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Technical information: (202) 691-6392 http://www.bls.gov/lau/ Media contact: 691-5902 USDL 03-90 For release: 10:00 A.M. EST Friday, February 28, 2003 STATE AND REGIONAL UNEMPLOYMENT, 2002 ANNUAL AVERAGES Annual average unemployment rates rose between 2001 and 2002 in nearly all of the states and in each of the Census regions and divisions, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Employmentpopulation ratios declined in 40 states. At the national level, the jobless rate rose by 1.1 percentage points to 5.8 percent in 2002, while the employment-population ratio dropped by 1.0 percentage point to 62.7 percent. State Unemployment Rising unemployment persisted across the U.S. in 2002. Compared with the prior year, jobless rates were higher in 47 states, lower in 2 states, and unchanged in 1 state and the District of Columbia. Two states in the Mountain division--Colorado and Utah--reported the largest unemployment rate increases from 2001 (+2.0 and +1.7 percentage points, respectively). Massachusetts and New Jersey recorded the next largest increases (+1.6 percentage points each). Seventeen additional states registered over-the-year rate increases of at least a full percentage point. These 21 states with at least 1.0-percentage point increases in their unemployment rate were spread across the nation: 6 each were in the Northeast and West, 5 were in the South, and 4 were in the Midwest. In 2002, only Hawaii and South Dakota reported annual unemployment rate declines (-0.4 and -0.3 percentage point, respectively). (See table 1.) For the second year in a row, the states with the highest jobless rates were located in the Pacific division. Alaska registered the highest rate in 2002, 7.7 percent, followed by Oregon, 7.5 percent, and Washington, 7.3 percent. Twelve additional states and the District of Columbia posted unemployment rates of 6.0 percent or more for the year. The lowest jobless rates in 2002 were in two West North Central states: South Dakota, 3.1 percent, and Nebraska, 3.6 percent. Overall, 32 states had unemployment rates below the national average, 16 states and the District of Columbia had rates above it, and 2 states had rates equal to it. All seven states in the West North Central division and all six in New England posted rates below the U.S. rate. In contrast, four of the five Pacific states recorded rates above that of the nation. Regional Unemployment The Northeast and West regions experienced the largest jobless rate increases from 2001 (+1.2 percentage points each), while the Midwest and South recorded smaller rate increases (+1.0 and +0.9 point, respectively). For the 11th consecutive year, the West registered the highest regional unemployment rate, 6.5 percent. The Midwest reported the lowest rate, 5.5 percent. The range between the highest and lowest regional unemployment rates--1.0 percentage point--increased slightly, after narrowing substantially since the mid-1990s. Among the nation's nine geographic divisions, the Mountain division posted the largest over-the-year unemployment rate increase (+1.3 percentage points), closely followed by the Middle Atlantic, New England, and Pacific divisions (+1.2 points each). The smallest jobless rate increases from 2001 were recorded in the East South Central and West North Central divisions (+0.7 percentage point each). The Pacific also continued to register the highest jobless rate--for the 11th straight year--6.8 percent. The West South Central division had the next highest rate, 6.0 percent. The West North Central division recorded the lowest unemployment rate, 4.6 percent, followed by New England, 4.9 percent, which had reported the lowest divisional rate for the prior 2 years. - 2 State employment-population ratios In 2002, 40 states and the District of Columbia posted declines in their employment-population ratios--the proportion of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years and over with a job--while 9 states reported increases. The largest employment-population ratio declines occurred in Michigan (-3.0 percentage points) and Delaware (-2.6 points). Four other states recorded decreases of 2.0 percentage points or more from 2001, and 20 additional states and the District of Columbia registered declines of at least 1.0 point. The largest increases in employmentpopulation ratios were in South Dakota and Arkansas (+1.2 percentage points and +1.0 point, respectively). Iowa and Vermont were the only other states that reported increases of at least 0.5 percentage point. (See table 2.) West Virginia continued to have the lowest employment-population ratio, 52.6 percent, a decline of 2.0 percentage points from 2001. The seven states recording the next lowest ratios also were located in the South--Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina--with employment-population ratios ranging between 56.4 and 59.1 percent. New York, at 59.3 percent, was the only other state with a ratio below 60.0 percent. Minnesota again reported the highest proportion of employed persons, 72.4 percent, despite a 0.7-percentage point decline from 2001. Three other Midwestern states--Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota--registered the next highest ratios, all of which were over 70.0 percent. Twenty-seven states recorded employment-population ratios higher than the U.S. figure of 62.7 percent, while 21 states and the District of Columbia posted lower ratios. All states in the New England and West North Central divisions had ratios above that of the U.S., while all of those in the Middle Atlantic and East South Central divisions had ratios below it. Regional employment-population ratios All four regions reported declines in their proportion of employed persons from 2001, ranging from -1.5 percentage points in the Midwest to -0.2 point in the Northeast. The Midwest and West continued to register ratios (65.0 and 63.0 percent, respectively) above the U.S. average, while the Northeast (61.9 percent) and South (61.5 percent) again had lower ratios. Of the nine geographic divisions, the East North Central recorded the largest decrease in its employment-population ratio relative to 2001 (-1.9 percentage points). The next largest decreases were in the Pacific, South Atlantic, and West South Central divisions (-1.0 percentage point each). The two Northeast divisions--the Middle Atlantic and New England--registered the smallest declines in 2002 (-0.2 and -0.3 percentage point, respectively). Once again, the West North Central recorded the highest employment-population ratio (68.7 percent) and the East South Central registered the lowest (59.3 percent). - 3 NOTE All estimates presented in this release, except those for Puerto Rico, were derived from the Current Population Survey, a sample survey of about 60,000 households conducted monthly for the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the U.S. Census Bureau. A description of the survey and information about the reliability of the state estimates appear in Geographic Profile of Employment and Unemployment, 2000, Bulletin 2550. Effective with this release, annual averages for regions, divisions, states, and the District of Columbia, shown in tables 1 and 2, reflect updated population controls, incorporating the results of Census 2000. This decennial adjustment generally results in changes to levels for the current and previous years and may also affect unemployment rates and employment-population ratios, unlike the more routine population control updates in other years. The length of the annual series varies by state and ranges from 27 to 33 years. The region and division annual series begin in 1976. Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; TDD message referral phone number: 1-800-877-8339. Table 1. Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years of age and over by region, division, and state, 2001-02 annual averages (Numbers in thousands) Population Civilian labor force Employed Unemployed Unemployment rate Error range of Region, division, and state 2002(1) rate, 2001 2002 2001 2002 2001 2002 2001 2002 2001 2002 United States(2).......... 215,092 217,570 143,734 144,863 136,933 136,485 6,801 8,378 4.7 5.8 5.7 - 5.9 Northeast...................... New England................. Connecticut.............. Maine.................... Massachusetts............ New Hampshire............ Rhode Island............. Vermont.................. 41,678 10,909 2,604 1,019 5,003 972 827 484 42,028 11,020 2,623 1,034 5,046 989 840 489 27,070 7,422 1,755 686 3,393 700 548 340 27,576 7,556 1,773 686 3,486 706 556 349 25,883 7,150 1,698 658 3,268 676 522 328 26,026 7,190 1,696 656 3,301 672 528 336 1,187 272 57 27 125 25 26 12 1,550 367 77 30 185 33 28 13 4.4 3.7 3.3 3.9 3.7 3.5 4.7 3.6 5.6 4.9 4.3 4.4 5.3 4.7 5.1 3.7 5.4 4.7 3.8 3.9 4.9 4.2 4.6 3.3 - 5.8 5.1 4.8 4.9 5.7 5.2 5.6 4.1 Middle Atlantic............. New Jersey............... New York................. Pennsylvania............. 30,769 6,513 14,701 9,555 31,008 6,585 14,816 9,607 19,648 4,305 9,132 6,212 20,020 4,368 9,362 6,290 18,734 4,125 8,689 5,920 18,836 4,113 8,790 5,934 915 180 443 291 1,183 255 573 356 4.7 4.2 4.9 4.7 5.9 5.8 6.1 5.7 5.7 5.4 5.8 5.3 - 6.1 6.2 6.4 6.1 Midwest........................ East North Central.......... Illinois................. Indiana.................. Michigan................. Ohio..................... Wisconsin................ 49,197 34,465 9,440 4,626 7,594 8,664 4,141 49,600 34,721 9,524 4,656 7,650 8,701 4,190 34,265 23,637 6,473 3,134 5,158 5,844 3,028 34,125 23,410 6,378 3,175 5,001 5,828 3,028 32,711 22,496 6,125 2,998 4,886 5,596 2,891 32,247 22,024 5,963 3,012 4,691 5,497 2,861 1,554 1,141 349 136 271 248 137 1,878 1,385 415 163 310 331 167 4.5 4.8 5.4 4.4 5.3 4.2 4.5 5.5 5.9 6.5 5.1 6.2 5.7 5.5 5.3 5.7 6.1 4.6 5.8 5.3 4.9 - 5.7 6.1 6.9 5.6 6.6 6.1 6.1 West North Central.......... Iowa..................... Kansas................... Minnesota................ Missouri................. 14,732 2,261 2,021 3,805 4,288 14,879 2,277 2,041 3,855 4,330 10,628 1,625 1,383 2,889 3,020 10,716 1,667 1,414 2,918 2,990 10,215 1,572 1,324 2,783 2,879 10,223 1,601 1,342 2,790 2,825 413 54 59 106 141 493 67 72 128 165 3.9 3.3 4.3 3.7 4.7 4.6 4.0 5.1 4.4 5.5 4.4 3.5 4.5 3.9 5.0 - 4.8 4.5 5.7 4.9 6.0 Nebraska................. North Dakota............. South Dakota............. 1,298 490 569 1,311 492 574 953 346 412 959 346 421 923 336 398 925 332 408 29 10 14 34 14 13 3.1 2.9 3.4 3.6 4.0 3.1 3.1 3.5 2.7 - 4.1 4.5 3.5 South.......................... South Atlantic.............. Delaware................. District of Columbia..... Florida.................. Georgia.................. Maryland................. North Carolina........... South Carolina........... Virginia................. West Virginia............ 76,681 40,140 612 462 12,687 6,223 4,065 6,187 3,096 5,379 1,432 77,831 40,766 622 460 12,926 6,337 4,126 6,262 3,145 5,454 1,436 50,296 26,479 429 313 8,020 4,220 2,841 4,202 1,952 3,680 822 50,711 26,682 423 304 8,084 4,292 2,898 4,171 1,968 3,735 804 47,922 25,283 414 293 7,639 4,053 2,727 3,971 1,848 3,556 782 47,861 25,255 405 285 7,642 4,071 2,772 3,890 1,851 3,583 755 2,374 1,197 15 20 381 167 114 231 104 125 40 2,849 1,427 18 20 442 221 126 281 117 152 49 4.7 4.5 3.4 6.4 4.8 4.0 4.0 5.5 5.3 3.4 4.8 5.6 5.3 4.2 6.4 5.5 5.1 4.4 6.7 6.0 4.1 6.1 5.5 5.1 3.7 5.8 5.2 4.6 3.9 6.1 5.4 3.6 5.5 - 5.7 5.5 4.7 7.0 5.8 5.6 4.9 7.3 6.6 4.6 6.7 East South Central.......... Alabama.................. Kentucky................. Mississippi.............. Tennessee................ 13,083 3,411 3,144 2,122 4,407 13,200 3,432 3,184 2,136 4,448 8,285 2,135 1,985 1,305 2,860 8,293 2,103 1,966 1,298 2,926 7,868 2,022 1,878 1,234 2,733 7,821 1,978 1,857 1,210 2,776 417 112 107 71 126 472 124 110 88 150 5.0 5.3 5.4 5.5 4.4 5.7 5.9 5.6 6.8 5.1 5.4 5.3 5.0 6.1 4.5 - 6.0 6.5 6.2 7.5 5.7 West South Central.......... Arkansas................. Louisiana................ Oklahoma................. Texas.................... 23,457 2,044 3,314 2,590 15,510 23,864 2,060 3,336 2,619 15,849 15,531 1,248 2,053 1,671 10,560 15,735 1,285 2,006 1,693 10,751 14,771 1,185 1,931 1,607 10,048 14,785 1,216 1,883 1,617 10,070 760 63 122 64 512 950 70 123 76 681 4.9 5.0 5.9 3.8 4.8 6.0 5.4 6.1 4.5 6.3 5.7 4.8 5.4 3.9 6.0 - 6.3 6.0 6.8 5.1 6.6 West........................... Mountain.................... Arizona.................. Colorado................. Idaho.................... Montana.................. Nevada................... New Mexico............... Utah..................... Wyoming.................. 47,962 13,844 3,928 3,328 970 698 1,564 1,360 1,619 378 48,899 14,158 4,033 3,394 989 706 1,616 1,382 1,655 383 32,428 9,502 2,580 2,379 681 463 1,104 861 1,161 272 32,947 9,707 2,672 2,437 684 464 1,122 878 1,180 270 30,722 9,074 2,458 2,291 647 442 1,045 820 1,110 262 30,811 9,148 2,507 2,298 645 442 1,060 830 1,108 259 1,706 427 121 89 34 22 59 42 51 11 2,136 559 165 140 40 21 62 48 72 11 5.3 4.5 4.7 3.7 5.0 4.6 5.3 4.8 4.4 3.9 6.5 5.8 6.2 5.7 5.8 4.6 5.5 5.4 6.1 4.2 6.3 5.5 5.5 5.2 5.2 4.0 5.0 4.8 5.5 3.7 - 6.7 6.1 6.9 6.2 6.4 5.2 6.0 6.0 6.7 4.7 Pacific..................... Alaska................... California............... Hawaii................... Oregon................... Washington............... 34,118 440 25,600 872 2,673 4,533 34,742 449 26,083 889 2,716 4,605 22,926 320 17,183 591 1,817 3,015 23,240 323 17,405 582 1,834 3,097 21,647 299 16,260 564 1,702 2,822 21,663 298 16,242 557 1,695 2,871 1,279 21 923 27 115 193 1,577 25 1,163 25 138 226 5.6 6.4 5.4 4.6 6.3 6.4 6.8 7.7 6.7 4.2 7.5 7.3 6.6 7.0 6.4 3.7 6.8 6.6 - 7.0 8.4 7.0 4.7 8.2 8.0 Puerto Rico(3)................. 2,873 2,934 1,297 1,356 1,150 1,190 147 166 11.4 12.3 (4) 1 Error ranges are shown at the 90-percent confidence level. 2 Because of separate processing and weighting procedures, totals for the United States differ from the results obtained by aggregating data for regions, divisions, or states. 3 The source of these data is the Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources. 4 Not available. NOTE: Region and division data are derived from summing the component states. Sub-national data incorporate updated 2000 censusbased population controls. Table 2. Employment-population ratio of persons 16 years of age and over by region, division, and state, 2001-02 annual averages (Percent) Region, division, and state Employment-population ratio(1) Over-the-year change Error range of employment-population ratio, 2002(1) 2001 2002 United States................. 63.7 62.7 -1.0 62.5 - 62.9 Northeast.......................... New England..................... Connecticut.................. Maine........................ Massachusetts................ New Hampshire................ Rhode Island................. Vermont...................... 62.1 65.5 65.2 64.6 65.3 69.5 63.1 67.7 61.9 65.2 64.7 63.5 65.4 68.0 62.9 68.6 -0.2 -0.3 -0.5 -1.1 0.1 -1.5 -0.2 0.9 61.5 64.5 63.1 62.0 64.1 66.6 61.7 67.2 - 62.3 65.9 66.3 65.0 66.7 69.4 64.1 70.0 Middle Atlantic................. New Jersey................... New York..................... Pennsylvania................. 60.9 63.3 59.1 62.0 60.7 62.5 59.3 61.8 -0.2 -0.8 0.2 -0.2 60.2 61.5 58.5 60.9 - 61.2 63.5 60.1 62.7 Midwest............................ East North Central.............. 66.5 65.3 65.0 63.4 -1.5 -1.9 64.6 62.8 - 65.4 64.0 Illinois..................... Indiana...................... Michigan..................... Ohio......................... Wisconsin.................... 64.9 64.8 64.3 64.6 69.8 62.6 64.7 61.3 63.2 68.3 -2.3 -0.1 -3.0 -1.4 -1.5 61.6 63.2 60.1 62.0 66.8 - 63.6 66.2 62.5 64.4 69.8 West North Central.............. Iowa......................... Kansas....................... Minnesota.................... Missouri..................... Nebraska..................... North Dakota................. South Dakota................. 69.3 69.5 65.5 73.1 67.1 71.1 68.5 69.9 68.7 70.3 65.8 72.4 65.2 70.6 67.5 71.1 -0.6 0.8 0.3 -0.7 -1.9 -0.5 -1.0 1.2 68.0 69.0 64.1 70.8 63.4 69.2 65.6 69.4 - 69.4 71.6 67.5 74.0 67.0 72.0 69.4 72.8 South.............................. South Atlantic.................. Delaware..................... District of Columbia......... Florida...................... Georgia...................... Maryland..................... North Carolina............... South Carolina............... Virginia..................... West Virginia................ 62.5 63.0 67.7 63.4 60.2 65.1 67.1 64.2 59.7 66.1 54.6 61.5 62.0 65.1 61.9 59.1 64.3 67.2 62.1 58.9 65.7 52.6 -1.0 -1.0 -2.6 -1.5 -1.1 -0.8 0.1 -2.1 -0.8 -0.4 -2.0 61.1 61.5 63.6 60.4 58.2 62.9 65.8 60.8 57.4 63.9 50.9 - 61.9 62.5 66.6 63.4 60.0 65.7 68.6 63.4 60.4 67.5 54.3 East South Central.............. Alabama...................... Kentucky..................... Mississippi.................. Tennessee.................... 60.1 59.3 59.7 58.2 62.0 59.3 57.6 58.3 56.6 62.4 -0.8 -1.7 -1.4 -1.6 0.4 58.4 55.9 56.4 54.8 60.7 - 60.2 59.3 60.2 58.4 64.1 West South Central.............. Arkansas..................... Louisiana.................... Oklahoma..................... Texas........................ 63.0 58.0 58.3 62.1 64.8 62.0 59.0 56.4 61.7 63.5 -1.0 1.0 -1.9 -0.4 -1.3 61.3 57.5 54.7 60.1 62.5 - 62.7 60.5 58.1 63.3 64.5 West............................... Mountain........................ Arizona...................... Colorado..................... Idaho........................ Montana...................... Nevada....................... 64.1 65.5 62.6 68.8 66.7 63.3 66.8 63.0 64.6 62.2 67.7 65.2 62.7 65.6 -1.1 -0.9 -0.4 -1.1 -1.5 -0.6 -1.2 62.6 63.9 60.6 65.9 63.5 60.9 64.1 - 63.4 65.3 63.8 69.5 66.9 64.5 67.1 New Mexico................... Utah......................... Wyoming...................... 60.3 68.6 69.3 60.0 66.9 67.6 -0.3 -1.7 -1.7 58.3 65.1 66.0 - 61.7 68.7 69.2 Pacific......................... Alaska....................... California................... Hawaii....................... Oregon....................... Washington................... 63.4 68.0 63.5 64.7 63.7 62.3 62.4 66.4 62.3 62.7 62.4 62.3 -1.0 -1.6 -1.2 -2.0 -1.3 0.0 61.9 64.0 61.7 61.3 61.0 60.9 - 62.9 68.8 62.9 64.1 63.8 63.7 Puerto Rico(2)..................... 40.0 40.6 0.6 1 Error ranges are shown at the 90-percent confidence level. 2 The source of these data is the Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources. 3 Not available. (3)