March 9, 2000 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Midwest has lowest unemployment rate again

For the ninth straight year, the Midwest had the lowest regional jobless rate in 1999.

[Chart data—TXT]

The unemployment rate for the Midwest was 3.6 percent. The next lowest was in the South, where the rate was 4.1 percent. In the Northeast, the 1999 jobless rate was slightly higher than in the South, at 4.4 percent.

The West, at 4.9 percent, registered the highest unemployment rate for the eighth consecutive year. The 1.3-percentage-point difference between the highest and lowest regional rates of unemployment was the narrowest range since 1991.

Three regions—the Midwest, South, and West—achieved the lowest annual rates in their series. The Northeast registered its lowest jobless rate since 1988.

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).