Regional and state unemployment rates were slightly lower in May. Thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia recorded unemployment rate decreases over the month, 6 states had increases, and 7 states had no change, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Thirty-one states and the District of Columbia posted unemployment rate increases from a year earlier, 17 states recorded decreases, and 2 states had no change. The national jobless rate edged down by 0.2 percentage point to 9.7 percent, but was up from 9.4 percent in May 2009.

In May, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 41 states and the District of Columbia, decreased in 5 states, and was unchanged in 4 states. The largest over-the-month increases in employment occurred in Texas (+43,600),California (+28,300), New York (+21,000), and Florida and Virginia (+20,300 each). Delaware recorded the largest over-the-month percentage increase in employment (+0.9 percent), followed by Maine and Rhode Island (+0.7 percent each) and Louisiana, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wyoming (+0.6 percent each). The 5 states reporting over-the-month employment decreases were New Mexico (1,700), South Dakota (-800), Idaho (-200), and Montana and Nebraska (-100 each). The largest over-the-month percentage decreases in employment occurred in New Mexico and South Dakota (-0.2 percent each). Over the year, nonfarm payroll employment decreased in 39 states and increased in 11 states and the District of Columbia. The largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment was reported in Nevada (-2.5 percent), followed by Colorado and Rhode Island (-1.9 percent each), and California, Georgia, and New Mexico (-1.7 percent each). The largest over-the-year percentage increases in employment occurred in Alaska (+1.5 percent), North Dakota (+1.4 percent), the District of Columbia (+1.1 percent), and Indiana (+0.9 percent).

Regional Unemployment (Seasonally Adjusted)

The West reported the highest regional jobless rate in May, 10.9 percent, while the Northeast recorded the lowest rate, 8.9 percent. The Midwest and South experienced the only statistically significant over-the-month unemployment rate changes (-0.3 and -0.2 percentage point, respectively). Three of the 4 regions registered significant rate changes from a year earlier: the West(+0.8 percentage point) and the Northeast and South (+0.5 point each).

Among the nine geographic divisions, the Pacific continued to report the highest unemployment rate, 11.6 percent in May. The West North Central registered the lowest rate, 7.1 percent, followed by the West South Central, 7.9 percent. Two divisions experienced statistically significant unemployment rate changes from a month earlier: the East North Central and South Atlantic (-0.3 percentage point each). Five of the 9 divisions reported significant over-the-year rate changes, all of which were increases. The largest of these occurred in the Mountain and Pacific (+0.8 percentage point each).

State Unemployment (Seasonally Adjusted)

Nevada reported the highest unemployment rate among the states, 14.0 percent in May. This is the first month in which Nevada recorded the highest rate among the states and the first time since April of 2006 that a state other than Michigan has posted the highest rate. The rate in Nevada also set a new series high. (All region, division, and state series begin in 1976.) The states with the next highest rates were Michigan, 13.6 percent; California, 12.4 percent; and Rhode Island, 12.3 percent. North Dakota continued to register the lowest jobless rate, 3.6 percent, followed by South Dakota and Nebraska, 4.6 and 4.9 percent, respectively. In total, 25 states posted jobless rates significantly lower than the U.S. figure of 9.7 percent, 9 states had measurably higher rates, and 16 states and the District of Columbia had rates that were not appreciably different from that of the nation.

In May, 12 states recorded statistically significant jobless rate decreases from April, the largest of which were in North Carolina and South Carolina (-0.5 percentage point each) and Illinois and Michigan (-0.4 point each). The District of Columbia also posted an appreciable rate decrease from a month earlier (-0.6 percentage point). The remaining 38 states registered jobless rates that were not measurably different from those of a month earlier, though some had changes that were at least as large numerically as the significant changes.

Nevada recorded the largest jobless rate increase from May 2009 (+2.5 percentage points), followed by Mississippi (+2.1 points). Ten additional states had smaller, but also statistically significant, increases. Minnesota reported the largest rate decrease from a year earlier (-1.4 percentage points). Vermont and North Dakota experienced the only other significant rate decreases (-1.1 and -0.8 percentage point(s), respectively). The remaining 35 states and the District of Columbia registered jobless rates that were not appreciably different from those of a year earlier.

Nonfarm Payroll Employment (Seasonally Adjusted)

Between April and May 2010, 20 states recorded statistically significant changes in employment, all of which were increases. The largest over-the-month statistically significant job gains occurred in Texas (+43,600), followed by California (+28,300), New York (+21,000), Virginia (+20,300), and Pennsylvania (+19,500).

Over the year, 11 states experienced statistically significant decreases in employment, while 1 state reported a significant employment increase. The largest statistically significant job losses were reported in California (-244,900), Georgia (-67,300), Illinois (-44,600), and Colorado (-43,200). The only statistically significant over-the-year employment increase occurred in North Dakota (+5,300).