March 7, 2000 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

West Virginia reports highest level of unemployment

With a 1999 unemployment rate of 6.6 percent, West Virginia reported the highest unemployment rate of any State. Alaska followed with an unemployment rate of 6.4 percent.

[Chart data—TXT]

Three other States plus the District of Columbia had unemployment rates in excess of 5.5 percent in 1999. These included the District of Columbia at 6.3 percent, Oregon at 5.7 percent, Hawaii at 5.6 percent and New Mexico at 5.6 percent.

Of the eleven States with jobless rates above 5.0 percent in 1999, seven were in the West. The West registered the highest unemployment rate (4.9 percent) of the four regions for the eighth consecutive year.

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).