Non-farm payroll employment increased in 17 states

The United States (US) Bureau of Labor Statistics is reporting that unemployment rates fell in 42 states and the District of Columbia in December.

At the same time, the unemployment rates were unchanged in eight states. Forty-eight states and the District of Columbia had lower unemployment rates than a year ago, while two states saw little change.

The national unemployment rate, 3.9 per cent, fell by 0.3 percentage point in a month and was 2.8 percentage point lower than in December 2020. In December 2021, non-farm payroll employment increased in 17 states and remained virtually unchanged in the remaining 33 states and the District of Columbia.

Over the year, 48 states and the District of Columbia added nonfarm payroll jobs, while two states remained virtually unchanged.

Unemployment

In December, Nebraska had the lowest unemployment rate of 1.7 per cent, followed by Utah, 1.9 per cent. Arkansas (3.1 per cent), Georgia (2.6 per cent), Idaho (2.4 per cent), Indiana (2.7 per cent), Kentucky (3.9 per cent), Mississippi (4.5 per cent), Montana (2.5 per cent), Nebraska (1.7 per cent), Oklahoma (2.3 per cent), Utah (1.9 per cent), West Virginia (3.7 per cent), and Wisconsin set new series lows.

The highest unemployment rates were in California and Nevada, at 6.5 per cet and 6.4 per cent, respectively. In total, 17 states and the District of Columbia had unemployment rates higher than the national average of 3.9 per cent, 16 had lower rates, and 17 had rates that were not significantly different from the national rate.

Massachusetts saw the highest month-to-month decline in the unemployment rate in December (-1.3 percentage points). Arizona experienced the next-largest drop (-0.6 percentage point).

Eight states had jobless rates that were not noticeably different from a month ago, though some had numerical changes that were as least as large as the notable changes. Hawaii had the greatest fall in unemployment from December 2020 (-4.6 percentage points), closely followed by Massachusetts (-4.5 points).

Another three states and the District of Columbia saw decreases of at least 3.0 percentage points.

Non-farm Payroll Employment

In December 2021, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 17 states and remained virtually unchanged in the remaining 33 states and the District of Columbia. California (+50,700), Texas (+50,000), and New York (+45,300) saw the most job growth.

Iowa and West Virginia saw the greatest percentage increases (+0.8 per cent each), followed by Massachusetts, Missouri, and Montana (+0.6 per cent each). Non-farm payroll employment climbed in 48 states and the District of Columbia over the year and remained virtually constant in two states.

California (+954,400), Texas (+694,400), and Florida (+479,300) saw the most job growth. Nevada (+7.4 per cent), Hawaii (+7.1 per cent), and Massachusetts (+6.6 per cent) saw the highest percentage gains.