Regional and state unemployment rates were generally lower in November. Thirty-six states and the District of Columbia recorded over-the-month unemployment rate decreases, 8 states registered rate increases, and 6 states had no rate change, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Over the year, jobless rates increased in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The national unemployment rate edged down in November to 10.0 percent, 0.2 percentage point lower than October, but 3.2 points higher than November 2008.

In November, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 19 states and decreased in 31 states and the District of Columbia. The largest over-the-month increase in employment occurred in Texas (+17,300), followed by Ohio (+5,400), Georgia (+4,800), and Arizona and Iowa (+4,300 each). Alaska experienced the largest over-the-month percentage increase in employment (+0.5 percent), followed by Iowa (+0.3 percent). The largest over-the-month decrease in employment occurred in Florida (-16,700), followed by Michigan (-14,000), California and Pennsylvania (-10,200 each), and New Jersey (-9,400). Hawaii (-1.0 percent) experienced the largest over-the-month percentage decrease in employment, followed by Nevada (-0.7 percent) and Maine, Mississippi, and Montana (-0.6 percent each). Over the year, nonfarm employment decreased in all 50 states and increased in the District of Columbia. The largest over-the-year percentage decreases occurred in Nevada (-6.1 percent), Wyoming (-6.0 percent), Michigan (-5.9 percent), Arizona (-5.6 percent), and Oregon (-5.2 percent).

Regional Unemployment (Seasonally Adjusted)

In November, the West reported the highest regional jobless rate, 10.6 percent, while the Northeast recorded the lowest rate, 8.7 percent. These two regions experienced the only statistically significant over-the-month rate changes - the Northeast, -0.3 percentage point, and the West, -0.2 point. Over the year, all four regions registered significant rate increases, the largest of which was in the West (+3.4 percentage points).

Among the nine geographic divisions, the Pacific continued to report the highest jobless rate, 11.6 percent in November. The East North Central recorded the next highest rate, 11.0 percent. The West North Central registered the lowest November jobless rate, 7.2 percent, followed by the West South Central, 7.7 percent. The rate in the South
Atlantic (10.0 percent) was the highest in its series. (All region,division, and state series begin in 1976.) Two divisions experienced
statistically significant unemployment rate changes from a month earlier, the Mountain and West South Central (-0.3 percentage point each). In contrast, all nine divisions had significant over-the-year rate increases, with the largest of these occurring in the Pacific (+3.7 percentage points), East North Central (+3.6 points), and East South Central (+3.5 points).

State Unemployment (Seasonally Adjusted)

Michigan again recorded the highest unemployment rate among the states, 14.7 percent in November. The states with the next highest rates were Rhode Island, 12.7 percent, and California, Nevada, and South Carolina, 12.3 percent each. North Dakota continued to register the lowest jobless rate, 4.1 percent in November, followed by Nebraska, 4.5 percent, and South Dakota, 5.0 percent. The rate in South Carolina set a new series high, as did the rate in Florida (11.5 percent). In total, 31 states posted jobless rates significantly lower than the U.S. figure of 10.0 percent, 9 states and the District of Columbia had measurably higher rates, and 10 states had rates that were not appreciably different from that of the nation.

Seven states reported statistically significant over-the-month unemployment rate decreases in November. Kentucky and Connecticut experienced the largest of these (-0.7 and -0.6 percentage point,(respectively). One state, Florida, posted a significant increase from October (+0.2 percentage point). The remaining 42 states and the District of Columbia registered jobless rates that were not appreciably different from those of a month earlier, though some had changes that were at least as large numerically as the significant changes.

All states and the District of Columbia recorded statistically significant increases in their jobless rates from November 2008. The largest of these were in Michigan (+5.1 percentage points) and Alabama, Florida, and Nevada (+4.3 points each), while the smallest rate increases occurred in Nebraska and North Dakota (+0.9 point each).

Nonfarm Payroll Employment (Seasonally Adjusted)

In November, four states experienced statistically significant over- the-month changes in employment. Statistically significant job losses occurred in Michigan (-14,000), Nevada (-8,800), Mississippi (-6,100), and Hawaii (-6,000).

Over the year, 45 states experienced statistically significant changes in employment, all of which were decreases. The largest statistically significant job losses occurred in California (-617,600), Florida(-284,800), Texas (-271,700), Illinois (-250,400), Michigan (-240,200),and New York (-210,500). The smallest statistically significant decreases in employment occurred in South Dakota (-6,800) and Vermont (-7,800).