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