5.1 
      Arizona..................    4,137   4,266    2,707    2,774    2,553    2,637      154      137    5.7    5.0 
      Colorado.................    3,427   3,468    2,480    2,522    2,325    2,383      155      139    6.2    5.5 
      Idaho....................    1,014   1,039      691      703      654      670       37       33    5.3    4.7 
      Montana..................      717     730      473      483      452      462       21       21    4.4    4.4 
      Nevada...................    1,686   1,759    1,149    1,178    1,090    1,126       59       51    5.1    4.3 
      New Mexico...............    1,407   1,436      893      912      841      860       53       52    5.9    5.7 
      Utah.....................    1,664   1,697    1,188    1,203    1,121    1,140       67       63    5.7    5.2 
      Wyoming..................      389     395      277      282      265      271       12       11    4.4    3.9 
                                                                             
   Pacific.....................   35,266  35,755   23,370   23,591   21,746   22,114    1,624    1,476    6.9    6.3 
      Alaska...................      457     465      331      333      305      308       26       25    7.7    7.5 
      California...............   26,412  26,768   17,414   17,552   16,223   16,460    1,190    1,092    6.8    6.2 
      Hawaii...................      932     946      612      616      589      596       24       20    3.9    3.3 
      Oregon...................    2,768   2,800    1,852    1,856    1,702    1,719      151      138    8.1    7.4 
      Washington...............    4,696   4,777    3,160    3,234    2,927    3,032      233      201    7.4    6.2 
                                                                             
Puerto Rico (3)................    2,918   2,938    1,364    1,371    1,200    1,226      163      145   12.0   10.6 

  NOTE:  Data refer to place of residence.  Data for Puerto Rico are derived from a monthly household survey similar to
the Current Population Survey.  Data for all other areas reflect an updated model-based methodology.  Subnational data
incorporate updated Census 2000-based population controls.  As a result, they will not add to U.S. totals.  Unemployment
rates are based on unrounded levels.



Table 2.  Employment-population ratio of persons 16 years of age
and over by region, division, and state, 2003-04 annual averages

(Percent)
                                                                                             
                                                                                             
                                   Employment-population            
                                           ratio (1)      Over-the- 
  Region, division, and state                               year    
                                                           change   
                                      2003       2004               
                                                                    
                                                                               
                                                                    
     United States ............       62.3       62.3       .0   
                                                                 
Northeast......................       61.1       61.5      0.4   
   New England.................       64.4       64.2      -.2   
      Connecticut..............       63.7       63.3      -.4   
      Maine....................       63.3       63.3       .0   
      Massachusetts............       64.0       63.9      -.1   
      New Hampshire............       68.2       68.3       .1   
      Rhode Island.............       63.8       62.9      -.9   
      Vermont..................       67.9       68.2       .3   
                                                                 
   Middle Atlantic.............       59.9       60.5       .6   
      New Jersey...............       62.2       62.6       .4   
      New York.................       58.5       59.1       .6   
      Pennsylvania.............       60.5       61.1       .6   
                                                                 
Midwest........................       64.5       64.5       .0   
   East North Central..........       63.0       62.9      -.1   
      Illinois.................       62.0       62.2       .2   
      Indiana..................       64.0       63.6      -.4   
      Michigan.................       61.0       60.9      -.1   
      Ohio.....................       62.7       62.6      -.1   
      Wisconsin................       68.4       68.2      -.2   
                                                                 
   West North Central..........       68.2       68.0      -.2   
      Iowa.....................       67.7       67.0      -.7   
      Kansas...................       66.5       66.9       .4   
      Minnesota................       71.5       71.4      -.1   
      Missouri.................       65.0       64.6      -.4   
      Nebraska.................       71.1       71.2       .1   
      North Dakota.............       68.9       68.9       .0   
      South Dakota.............       70.8       70.5      -.3   
                                                                 
South..........................       61.4       61.3      -.1   
   South Atlantic..............       61.8       61.8       .0   
      Delaware.................       64.1       63.1     -1.0   
      District of Columbia.....       61.8       62.0       .2   
      Florida..................       58.8       59.1       .3   
      Georgia..................       64.4       64.1      -.3   
      Maryland.................       65.9       65.4      -.5   
      North Carolina...........       62.4       62.4       .0   
      South Carolina...........       59.7       59.7       .0   
      Virginia.................       65.5       65.6       .1   
      West Virginia............       51.8       51.4      -.4   
                                                                 
   East South Central..........       59.1       58.9      -.2   
      Alabama..................       58.2       58.2       .0   
      Kentucky.................       58.7       58.6      -.1   
      Mississippi..............       57.7       57.6      -.1   
      Tennessee................       60.8       60.3      -.5   
                                                                 
   West South Central..........       61.9       61.8      -.1   
      Arkansas.................       58.0       58.6       .6   
      Louisiana................       57.2       57.5       .3   
      Oklahoma.................       61.0       60.9      -.1   
      Texas....................       63.5       63.2      -.3   
                                                                 
West...........................       62.5       62.6       .1   
   Mountain....................       64.4       64.6       .2   
      Arizona..................       61.7       61.8       .1   
      Colorado.................       67.8       68.7       .9   
      Idaho....................       64.5       64.5       .0   
      Montana..................       63.1       63.3       .2   
      Nevada...................       64.6       64.0      -.6   
      New Mexico...............       59.8       59.9       .1   
      Utah.....................       67.4       67.2      -.2   
      Wyoming..................       68.2       68.5       .3   
                                                                 
   Pacific.....................       61.7       61.8       .1   
      Alaska...................       66.7       66.2      -.5   
      California...............       61.4       61.5       .1   
      Hawaii...................       63.1       63.0      -.1   
      Oregon...................       61.5       61.4      -.1   
      Washington...............       62.3       63.5      1.2   
                                                                 
Puerto Rico (2)................       41.1       41.7       .6

  1 Employment as a percent of the civilian noninstitutional popu-
lation 16 years of age and over.
  NOTE:  Data for Puerto Rico are derived from a household survey
similar to the Current Population Survey.  Employment-population
ratios are based on unrounded levels.