Indiana, Texas, Georgia Add Most Jobs in April

Posted By Mike Maciag | May 18, 2012

Payroll employment continued to climb in 32 states and the District of Columbia last month, according to Labor Department data released this morning.

Indiana added an estimated 17,100 jobs to payrolls in April, the most in the country. The state’s unemployment rate dipped 0.3 percent, falling below 8 percent for the first time since November 2008.

Texas, Georgia and Missouri reported the next-highest monthly employment gains. Among states experiencing declines, Maryland led the nation with an estimated 6,000 job losses.

Unemployment rates fluctuated little from the previous month. Nine states recorded statistically significant monthly jobless rate drops, led by Arizona and Oklahoma’s 0.4 percent declines. Other states added jobs, but not enough to lower unemployment rates.

Over the year, Michigan’s jobless rate has plunged 2.2 percent, the most of any state.

A shrinking labor force has inflated unemployment rates for many states. The nation’s current labor force participation rate registered at 63.6 percent in April, the lowest level since 1981. The country’s aging population, with many retirees, along with job seekers giving up their search for work account for much of the steady decline.

The nation’s unemployment rate – currently at 8.1 percent -- would have jumped to 8.4 percent had the labor force remained at March levels, according to Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.

When measuring total payroll employment over the previous year, the Labor Department reports 24 states experienced statistically significant gains.

The following table lists changes in total employees on nonfarm payrolls for each state:

State	Monthly change	Year-over-year change
Texas	13,200	225,800 (2.1%)
California	-4,200	175,600 (1.2%)
New York	700	13,1000 (1.5%)
Michigan	4,500	59,300 (1.5%)
Indiana	17,100	54,200 (1.9%)
Florida	-2,700	52,600 (0.7%)
Arizona	4,000	50,900 (2.1%)
Ohio	-3,400	47,200 (0.9%)
Louisiana	2,700	44,900 (2.3%)
Tennessee	1,700	43,300 (1.6%)
Maryland	-6,000	40,600 (1.6%)
Colorado	1,200	39,800 (1.8%)
New Jersey	2,600	39,600 (1%)
Washington	2,100	38,600 (1.4%)
Pennsylvania	-600	38,600 (0.7%)
Oklahoma	3,700	38,500 (2.5%)
Virginia	2,700	34,800 (0.9%)
Kentucky	1,900	32,700 (1.8%)
North Carolina	-1,300	30,300 (0.8%)
Utah	4,800	28,800 (2.4%)
Illinois	100	28,000 (0.5%)
North Dakota	2,800	27,800 (7.2%)
Massachusetts	2,500	27,400 (0.9%)
Georgia	7,800	24,700 (0.6%)
Minnesota	-3,100	23,300 (0.9%)
Iowa	5,800	18,100 (1.2%)
South Carolina	-1,800	16,400 (0.9%)
District of Columbia	300	15,400 (2.1%)
Missouri	6,000	10,200 (0.4%)
Hawaii	4,600	10,100 (1.7%)
Kansas	100	8,300 (0.6%)
Idaho	-700	7,200 (1.2%)
Nebraska	3,800	6,300 (0.7%)
West Virginia	-1,800	6,200 (0.8%)
Nevada	-600	5,400 (0.5%)
Oregon	2,300	4,000 (0.2%)
Alabama	4,100	3,800 (0.2%)
South Dakota	1,100	2,700 (0.7%)
New Mexico	2,100	2,300 (0.3%)
Wyoming	-600	2,300 (0.8%)
Vermont	-1,500	1,900 (0.6%)
Delaware	2,100	1,600 (0.4%)
Maine	-1,200	700 (0.1%)
Alaska	-2,300	300 (0.1%)
Arkansas	5,500	-800 (-0.1%)
Montana	300	-1,300 (-0.3%)
Mississippi	800	-1,800 (-0.2%)
Connecticut	-4,100	-2,300 (-0.1%)
New Hampshire	-4,800	-3,700 (-0.6%)
Rhode Island	100	-4,300 (-0.9%)
Wisconsin	-5,900	-21,400 (-0.8%)

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Mike Maciag

Mike Maciag is Data Editor for GOVERNING.

E-mail: mmaciag@governing.com
Twitter: @mmaciag

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