Technical information:  (202) 691-6392      USDL 03-90
               http://www.bls.gov/lau/
                                            For release:  10:00 A.M. EST
Media contact:                691-5902      Friday, February 28, 2003
                                     
                                     
           STATE AND REGIONAL UNEMPLOYMENT, 2002 ANNUAL AVERAGES
   
   Annual average unemployment rates rose between 2001 and 2002 in nearly all
of the states and in each of the Census regions and divisions, the Bureau of
Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today.  Employment-
population ratios declined in 40 states.  At the national level, the jobless 
rate rose by 1.1 percentage points to 5.8 percent in 2002, while the employ-
ment-population ratio dropped by 1.0 percentage point to 62.7 percent.
   
State Unemployment
   
   Rising unemployment persisted across the U.S. in 2002.  Compared with the 
prior year, jobless rates were higher in 47 states, lower in 2 states, and 
unchanged in 1 state and the District of Columbia.  Two states in the Mountain 
division--Colorado and Utah--reported the largest unemployment rate increases 
from 2001 (+2.0 and +1.7 percentage points, respectively).  Massachusetts and 
New Jersey recorded the next largest increases (+1.6 percentage points each).  
Seventeen additional states registered over-the-year rate increases of at 
least a full percentage point.  These 21 states with at least 1.0-percentage 
point increases in their unemployment rate were spread across the nation:  
6 each were in the Northeast and West, 5 were in the South, and 4 were in the 
Midwest.  In 2002, only Hawaii and South Dakota reported annual unemployment 
rate declines (-0.4 and -0.3 percentage point, respectively).  (See table 1.) 
   
   For the second year in a row, the states with the highest jobless rates
were located in the Pacific division.  Alaska registered the highest rate
in 2002, 7.7 percent, followed by Oregon, 7.5 percent, and Washington, 
7.3 percent.  Twelve additional states and the District of Columbia posted
unemployment rates of 6.0 percent or more for the year.  The lowest jobless
rates in 2002 were in two West North Central states:  South Dakota, 3.1 per-
cent, and Nebraska, 3.6 percent.  Overall, 32 states had unemployment rates 
below the national average, 16 states and the District of Columbia had rates 
above it, and 2 states had rates equal to it.  All seven states in the West 
North Central division and all six in New England posted rates below the U.S. 
rate.  In contrast, four of the five Pacific states recorded rates above  
that of the nation.  

   
Regional Unemployment
   
   The Northeast and West regions experienced the largest jobless rate
increases from 2001 (+1.2 percentage points each), while the Midwest and
South recorded smaller rate increases (+1.0 and +0.9 point, respectively).
For the 11th consecutive year, the West registered the highest regional 
unemployment rate, 6.5 percent.  The Midwest reported the lowest rate, 
5.5 percent.  The range between the highest and lowest regional unemploy-
ment rates--1.0 percentage point--increased slightly, after narrowing 
substantially since the mid-1990s.
   
   Among the nation's nine geographic divisions, the Mountain division posted 
the largest over-the-year unemployment rate increase (+1.3 percentage points), 
closely followed by the Middle Atlantic, New England, and Pacific divisions 
(+1.2 points each).  The smallest jobless rate increases from 2001 were re-
corded in the East South Central and West North Central divisions (+0.7 per-
centage point each).  The Pacific also continued to register the highest job-
less rate--for the 11th straight year--6.8 percent.  The West South Central 
division had the next highest rate, 6.0 percent.  The West North Central 
division recorded the lowest unemployment rate, 4.6 percent, followed by New 
England, 4.9 percent, which had reported the lowest divisional rate for the 
prior 2 years.
  
                                  - 2 -

State employment-population ratios
   
   In 2002, 40 states and the District of Columbia posted declines
in their employment-population ratios--the proportion of the civilian
noninstitutional population 16 years and over with a job--while 9 states
reported increases.  The largest employment-population ratio declines
occurred in Michigan (-3.0 percentage points) and Delaware (-2.6 points).
Four other states recorded decreases of 2.0 percentage points or more from
2001, and 20 additional states and the District of Columbia registered
declines of at least 1.0 point.  The largest increases in employment-
population ratios were in South Dakota and Arkansas (+1.2 percentage points
and +1.0 point, respectively).  Iowa and Vermont were the only other states
that reported increases of at least 0.5 percentage point.  (See table 2.) 
   
   West Virginia continued to have the lowest employment-population ratio, 
52.6 percent, a decline of 2.0 percentage points from 2001.  The seven states 
recording the next lowest ratios also were located in the South--Alabama, 
Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina--with 
employment-population ratios ranging between 56.4 and 59.1 percent.  New York, 
at 59.3 percent, was the only other state with a ratio below 60.0 percent.  
Minnesota again reported the highest proportion of employed persons, 72.4 per-
cent, despite a 0.7-percentage point decline from 2001.  Three other Mid-
western states--Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota--registered the next highest 
ratios, all of which were over 70.0 percent.  Twenty-seven states recorded 
employment-population ratios higher than the U.S. figure of 62.7 percent, 
while 21 states and the District of Columbia posted lower ratios.  All states 
in the New England and West North Central divisions had ratios above that of 
the U.S., while all of those in the Middle Atlantic and East South Central 
divisions had ratios below it.
   
Regional employment-population ratios
   
   All four regions reported declines in their proportion of employed persons 
from 2001, ranging from -1.5 percentage points in the Midwest to -0.2 point 
in the Northeast.  The Midwest and West continued to register ratios (65.0 and 
63.0 percent, respectively) above the U.S. average, while the Northeast 
(61.9 percent) and South (61.5 percent) again had lower ratios.
   
   Of the nine geographic divisions, the East North Central recorded the
largest decrease in its employment-population ratio relative to 2001 (-1.9
percentage points).  The next largest decreases were in the Pacific, South
Atlantic, and West South Central divisions (-1.0 percentage point each).
The two Northeast divisions--the Middle Atlantic and New England--registered
the smallest declines in 2002 (-0.2 and -0.3 percentage point, respectively).  
Once again, the West North Central recorded the highest employment-population 
ratio (68.7 percent) and the East South Central registered the lowest 
(59.3 percent).
   
                                  - 3 -

NOTE
   
   All estimates presented in this release, except those for Puerto Rico, 
were derived from the Current Population Survey, a sample survey of about 
60,000 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, 2000, Bulletin 2550.  Effective with this 
release, annual averages for regions, divisions, states, and the District 
of Columbia, shown in tables 1 and 2, reflect updated population controls, 
incorporating the results of Census 2000.  This decennial adjustment gen-
erally results in changes to levels for the current and previous years and 
may also affect unemployment rates and employment-population ratios, unlike 
the more routine population control updates in other years.
   
   The length of the annual series varies by state and ranges from 27 to 
33 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:  202-691-5200; 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, 
2001-02 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                    
                                    Population      Civilian labor       Employed         Unemployed     Unemployment               
                                                        force                                                rate       Error range of
  Region, division, and state                                                                                           rate, 2002(1)
                                                                                                                                    
                                  2001     2002     2001     2002     2001     2002      2001     2002    2001   2002                
                                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                    
     United States(2)..........  215,092  217,570  143,734  144,863  136,933  136,485    6,801    8,378    4.7    5.8    5.7  -  5.9
                                                                                                                                  
Northeast......................   41,678   42,028   27,070   27,576   25,883   26,026    1,187    1,550    4.4    5.6    5.4  -  5.8
   New England.................   10,909   11,020    7,422    7,556    7,150    7,190      272      367    3.7    4.9    4.7  -  5.1
      Connecticut..............    2,604    2,623    1,755    1,773    1,698    1,696       57       77    3.3    4.3    3.8  -  4.8
      Maine....................    1,019    1,034      686      686      658      656       27       30    3.9    4.4    3.9  -  4.9
      Massachusetts............    5,003    5,046    3,393    3,486    3,268    3,301      125      185    3.7    5.3    4.9  -  5.7
      New Hampshire............      972      989      700      706      676      672       25       33    3.5    4.7    4.2  -  5.2
      Rhode Island.............      827      840      548      556      522      528       26       28    4.7    5.1    4.6  -  5.6
      Vermont..................      484      489      340      349      328      336       12       13    3.6    3.7    3.3  -  4.1
                                                                                                                                  
   Middle Atlantic.............   30,769   31,008   19,648   20,020   18,734   18,836      915    1,183    4.7    5.9    5.7  -  6.1
      New Jersey...............    6,513    6,585    4,305    4,368    4,125    4,113      180      255    4.2    5.8    5.4  -  6.2
      New York.................   14,701   14,816    9,132    9,362    8,689    8,790      443      573    4.9    6.1    5.8  -  6.4
      Pennsylvania.............    9,555    9,607    6,212    6,290    5,920    5,934      291      356    4.7    5.7    5.3  -  6.1
                                                                                                                                  
Midwest........................   49,197   49,600   34,265   34,125   32,711   32,247    1,554    1,878    4.5    5.5    5.3  -  5.7
   East North Central..........   34,465   34,721   23,637   23,410   22,496   22,024    1,141    1,385    4.8    5.9    5.7  -  6.1
      Illinois.................    9,440    9,524    6,473    6,378    6,125    5,963      349      415    5.4    6.5    6.1  -  6.9
      Indiana..................    4,626    4,656    3,134    3,175    2,998    3,012      136      163    4.4    5.1    4.6  -  5.6
      Michigan.................    7,594    7,650    5,158    5,001    4,886    4,691      271      310    5.3    6.2    5.8  -  6.6
      Ohio.....................    8,664    8,701    5,844    5,828    5,596    5,497      248      331    4.2    5.7    5.3  -  6.1
      Wisconsin................    4,141    4,190    3,028    3,028    2,891    2,861      137      167    4.5    5.5    4.9  -  6.1
                                                                                                                                  
   West North Central..........   14,732   14,879   10,628   10,716   10,215   10,223      413      493    3.9    4.6    4.4  -  4.8
      Iowa.....................    2,261    2,277    1,625    1,667    1,572    1,601       54       67    3.3    4.0    3.5  -  4.5
      Kansas...................    2,021    2,041    1,383    1,414    1,324    1,342       59       72    4.3    5.1    4.5  -  5.7
      Minnesota................    3,805    3,855    2,889    2,918    2,783    2,790      106      128    3.7    4.4    3.9  -  4.9
      Missouri.................    4,288    4,330    3,020    2,990    2,879    2,825      141      165    4.7    5.5    5.0  -  6.0
      Nebraska.................    1,298    1,311      953      959      923      925       29       34    3.1    3.6    3.1  -  4.1
      North Dakota.............      490      492      346      346      336      332       10       14    2.9    4.0    3.5  -  4.5
      South Dakota.............      569      574      412      421      398      408       14       13    3.4    3.1    2.7  -  3.5
                                                                                                                                  
South..........................   76,681   77,831   50,296   50,711   47,922   47,861    2,374    2,849    4.7    5.6    5.5  -  5.7
   South Atlantic..............   40,140   40,766   26,479   26,682   25,283   25,255    1,197    1,427    4.5    5.3    5.1  -  5.5
      Delaware.................      612      622      429      423      414      405       15       18    3.4    4.2    3.7  -  4.7
      District of Columbia.....      462      460      313      304      293      285       20       20    6.4    6.4    5.8  -  7.0
      Florida..................   12,687   12,926    8,020    8,084    7,639    7,642      381      442    4.8    5.5    5.2  -  5.8
      Georgia..................    6,223    6,337    4,220    4,292    4,053    4,071      167      221    4.0    5.1    4.6  -  5.6
      Maryland.................    4,065    4,126    2,841    2,898    2,727    2,772      114      126    4.0    4.4    3.9  -  4.9
      North Carolina...........    6,187    6,262    4,202    4,171    3,971    3,890      231      281    5.5    6.7    6.1  -  7.3
      South Carolina...........    3,096    3,145    1,952    1,968    1,848    1,851      104      117    5.3    6.0    5.4  -  6.6
      Virginia.................    5,379    5,454    3,680    3,735    3,556    3,583      125      152    3.4    4.1    3.6  -  4.6
      West Virginia............    1,432    1,436      822      804      782      755       40       49    4.8    6.1    5.5  -  6.7
                                                                                                                                  
   East South Central..........   13,083   13,200    8,285    8,293    7,868    7,821      417      472    5.0    5.7    5.4  -  6.0
      Alabama..................    3,411    3,432    2,135    2,103    2,022    1,978      112      124    5.3    5.9    5.3  -  6.5
      Kentucky.................    3,144    3,184    1,985    1,966    1,878    1,857      107      110    5.4    5.6    5.0  -  6.2
      Mississippi..............    2,122    2,136    1,305    1,298    1,234    1,210       71       88    5.5    6.8    6.1  -  7.5
      Tennessee................    4,407    4,448    2,860    2,926    2,733    2,776      126      150    4.4    5.1    4.5  -  5.7
                                                                                                                                  
   West South Central..........   23,457   23,864   15,531   15,735   14,771   14,785      760      950    4.9    6.0    5.7  -  6.3
      Arkansas.................    2,044    2,060    1,248    1,285    1,185    1,216       63       70    5.0    5.4    4.8  -  6.0
      Louisiana................    3,314    3,336    2,053    2,006    1,931    1,883      122      123    5.9    6.1    5.4  -  6.8
      Oklahoma.................    2,590    2,619    1,671    1,693    1,607    1,617       64       76    3.8    4.5    3.9  -  5.1
      Texas....................   15,510   15,849   10,560   10,751   10,048   10,070      512      681    4.8    6.3    6.0  -  6.6
                                                                                                                                  
West...........................   47,962   48,899   32,428   32,947   30,722   30,811    1,706    2,136    5.3    6.5    6.3  -  6.7
   Mountain....................   13,844   14,158    9,502    9,707    9,074    9,148      427      559    4.5    5.8    5.5  -  6.1
      Arizona..................    3,928    4,033    2,580    2,672    2,458    2,507      121      165    4.7    6.2    5.5  -  6.9
      Colorado.................    3,328    3,394    2,379    2,437    2,291    2,298       89      140    3.7    5.7    5.2  -  6.2
      Idaho....................      970      989      681      684      647      645       34       40    5.0    5.8    5.2  -  6.4
      Montana..................      698      706      463      464      442      442       22       21    4.6    4.6    4.0  -  5.2
      Nevada...................    1,564    1,616    1,104    1,122    1,045    1,060       59       62    5.3    5.5    5.0  -  6.0
      New Mexico...............    1,360    1,382      861      878      820      830       42       48    4.8    5.4    4.8  -  6.0
      Utah.....................    1,619    1,655    1,161    1,180    1,110    1,108       51       72    4.4    6.1    5.5  -  6.7
      Wyoming..................      378      383      272      270      262      259       11       11    3.9    4.2    3.7  -  4.7
                                                                                                                                  
   Pacific.....................   34,118   34,742   22,926   23,240   21,647   21,663    1,279    1,577    5.6    6.8    6.6  -  7.0
      Alaska...................      440      449      320      323      299      298       21       25    6.4    7.7    7.0  -  8.4
      California...............   25,600   26,083   17,183   17,405   16,260   16,242      923    1,163    5.4    6.7    6.4  -  7.0
      Hawaii...................      872      889      591      582      564      557       27       25    4.6    4.2    3.7  -  4.7
      Oregon...................    2,673    2,716    1,817    1,834    1,702    1,695      115      138    6.3    7.5    6.8  -  8.2
      Washington...............    4,533    4,605    3,015    3,097    2,822    2,871      193      226    6.4    7.3    6.6  -  8.0
                                                                                                                                  
Puerto Rico(3).................    2,873    2,934    1,297    1,356    1,150    1,190      147      166   11.4   12.3        (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 data for regions, divisions, or states.
  3 The source of these data is the Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources.
  4 Not available.
  NOTE:  Region and division data are derived from summing the component states.  Sub-national data incorporate updated 2000 census-based
population controls.
 
 
 
 

     Table 2. Employment-population ratio of persons 16 years of age and over by region, division, and state,
     2001-02 annual averages

     (Percent)
                                                                                                              
                                                                                                              
         Region, division, and state          Employment-population                                            
                                                    ratio(1)             Over-the-year      Error range of     
                                                                            change       employment-population 
                                                                                            ratio, 2002(1)     
                                               2001           2002                                             
                                                                                                              
                                                                                                              
          United States.................       63.7           62.7           -1.0         62.5    -      62.9 
                                                                                                              
     Northeast..........................       62.1           61.9           -0.2         61.5    -      62.3 
        New England.....................       65.5           65.2           -0.3         64.5    -      65.9 
           Connecticut..................       65.2           64.7           -0.5         63.1    -      66.3 
           Maine........................       64.6           63.5           -1.1         62.0    -      65.0 
           Massachusetts................       65.3           65.4            0.1         64.1    -      66.7 
           New Hampshire................       69.5           68.0           -1.5         66.6    -      69.4 
           Rhode Island.................       63.1           62.9           -0.2         61.7    -      64.1 
           Vermont......................       67.7           68.6            0.9         67.2    -      70.0 
                                                                                                              
        Middle Atlantic.................       60.9           60.7           -0.2         60.2    -      61.2 
           New Jersey...................       63.3           62.5           -0.8         61.5    -      63.5 
           New York.....................       59.1           59.3            0.2         58.5    -      60.1 
           Pennsylvania.................       62.0           61.8           -0.2         60.9    -      62.7 
                                                                                                              
     Midwest............................       66.5           65.0           -1.5         64.6    -      65.4 
        East North Central..............       65.3           63.4           -1.9         62.8    -      64.0 
           Illinois.....................       64.9           62.6           -2.3         61.6    -      63.6 
           Indiana......................       64.8           64.7           -0.1         63.2    -      66.2 
           Michigan.....................       64.3           61.3           -3.0         60.1    -      62.5 
           Ohio.........................       64.6           63.2           -1.4         62.0    -      64.4 
           Wisconsin....................       69.8           68.3           -1.5         66.8    -      69.8 
                                                                                                              
        West North Central..............       69.3           68.7           -0.6         68.0    -      69.4 
           Iowa.........................       69.5           70.3            0.8         69.0    -      71.6 
           Kansas.......................       65.5           65.8            0.3         64.1    -      67.5 
           Minnesota....................       73.1           72.4           -0.7         70.8    -      74.0 
           Missouri.....................       67.1           65.2           -1.9         63.4    -      67.0 
           Nebraska.....................       71.1           70.6           -0.5         69.2    -      72.0 
           North Dakota.................       68.5           67.5           -1.0         65.6    -      69.4 
           South Dakota.................       69.9           71.1            1.2         69.4    -      72.8 
                                                                                                              
     South..............................       62.5           61.5           -1.0         61.1    -      61.9 
        South Atlantic..................       63.0           62.0           -1.0         61.5    -      62.5 
           Delaware.....................       67.7           65.1           -2.6         63.6    -      66.6 
           District of Columbia.........       63.4           61.9           -1.5         60.4    -      63.4 
           Florida......................       60.2           59.1           -1.1         58.2    -      60.0 
           Georgia......................       65.1           64.3           -0.8         62.9    -      65.7 
           Maryland.....................       67.1           67.2            0.1         65.8    -      68.6 
           North Carolina...............       64.2           62.1           -2.1         60.8    -      63.4 
           South Carolina...............       59.7           58.9           -0.8         57.4    -      60.4 
           Virginia.....................       66.1           65.7           -0.4         63.9    -      67.5 
           West Virginia................       54.6           52.6           -2.0         50.9    -      54.3 
                                                                                                              
        East South Central..............       60.1           59.3           -0.8         58.4    -      60.2 
           Alabama......................       59.3           57.6           -1.7         55.9    -      59.3 
           Kentucky.....................       59.7           58.3           -1.4         56.4    -      60.2 
           Mississippi..................       58.2           56.6           -1.6         54.8    -      58.4 
           Tennessee....................       62.0           62.4            0.4         60.7    -      64.1 
                                                                                                              
        West South Central..............       63.0           62.0           -1.0         61.3    -      62.7 
           Arkansas.....................       58.0           59.0            1.0         57.5    -      60.5 
           Louisiana....................       58.3           56.4           -1.9         54.7    -      58.1 
           Oklahoma.....................       62.1           61.7           -0.4         60.1    -      63.3 
           Texas........................       64.8           63.5           -1.3         62.5    -      64.5 
                                                                                                              
     West...............................       64.1           63.0           -1.1         62.6    -      63.4 
        Mountain........................       65.5           64.6           -0.9         63.9    -      65.3 
           Arizona......................       62.6           62.2           -0.4         60.6    -      63.8 
           Colorado.....................       68.8           67.7           -1.1         65.9    -      69.5 
           Idaho........................       66.7           65.2           -1.5         63.5    -      66.9 
           Montana......................       63.3           62.7           -0.6         60.9    -      64.5 
           Nevada.......................       66.8           65.6           -1.2         64.1    -      67.1 
           New Mexico...................       60.3           60.0           -0.3         58.3    -      61.7 
           Utah.........................       68.6           66.9           -1.7         65.1    -      68.7 
           Wyoming......................       69.3           67.6           -1.7         66.0    -      69.2 
                                                                                                              
        Pacific.........................       63.4           62.4           -1.0         61.9    -      62.9 
           Alaska.......................       68.0           66.4           -1.6         64.0    -      68.8 
           California...................       63.5           62.3           -1.2         61.7    -      62.9 
           Hawaii.......................       64.7           62.7           -2.0         61.3    -      64.1 
           Oregon.......................       63.7           62.4           -1.3         61.0    -      63.8 
           Washington...................       62.3           62.3            0.0         60.9    -      63.7 
                                                                                                              
     Puerto Rico(2).....................       40.0           40.6            0.6                (3)          

       1 Error ranges are shown at the 90-percent confidence level.
       2 The source of these data is the Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources.
       3 Not available.