Changes in Unemployment Rate by State
From: WalletHub
December’s jobs report showed a slowdown in growth. The economy gained 223,000 nonfarm payroll jobs, down from 256,000 the previous month. In December, there were notable gains in sectors including leisure and hospitality, health care, construction and social assistance.
Now, the U.S. unemployment rate sits at 3.5%. We have come a long way from the nearly historic high of 14.7% in April 2020, due to a combination of vaccinations and states removing restrictions. However, inflation and the potential of a recession threaten to push the unemployment rate higher again if Federal Reserve rate increases are not able to stave them off.
In order to take stock of how unemployment rates are changing throughout the U.S., WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on six key metrics that compare unemployment rate statistics from the latest month for which data is available (December 2022) to key dates in 2022, 2021, 2020 and 2019.
- 1. Maryland
- 2. Colorado
- 3. Montana
- 4. New Mexico
- 5. Florida

- 47. New Hampshire
- 48. Nevada
- 49. Louisiana
- 50. Vermont
- 51. Minnesota
- 1. New Mexico
- 2. New Jersey
- 3. Missouri
- 4. California
- 5. Massachusetts

- 47. Oregon
- 48. Nebraska
- 49. Arkansas
- 50. Indiana
- 51. Oklahoma
- 1. Hawaii
- 2. Florida
- 3. Massachusetts
- 4. California
- 5. North Dakota

- 47. Idaho
- 48. Delaware
- 49. Kentucky
- 50. Maine
- 51. Nebraska
- 1. Minnesota
- 2. Louisiana
- 3. Mississippi
- 4. New Mexico
- 5. Montana

- 47. Illinois
- 48. Colorado
- 49. Nevada
- 50. Oregon
- 51. Hawaii
- 1. Utah
- T-2. North Dakota
- T-2. South Dakota
- T-4. Florida
- T-4. Minnesota

- 47. Delaware
- 48. Oregon
- T-49. District of Columbia
- T-49. Illinois
- 51. Nevada