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.

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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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