Technical information: (202) 691-6392 USDL 08-0262
http://www.bls.gov/lau/
For release: 10:00 A.M. EST
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Friday, February 29, 2008
REGIONAL AND STATE UNEMPLOYMENT, 2007 ANNUAL AVERAGES
From 2006 to 2007, annual average unemployment rates declined in 28 states
and the District of Columbia, rose in 16 states, and were unchanged in 6 states,
the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today.
Employment-population ratios decreased in 28 states, increased in 17 states and
the District of Columbia, and remained the same in 5 states. Among the four
regions, jobless rates were down in two and up in two; employment-population
ratios declined in 3 of the 4 regions in 2007. The annual average U.S. jobless
rate was 4.6 percent in 2007 unchanged from 2006, while the national employment-
population ratio was essentially unchanged at 63.0 percent.
Regional Unemployment
In 2007, the Midwest was the only region to post a statistically significant
change in its annual average unemployment rate from 2006 (+0.1 percentage point).
For the second year in a row, the South reported the lowest jobless rate, 4.3 per-
cent in 2007, while the Midwest recorded the highest rate for the third consecu-
tive year, 5.1 percent. The Northeast and South both registered jobless rates
significantly below the U.S. rate, whereas the Midwest had a significantly higher
rate than that of the nation. (See table 1.)
Three of the 9 geographic divisions reported statistically significant over-
the-year unemployment rate changes in 2007. The West South Central and Mountain
divisions registered significant rate decreases (-0.4 and -0.3 percentage point,
respectively). The Pacific division had the only significant rate increase (+0.3
percentage point). The Mountain division again posted the lowest jobless rate,
3.6 percent, and the East North Central registered the highest rate for the third
consecutive year, 5.5 percent. Five divisions recorded annual average unemployment
rates that were measurably lower than that of the U.S.--the Mountain, 3.6 percent;
South Atlantic, 4.2 percent; West North Central, 4.3 percent; and Middle Atlantic
and West South Central, 4.4 percent each. The East North Central and Pacific divi-
sions reported rates that were appreciably higher than the U.S. average, 5.5 and
5.2 percent, respectively. The Mountain division had the lowest annual jobless
rate (3.6 percent) in its series in 2007. (All region, division, and state series
begin in 1976.)
State Unemployment
Ten states recorded statistically significant changes in their annual average
unemployment rates from 2006 to 2007--five states registered rate decreases and
five had rate increases. New Mexico and Texas posted the largest over-the-year
jobless rate declines (-0.8 and -0.6 percentage point, respectively), while
Florida, Minnesota, and Nevada reported the largest rate increases (+0.6 percent-
age point each). Forty states and the District of Columbia recorded annual aver-
age unemployment rates for 2007 that were not appreciably different from those of
the previous year, even though some had changes that were at least as large numeri-
cally as the statistically significant changes. (See table A.)
Hawaii again reported the lowest unemployment rate among the states, 2.6 per-
cent in 2007, followed closely by Idaho and Utah at 2.7 percent each. The states
with the highest unemployment rates in 2007 once again were Michigan at 7.2 per-
cent, Mississippi at 6.3 percent, and Alaska at 6.2 percent. Twenty-one states
registered annual average unemployment rates that were significantly below the
U.S. rate, while nine states and the District of Columbia recorded rates that were
appreciably above it. Jobless rates in the remaining 20 states were not signifi-
cantly different from the overall U.S. rate. Nine states posted the lowest annual
jobless rates in their series--Arizona (3.8 percent), Idaho (2.7 percent), Louisiana
(3.8 percent), Montana (3.1 percent), New Mexico (3.5 percent), Texas (4.3 percent),
Utah (2.7 percent), Washington (4.5 percent), and West Virginia (4.6 percent). (See
table B.)
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Regional Employment-Population Ratios
In 2007, no region registered a statistically significant change in its annual
average employment-population ratio--the proportion of the civilian noninstitutional
population 16 years and over with a job. The Midwest and West at 64.8 and 63.5 per-
cent, respectively, had employment-population ratios that were significantly higher
than that of the nation. The South and Northeast had appreciably lower ratios, 62.0
and 62.1 percent, respectively. (See table 2.)
None of the nine divisions reported statistically significant changes in their
employment-population ratios in 2007. The West North Central again registered the
highest proportion of employed persons, while the East South Central continued to
have the lowest proportion. Three divisions recorded employment-population ratios
that were measurably higher than that of the U.S.--the West North Central (67.7 per-
cent), Mountain (65.5 percent), and New England (64.9 percent)--and three had lower
ratios--the East South Central (59.4 percent), Middle Atlantic (61.1 percent), and
West South Central (61.9 percent).
State Employment-Population Ratios
Four states posted significant decreases in their annual employment-population
ratios in 2007, and one state recorded a significant increase. The largest de-
crease was in Michigan (-0.9 percentage point), followed by Vermont (-0.8 point),
Minnesota (-0.6 point), and Texas (-0.4 point). Virginia was the only state to
report a significant increase in its employment-population ratio (+0.1 percentage
point). Forty-five states and the District of Columbia had 2007 employment-popu-
lation ratios that were not appreciably different from those of the previous year.
Five states posted employment-population ratios of at least 70.0 percent in 2007:
North Dakota, 71.2 percent; South Dakota, 71.0 percent; Nebraska, 70.7 percent; Utah,
70.3 percent; and Colorado, 70.0 percent. Nine states had employment-population ratios
below 60.0 percent, with West Virginia and Mississippi registering the lowest ratios,
53.4 and 56.7 percent, respectively. In 2007, 23 states and the District of Columbia
reported employment-population ratios that were significantly higher than that of the
U.S., and 16 states recorded appreciably lower ratios. The remaining 11 states had
ratios that were essentially the same as that of the U.S. (See table C.)
Note
All subnational estimates presented in this release were derived from updated time-
series models with real-time benchmarking to national Current Population Survey (CPS)
estimates. Subnational data reflect revised population controls and model reestimation.
Historical data were revised back to 2003. Data for regions, divisions, states, and the
District of Columbia are available back to 1976.
Consistent with the long-standing practice used in this release and the monthly
Regional and State Employment and Unemployment release, the introductory section of
this release highlights the direction of the movements in regional and state unemploy-
ment rates and employment-population ratios regardless of their statistical signifi-
cance. The remainder of the analysis, particularly in comparisons with the U.S. and
over-the-year changes, reflects model-based error measures. BLS uses a 90-percent con-
fidence level in determining whether changes or differences in subnational unemployment
rates and employment-population ratios are statistically significant. Model-based error
measures are available on the BLS Web site at http://www.bls.gov/lau/lastderr.htm. Data
for Puerto Rico are derived from a monthly household survey similar to the CPS, and error
measures are not available.
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.
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Table A. States with statistically significant unemployment
rate changes, 2006-07 annual averages
--------------------------------------------------------------
| Rate | Over-the-year
State |-----------------| rate change
| 2006 | 2007 |
-----------------------------|--------------------------------
| | |
California ..................| 4.9 | 5.4 | 0.5
Colorado ....................| 4.3 | 3.8 | -.5
Florida......................| 3.4 | 4.0 | .6
Idaho .......................| 3.2 | 2.7 | -.5
Illinois ....................| 4.6 | 5.0 | .4
Minnesota ...................| 4.0 | 4.6 | .6
Nevada ......................| 4.2 | 4.8 | .6
New Jersey ..................| 4.7 | 4.2 | -.5
New Mexico ..................| 4.3 | 3.5 | -.8
Texas .......................| 4.9 | 4.3 | -.6
--------------------------------------------------------------
Table B. States with unemployment rates significantly
different from that of the U.S., 2007 annual averages
------------------------------------------------------
State | 2007 rate
-----------------------------|------------------------
United States ...............| 4.6
|
Alabama .....................| 3.5
Alaska ......................| 6.2
Arizona .....................| 3.8
Arkansas ....................| 5.4
California ..................| 5.4
Colorado ....................| 3.8
Delaware ....................| 3.4
District of Columbia ........| 5.7
Florida .....................| 4.0
Hawaii ......................| 2.6
|
Idaho .......................| 2.7
Iowa ........................| 3.8
Kansas ......................| 4.1
Kentucky ....................| 5.5
Louisiana ...................| 3.8
Maryland ....................| 3.6
Michigan.....................| 7.2
Mississippi .................| 6.3
Montana .....................| 3.1
Nebraska ....................| 3.0
|
New Hampshire ...............| 3.6
New Mexico ..................| 3.5
North Dakota ................| 3.2
Ohio ........................| 5.6
Oregon ......................| 5.2
South Carolina ..............| 5.9
South Dakota ................| 3.0
Utah ........................| 2.7
Vermont .....................| 3.9
Virginia ....................| 3.0
Wyoming .....................| 3.0
------------------------------------------------------
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Table C. States with employment-population ratios
significantly different from that of the U.S.,
2007 annual averages
--------------------------------------------------
State | 2007 rate
-----------------------------|--------------------
United States ...............| 63.0
|
Alabama .....................| 59.2
Alaska ......................| 66.2
Arizona .....................| 61.2
Arkansas ....................| 59.8
California ..................| 62.1
Colorado ....................| 70.0
Connecticut .................| 65.4
District of Columbia ........| 64.3
Florida .....................| 61.2
Georgia .....................| 64.9
|
Idaho .......................| 66.0
Illinois ....................| 64.8
Iowa ........................| 69.1
Kansas ......................| 67.5
Kentucky ....................| 59.1
Louisiana ...................| 59.3
Maryland ....................| 66.4
Michigan ....................| 59.7
Minnesota ...................| 69.6
Mississippi .................| 56.7
|
Montana .....................| 64.8
Nebraska ....................| 70.7
Nevada ......................| 65.4
New Hampshire ...............| 68.4
New Mexico ..................| 60.9
New York ....................| 59.9
North Dakota ................| 71.2
Oklahoma ....................| 60.7
Pennsylvania ................| 61.5
Rhode Island ................| 65.4
|
South Carolina ..............| 59.7
South Dakota ................| 71.0
Tennessee ...................| 60.9
Utah ........................| 70.3
Vermont .....................| 67.8
Virginia ....................| 66.9
Washington ..................| 64.8
West Virginia ...............| 53.4
Wisconsin ...................| 67.4
Wyoming .....................| 69.2
--------------------------------------------------
Bureau of Labor Statistics
