March 03, 2003 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

South Dakota had lowest unemployment rate in 2002

South Dakota posted the lowest annual average unemployment rate for 2002 at 3.1 percent.

[Chart data—TXT]

Nebraska had the next lowest rate at 3.6 percent, followed by Vermont at 3.7 percent. Two States had average unemployment rates of 4.0 percent: Iowa and North Dakota. 

Overall, 32 States had unemployment rates below the national average of 5.8 percent in 2002. All seven States in the West North Central division and all six in New England posted rates below the U.S. rate.

These data are a product of the Local Area Unemployment Statistics program. To learn more, see State and Regional Unemployment, 2002 Annual Averages, news release USDL 03-90.