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Long-Term Unemployment by State

State data measuring the length of unemployment shows the extent to which workers have been looking for work over the long term.

Data measuring the duration of unemployment serves as one indicator of the extent to which job seekers are finding work.

Numbers of long-term unemployed, or those out of work for 27 or more weeks, skyrocketed during the recession, exceeding six million in 2010. Although that figure has since dropped, levels of long-term unemployment remain elevated in states. Last year, long-term unemployment, as a percentage of total unemployment, was highest in Florida, New Jersey and New Mexico.

The following table shows 2014 annual averages, along with average durations of unemployment, for each state:



State Long-term Share of Total Unemployed 2014 Long-term Unemployed Average Unemployment Duration (weeks)
District of Columbia 50.0% 15,000 51.0
New Mexico 45.3% 29,000 43.5
New Jersey 41.4% 125,000 40.7
Florida 40.3% 244,000 43.7
New York 39.1% 238,000 39.0
Maryland 39.7% 71,000 40.0
Georgia 39.4% 135,000 38.6
Connecticut 38.7% 48,000 36.3
Illinois 40.3% 184,000 38.5
Alabama 39.2% 60,000 36.8
Nevada 38.0% 41,000 42.5
Rhode Island 37.2% 16,000 35.9
Mississippi 35.1% 33,000 37.4
North Carolina 34.1% 98,000 35.7
Delaware 34.6% 9,000 30.4
California 34.7% 488,000 34.9
Massachusetts 34.6% 71,000 34.9
South Carolina 33.1% 47,000 31.2
Pennsylvania 31.9% 116,000 31.0
West Virginia 30.8% 16,000 37.0
Michigan 34.7% 119,000 37.1
Colorado 31.7% 44,000 30.7
Kentucky 30.0% 39,000 30.1
Ohio 32.4% 103,000 30.2
New Hampshire 32.3% 10,000 30.5
Virginia 31.2% 69,000 33.4
Louisiana 31.2% 43,000 27.8
Arizona 29.0% 63,000 31.1
Missouri 30.9% 60,000 31.4
Oregon 28.3% 39,000 29.1
Tennessee 28.1% 56,000 28.5
Wisconsin 27.6% 48,000 30.4
Hawaii 27.6% 8,000 27.7
Maine 25.0% 10,000 24.5
Minnesota 28.6% 34,000 28.8
Indiana 27.0% 53,000 28.9
Washington 26.0% 57,000 27.6
Kansas 25.0% 17,000 25.1
Arkansas 23.4% 18,000 23.6
Texas 26.1% 173,000 24.6
Oklahoma 21.3% 17,000 21.8
Iowa 19.0% 15,000 20.1
Alaska 15.4% 4,000 21.5
Idaho 21.6% 8,000 26.3
Vermont 28.6% 4,000 26.4
Montana 20.8% 5,000 21.2
Nebraska 18.2% 6,000 19.4
Utah 20.0% 11,000 21.5
Wyoming 23.1% 3,000 19.8
South Dakota 18.8% 3,000 20.4
North Dakota 16.7% 2,000 14.2

SOURCE: Governing calculations 2014 annual averages published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey
Select a state to view the most recent data and historical estimates for the long-term unemployed, or those who have sought employment for at least 27 weeks.


 

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