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State And Regional Unemployment, 2003 Annual Averages |
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Regional
Unemployment
State
Unemployment
Regional
Employment-Population Ratios
State
Employment-Population Ratios
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Annual average unemployment
rates edged up in three regions and rose in about two-thirds of the
States in 2003. Meanwhile, employment-population ratios again declined
in all four regions and in the majority of States, the Bureau of Labor
Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported February 27, 2004.
At the national level, the jobless rate edged up by 0.2 percentage
point to 6.0 percent, while the employment-population ratio declined
by 0.4 percentage point to 62.3 percent. |
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Regional Unemployment |
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Among the four regions, the Midwest experienced the largest jobless
rate increase from 2002 (+0.4 percentage point), the Northeast and
South both recorded smaller increases (+0.2 point each), and the
West reported no rate change from the year before. For the 12th
consecutive year, the West registered the highest regional unemployment
rate, 6.5 percent. The Northeast and South each reported the lowest
jobless rate, 5.8 percent, little different from the 5.9 percent
rate in the Midwest. The range between the highest and lowest regional
rates narrowed from 1.0 percentage point in 2002 to 0.7 point last
year, despite generally higher rates.
![2002 and 2003 unemployment rates by region](IMAGES/unemprate.gif)
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In 2003, the New England and West South Central divisions posted
the largest annual unemployment rate increases (+0.6 percentage
point each), followed by the East North Central and West North Central
divisions (+0.4 point each) and the East South Central (+0.3 point).
For the 12th year in a row, the Pacific division reported the highest
unemployment rate, 6.9 percent. The next highest rate was recorded
in the West South Central division, 6.6 percent. The West North
Central division, at 5.0 percent, posted the lowest rate for the
second consecutive year, followed by the South Atlantic and New
England divisions, at 5.2 and 5.4 percent, respectively.
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State Unemployment |
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![Chart showing State unemployment rate between 2002 and 2003.](IMAGES/unempchange.gif)
State unemployment rate change between 2002
and 2003.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Annual average unemployment rates rose in 34 States and the District
of Columbia from 2002 to 2003, declined in 11 States, and were unchanged
in 5 States. The largest rate increases were in Connecticut and
Oklahoma (+1.2 percentage points each), Michigan (+1.1 points),
and New Mexico (+1.0 point).
Thirteen additional States and the District of Columbia registered
over-the-year rate increases of at least one-half percentage point.
All four States in the West South Central division and four of the
six States in New England recorded increases of 0.5 percentage point
or greater. Arizona reported the largest annual unemployment rate
decline from 2002 (-0.6 percentage point), followed closely by Mississippi
and Utah (-0.5 point each). The Mountain division had the largest
number of States reporting annual average unemployment rate decreases
in 2003, as four of its eight States had declines, ranging from
0.3 to 0.6 percentage point. (See
Bureau of Labor Statistics table 1)
States in the Pacific division continued to record the highest
jobless rates in the nation in 2003: Oregon, 8.2 percent, Alaska,
8.0 percent, and Washington, 7.5 percent. The lowest jobless rates
for the year were reported in three West North Central States--South
Dakota, 3.6 percent, and Nebraska and North Dakota, 4.0 percent
each. Overall, 32 States had unemployment rates below the national
average of 6.0 percent, 17 States and the District of Columbia had
rates above it, and one State had a rate equal to it. All seven
States in the West North Central division and all six in New England
posted rates below that of the Nation. In contrast, four of the
five Pacific States and three of the four West South Central States
recorded rates above the U.S. figure.
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Regional Employment-Population Ratios |
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All four regions recorded
declines in their annual employment-population ratios--the proportion
of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years and over
with a job. The Northeast posted the largest over-the-year decline
(-0.8 percentage point), followed by the West (-0.6 point). The
Midwest (64.6 percent) and West (62.4 percent) continued to report
employment-population ratios above the U.S. average of 62.3 percent
in 2003, while the Northeast (61.1 percent) and South (61.3 percent)
had ratios below it.
Of the nine geographic divisions, the Middle Atlantic, New England,
and Pacific registered the largest decreases in their employment-population
ratios from 2002 (-0.8 percentage point each). The next largest decrease
was in the West North Central division (-0.5 percentage point). The
other five divisions had smaller annual average declines. The West
North Central division, which in recent years has had high levels
of agricultural employment and part-time workers, again recorded the
highest employment-population ratio (68.2 percent). The East South
Central division continued to have the lowest proportion of employed
persons (59.1 percent).
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State Employment-Population Ratios |
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In 2003, 29 States
posted declines in their proportion of employed persons from 2002,
18 States reported increases, and 3 States and the District of
Columbia had no change. The largest employment-population ratio
drop from 2002 was recorded in Iowa (-2.9 percentage points).
Arkansas reported the second largest decrease (-1.7 points). Ten
additional States had declines of at least 1.0 percentage point,
and 10 others had decreases of one-half point or more. Four States
reported increases in employment-population ratios of more than
a full percentage point for the year: Rhode Island (+1.4 points),
Alabama and Wyoming (+1.2 points each), and Georgia (+1.1 points).
Another seven States posted increases of at least 0.5 percentage
point from 2002. (See
Bureau of Labor Statistics table
2.)
West Virginia continued to have the lowest employment-population ratio
among all States in 2003, 51.3 percent, a decline of 1.3 percentage
points from the previous year. Louisiana had the next lowest ratio,
56.9 percent. Overall, 8 of the 10 States with employment-population
ratios below 60 percent were located in the South. Minnesota continued
to report the highest proportion of employed persons, 71.3 percent,
despite a decline of 1.1 percentage points from 2002. Two other Midwestern
States--Nebraska and South Dakota--registered the next highest ratios,
71.1 percent each, and were the only other States with ratios over
70.0 percent. Thirty States recorded employment-population ratios
higher than the U.S. figure of 62.3 percent, while 20 States and the
District of Columbia posted lower ratios. All States in the New England
and West North Central divisions again had employment-population ratios
above that of the Nation, while all States in the Middle Atlantic
and East South Central divisions continued to have ratios below it.
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Adapted from Bureau
of Labor Statistics, February 27, 2004, State
And Regional Unemployment: 2003 Annual Averages, in Local Area Unemployment
Statistics. |
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