March 03, 2008 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Lowest State unemployment rates in 2007

Hawaii again reported the lowest unemployment rate among the States, 2.6 percent in 2007, followed closely by Idaho and Utah at 2.7 percent each.

States with the lowest unemployment rates and U.S. unemployment rate, 2007
[Chart data—TXT]

Twenty-one States registered annual average unemployment rates in 2007 that were significantly below the U.S. rate of 4.6 percent while nine States and the District of Columbia recorded rates that were appreciably above it. Jobless rates in the remaining 20 States were not significantly different from the overall U.S. rate.

These data are from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics program. To learn more, see "Regional and State Unemployment, 2007 Annual Averages," news release USDL 08-0262.