The jobless rate in 39 states and Washington, D.C. fell in June compared to the prior month, as the nation’s unemployment rate fell 0.2 percentage point to 9.5%, the Labor Department said. Meanwhile, five states saw unemployment rate increases, while the rate was unchanged in six other states. Nevada remained the state with the highest unemployment rate in the nation — 14.2% — a full percentage point higher than Michigan’s 13.2% rate, which declined again. Washington, DC and 16 states recorded jobless rates in excess of 10%. North and South Dakota continued to have the lowest rates in the country, at 3.6% and 4.5%, respectively.
Despite the improvements in the jobless rates, 27 states posted a decline in payroll employment, while 21 notched increases. Montana and Alaska had the highest percentage increase from the previous month, while New Mexico and Nevada reported the largest percentage drops.
While the latest state data confirms that the labor market is improving across a broad swath of the country, there’s still a long way to go before employment returns to pre-recession levels. Twenty-four states still have higher unemployment rates this June than they did a year ago.
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