February 28, 2000 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Unemployment decline widespread in 1999

Annual average unemployment rates decreased in 35 States and the District of Columbia from 1998 to 1999. All four regions and eight of the nine geographic divisions also had rate declines.

[Chart data—TXT]

Among the States, Maryland and Oklahoma posted the largest rate declines in 1999 (-1.1 points each), followed by Arkansas (-1.0 point). Four other States recorded decreases of more than three-quarters of a percentage point. (The District of Columbia's rate dropped by 2.5 percentage points.)

Among the Nation's nine geographic divisions, the Pacific division, along with the West South Central division, recorded the largest rate decrease from 1998 (-0.5 percentage point each). The drop in the Pacific division’s rate was largely due to improvements in the California labor market.

These data are a product of the Local Area Unemployment Statistics program. To learn more, see State and Regional Unemployment, 1999 Annual Averages (USDL 00-56)