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States Record the Biggest Job Gains in Years

Thirty-nine states and the District of Columbia added jobs in April as the national economy had one of its strongest months in years.

A job fair at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J.
In 2011, a study commissioned by the Boston Foundation warned that Massachusetts’ job skills gap would worsen if community colleges didn’t churn out more qualified candidates.
Getty Images/Robert Nickelsberg
Thirty-nine states and the District of Columbia recorded job gains last month as the national economy had one of its strongest months in years.

In 13 states, U.S. Labor Department data published today indicates the increase in jobs was large enough to be considered statistically significant. Texas and California, which typically experience the largest increases in employment by virtue of being the most populous states, both added more than 50,000 jobs in April. Florida, North Carolina and Georgia also recorded strong job growth for the month.

A few states reported slight declines, but only Illinois lost more than 5,000 jobs.

The unemployment rate, measured by a separate survey, similarly dipped in all but seven states. Two states with among the highest rates nationally, Illinois and Nevada, both reported declines of 0.5 percent. The unemployment rate also fell by 0.4 percent in Arizona, Ohio, Rhode Island and Tennessee.

 



State March-April Jobs Change Year-Over-Year Jobs Change April Employment Total March Unemployment Rate April Unemployment Rate
Alabama 1,800 13,500 1,914,000 6.7 6.9
Alaska 2,000 1,500 338,400 6.6 6.4
Arizona -200 40,600 2,550,300 7.3 6.9
Arkansas -500 10,700 1,187,900 6.9 6.6
California 56,100 340,200 15,424,600 8.1 7.8
Colorado 13,900 70,800 2,438,100 6.2 6
Connecticut 2,200 6,900 1,660,200 7 6.9
Delaware 1,200 8,300 433,400 5.9 5.8
District of Columbia 3,500 2,600 748,800 7.5 7.5
Florida 34,000 246,800 7,778,500 6.3 6.2
Georgia 14,600 76,400 4,095,600 7 7
Hawaii 3,300 6,000 623,500 4.5 4.4
Idaho 2,600 5,100 643,900 5.2 5
Illinois -6,800 29,300 5,808,400 8.4 7.9
Indiana 4,200 48,000 2,970,700 5.9 5.7
Iowa 5,600 24,000 1,544,400 4.5 4.3
Kansas 2,500 16,800 1,386,400 4.9 4.8
Kentucky 7,000 6,200 1,841,100 7.9 7.7
Louisiana 4,700 14,400 1,960,500 4.5 4.5
Maine -2,200 5,600 605,100 5.9 5.7
Maryland 9,300 24,900 2,617,000 5.6 5.5
Massachusetts -1,600 46,200 3,395,900 6.3 6
Michigan 1,100 24,300 4,115,800 7.5 7.4
Minnesota -4,200 40,800 2,807,800 4.8 4.7
Mississippi 4,900 10,000 1,118,500 7.6 7.5
Missouri 8,200 38,800 2,763,600 6.7 6.6
Montana -500 3,500 453,000 5.1 4.8
Nebraska 0 11,800 986,600 3.8 3.6
Nevada 3,000 44,700 1,212,900 8.5 8
New Hampshire 2,100 11,300 650,700 4.5 4.4
New Jersey 4,500 4,700 3,932,400 7.2 6.9
New Mexico -1,800 -5,900 808,300 7 6.8
New York 1,600 79,100 8,983,900 6.9 6.7
North Carolina 15,300 71,100 4,113,900 6.3 6.2
North Dakota 1,400 22,800 460,900 2.6 2.6
Ohio 12,600 55,300 5,297,600 6.1 5.7
Oklahoma 4,100 25,600 1,654,000 4.9 4.6
Oregon 6,100 49,200 1,716,400 6.9 6.9
Pennsylvania 10,900 34,400 5,768,800 6 5.7
Rhode Island 700 6,700 476,000 8.7 8.3
South Carolina 5,300 39,900 1,929,200 5.5 5.3
South Dakota 500 4,900 420,400 3.7 3.8
Tennessee 2,400 48,000 2,789,400 6.7 6.3
Texas 64,100 348,000 11,477,100 5.5 5.2
Utah 5,700 38,500 1,322,700 4.1 3.8
Vermont 100 3,200 308,900 3.4 3.3
Virginia -200 -4,500 3,764,900 4.9 4.9
Washington 7,700 64,200 3,039,000 6.3 6.1
West Virginia 2,200 6,400 770,400 6.1 6
Wisconsin 8,000 54,100 2,857,700 5.9 5.8
Wyoming -900 3,300 293,500 4 3.7

Source: BLS, seasonally-adjusted data. March and April figures are preliminary.
Mike Maciag is Data Editor for GOVERNING.
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