March 02, 2006 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Lowest State unemployment rate: Hawaii

In 2005, Hawaii again had the lowest annual average unemployment rate among the states, 2.8 percent.

[Chart data—TXT]

North Dakota posted the next lowest rate, 3.4 percent, followed closely by Vermont and Virginia, 3.5 percent each, and New Hampshire and Wyoming, 3.6 percent each. Four additional states (Florida, Idaho, Nebraska, and South Dakota) reported annual average unemployment rates below 4.0 percent for 2005.

Overall, 31 states reported unemployment rates below the national average of 5.1 percent, 18 states and the District of Columbia registered rates above it, and 1 state had the same rate.

These data are from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics program. To learn more, see "State and Regional Unemployment, 2005 Annual Averages" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 06-362.