Which States have the Highest and Lowest Unemployment?

The recession has been brutal nationally, driving unemployment to highs not seen for years. It reached a peak of 9.8% of the workforce in November 2010, but has since settled to a still-worrying 9.1%.

That translates to about 13.9 million citizens who are are out of work. Of those, 6.2 million workers are considered long-term unemployed, having been unemployed for 27 weeks or longer.

There are also over 800,000 discouraged workers who may have given up looking for jobs.

Again, there are great discrepancies across states. Some states suffer from chronic unemployment, while in others, it seems the recession never happened.

The Best States

The state with the least unemployed is North Dakota, where the unemployment rate is a sunny 3.2%, almost a third of the national rate.

North Dakota’s boom, and it can be regarded as such – is mainly the result of the upsurge of the oil industry. The oil boom in the western part of the state drew workers from across the country.

The town of Williston for example, in oil country, grew 17.6% to 14,716. The oil windfall has created a $1 billion state budget surplus.

Agriculture is also another powerhouse for the state, with 90% of the state’s area used for farms and ranches. It is profitable, making the state a top exporter of wheat and other crops. Federal agriculture subsidies add nearly $1 billion a year.

The runners-up in the employment picture are Nebraska (4.1% unemployment), New Hampshire (4.8%) and South Dakota (also 4.8%).  In all these states, employment is high and in two, South Dakota and Nebraska, agriculture – with subsidies – plays a big part in their success.

With an economy featuring a robust high-tech sector, professional services, retailing and tourism, New Hampshire has also weathered the recession extremely well.

The Worst States

On the other side of the ledger, there are 16 states above the national unemployment rate of 9.1%.  Some of the nation’s largest states, namely California and Florida, fall into this camp, but New York state’s unemployment picture does not, at a comparatively good 7.9%.

The worst state, unsurprisingly, is Nevada with 12.1% unemployment.  The imploding property market in Las Vegas led to huge layoffs in the construction industry and added to declining numbers of visiting tourists.

California is number 2 in unemployment woes, with 11.7% unemployment.  The state’s budgetary woes led to tens of thousands of layoffs in state and local governments. A huge wave of foreclosures and a decline in tourism did not help either.

Third in the stakes is Rhode Island, with a 10.9% unemployment rate, followed by Florida with unemployment of 10.6%. Health services, tourism and manufacturing were all hit in Rhode Island, while Florida’s housing disaster rivaled that of California and threw vast numbers of construction workers into unemployment lines

How is your state doing?  Is it better or worse than the national average and why?

Rank	State	Rate
1	North Dakota	3.2
2	Nebraska	4.1
3	New Hampshire	4.8
3	South Dakota	4.8
5	Oklahoma	5.3
6	Vermont	5.4
7	Hawaii	6.0
7	Iowa	6.0
7	Virginia	6.0
7	Wyoming	6.0
11	Kansas	6.6
11	Minnesota	6.6
13	Maryland	6.8
14	New Mexico	6.9
15	Montana	7.3
15	Utah	7.3
17	Alaska	7.4
17	Pennsylvania	7.4
17	Wisconsin	7.4
20	Massachusetts	7.6
21	Maine	7.7
22	Arkansas	7.8
23	New York	7.9
24	Delaware	8.0
24	Texas	8.0
26	Indiana	8.2
26	Louisiana	8.2
28	Ohio	8.6
28	West Virginia	8.6
30	Colorado	8.7
31	Illinois	8.9
31	Missouri	8.9
33	Arizona	9.1
33	Connecticut	9.1
33	Washington	9.1
36	Oregon	9.3
37	Idaho	9.4
37	New Jersey	9.4
39	Alabama	9.6
40	North Carolina	9.7
40	Tennessee	9.7
42	District of Columbia	9.8
42	Georgia	9.8
42	Kentucky	9.8
45	South Carolina	10
46	Michigan	10.3
46	Mississippi	10.3
48	Florida	10.6
49	Rhode Island	10.9
50	California	11.7
51	Nevada	12.1

Tags: featured, highest, lowest, Nevada, North Dakota, oil, states, tourism, unemployment

Category: Personal Finance, Retirement