new england and state unemployment – August 2012

The New England unemployment rate for August 2012 rose to 7.3 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Deborah A. Brown noted that New England’s jobless rate one year ago was 7.8 percent. The national jobless rate edged down to 8.1 percent in August, and was 1.0 percentage point lower than one year earlier. (See chart 1.)

New England is one of nine geographic divisions nationwide. In August, the Pacific division continued to report the highest jobless rate, 10.0 percent, while the West North Central division again registered the lowest rate, 5.9 percent. New England was among the three-lowest reported jobless rates, and was the only division to experience a statistically significant over-the-month unemployment rate change (+0.2 percentage point). Over the year, seven divisions posted a significant unemployment rate decrease. The largest of these decreases occurred in the East North Central and Pacific divisions (-1.1 percentage points).

During August, five of the six New England states posted jobless rates that were significantly different from that of the United States. Vermont (5.3 percent), New Hampshire (5.7 percent), and Massachusetts (6.3 percent) recorded significantly lower unemployment rates and were among 21 states in the country to do so. Vermont reported the fifth-lowest jobless rate nationwide. In contrast, Rhode Island (10.7 percent) had the highest jobless rate among the New England states and the second-highest jobless rate in the nation. Rhode Island and Connecticut (9.0 percent) were among 12 states with rates measurably higher than the national average. Maine was among the 17 remaining states and the District of Columbia which registered unemployment rates not appreciably different from that of the nation.

Four New England states experienced a statistically significant unemployment rate change over the month: Connecticut (+0.5 percentage point), New Hampshire and Vermont (+0.3 percentage point each), and Massachusetts (+0.2 percentage point). Three additional states also experienced statistically significant jobless rate changes during August: Michigan (+0.4 percentage point), Iowa, and Pennsylvania (+0.2 percentage point each). Hawaii and Utah (-0.2 percentage point each) were the only states to register significant over the month unemployment rate declines. The remaining 41 states and the District of Columbia recorded jobless rates not measurably different from the month before.

Over the year, Massachusetts (-1.1 percentage points) was among the 16 states nationwide and the District of Columbia which reported a statistically significant jobless rate decrease from August 2011. The five remaining New England states were among the 33 states to register unemployment rates not appreciably different from those a year earlier.

 

Technical Note

This release presents labor force and unemployment data from the Current Population Survey (CPS) and the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program. Estimates for the U.S. are obtained directly from the CPS, which is a sample survey of approximately 60,000 households nationwide that is conducted for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) by the Census Bureau. The LAUS program produces data for the nine geographic divisions in the United States:  New England, Middle Atlantic, South Atlantic, East South Central, West South Central, East North Central, West North Central, Mountain, and Pacific. Data for all divisions, as well as the 50 states, are available in the Regional and State Employment and Unemployment release www.bls.gov/lau/home.htm#news issued monthly by BLS, while national statistics are highlighted in the Employment Situation www.bls.gov/cps/home.htm#news.

Labor force and unemployment data for prior years reflect adjustments made at the end of each year. The adjusted estimates reflect updated population data from the U.S. Census Bureau, any revisions in the other data sources, and model reestimation. In most years, historical data for the most recent five years (both seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted) are revised near the beginning of each calendar year, prior to or coincident with the release of January estimates.

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Last Modified Date: October 3, 2012