August’s jobs report showed below-average level of hiring. The economy gained 142,000 nonfarm payroll jobs, falling below the average monthly gain of 202,000 over the past 12 months. In August, there were notable gains in sectors including construction and health care, and the overall unemployment rate was 4.2%.
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 (August 2024) to key dates in 2024, 2023, 2020 and 2019.
Main Findings
Unemployment Rate Changes by State
Overall Rank | State | Unemployment Rate (August 2024) | Change in Unemployment (August 2024 vs July 2024) | Change in Unemployment (August 2024 vs August 2023) | Change in Unemployment (August 2024 vs August 2020) | Change in Unemployment (August 2024 vs August 2019) | Not Seasonally Adjusted Continued Claims (August 2024 vs July 2024) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | South Dakota | 2.0% | -0.4% | -2.6% | -48.2% | -26.4% | -17.8% |
2 | Mississippi | 2.7% | 0.3% | -13.9% | -63.5% | -53.9% | -24.7% |
3 | North Dakota | 2.3% | 2.9% | 27.1% | -57.5% | 11.4% | -46.3% |
4 | Vermont | 2.2% | 2.7% | 6.9% | -57.5% | 8.0% | -2.9% |
5 | Wisconsin | 2.9% | -2.3% | -11.7% | -53.8% | -11.6% | -5.6% |
6 | Hawaii | 2.9% | 0.0% | -2.1% | -78.2% | 14.9% | -2.6% |
7 | Nebraska | 2.7% | 1.6% | 10.8% | -30.4% | -16.3% | -18.1% |
8 | Tennessee | 3.1% | 2.5% | -4.2% | -57.8% | -2.1% | -24.7% |
9 | Alabama | 2.8% | 0.1% | 13.7% | -53.7% | -0.9% | -3.4% |
10 | Maine | 2.8% | 0.6% | -5.5% | -28.1% | -1.1% | -7.9% |
11 | New Hampshire | 2.6% | 2.6% | 13.8% | -60.4% | 0.7% | 11.5% |
12 | Virginia | 2.8% | 2.7% | 2.5% | -58.9% | 14.5% | -2.5% |
13 | Connecticut | 3.4% | -5.5% | -8.6% | -63.2% | -5.2% | 4.2% |
14 | Iowa | 2.9% | 1.7% | -8.5% | -41.0% | 0.8% | -1.4% |
15 | Wyoming | 3.0% | 4.0% | 7.6% | -50.8% | -18.6% | -8.9% |
16 | Pennsylvania | 3.4% | -0.5% | 4.9% | -63.1% | -20.6% | -2.4% |
17 | Arkansas | 3.3% | -0.1% | -1.1% | -45.1% | -0.6% | -12.1% |
18 | Arizona | 3.4% | 1.5% | -14.4% | -53.3% | -21.4% | -0.5% |
19 | Maryland | 2.9% | 3.5% | 39.6% | -58.3% | -15.7% | 0.8% |
20 | Florida | 3.3% | 0.6% | 12.2% | -58.2% | 11.4% | -5.0% |
21 | Montana | 3.2% | 2.8% | 8.1% | -39.2% | -1.9% | -9.8% |
22 | Kansas | 3.3% | 2.6% | 26.4% | -43.1% | 5.4% | -26.9% |
23 | Oklahoma | 3.4% | -0.8% | 4.1% | -41.4% | 17.8% | -9.7% |
24 | Louisiana | 3.9% | -0.8% | 7.4% | -57.0% | -18.5% | -8.3% |
25 | Minnesota | 3.3% | 5.8% | 13.7% | -51.3% | 1.3% | -1.9% |
26 | West Virginia | 4.2% | -0.6% | 0.4% | -47.6% | -16.5% | -17.2% |
27 | Idaho | 3.5% | 2.5% | 12.1% | -28.7% | 35.0% | -15.6% |
28 | Georgia | 3.6% | 3.8% | 11.9% | -42.2% | 5.8% | -3.9% |
29 | North Carolina | 3.8% | 2.1% | 8.8% | -42.9% | 2.2% | -3.8% |
30 | Oregon | 4.0% | -1.5% | 7.6% | -47.9% | 15.9% | -2.9% |
31 | Massachusetts | 3.7% | 7.7% | 14.6% | -63.4% | 25.1% | -1.5% |
32 | Utah | 3.3% | 4.8% | 22.1% | -25.4% | 49.7% | -3.8% |
33 | New Mexico | 4.1% | 2.5% | 8.5% | -49.5% | -14.5% | -1.7% |
34 | Missouri | 3.9% | 1.2% | 24.1% | -37.6% | 24.7% | -14.3% |
35 | Texas | 4.1% | 0.8% | 5.2% | -44.2% | 27.0% | 3.4% |
36 | Michigan | 4.5% | 2.2% | 11.8% | -53.9% | 10.6% | -22.0% |
37 | New York | 4.4% | 1.9% | 2.0% | -58.5% | 12.7% | 3.0% |
38 | Delaware | 4.2% | 2.2% | 5.2% | -39.8% | 20.6% | -0.5% |
39 | Alaska | 4.6% | 0.6% | 2.1% | -45.1% | -17.6% | -2.9% |
40 | Indiana | 4.2% | 3.9% | 20.4% | -41.1% | 28.3% | -8.9% |
41 | Ohio | 4.5% | -0.3% | 30.2% | -44.3% | 6.7% | -10.4% |
42 | Colorado | 4.0% | 1.7% | 22.8% | -31.2% | 64.1% | 1.2% |
43 | New Jersey | 4.8% | 2.4% | 2.7% | -63.3% | 43.4% | 1.0% |
44 | Washington | 4.8% | -0.9% | 18.2% | -42.2% | 20.1% | -1.2% |
45 | Kentucky | 4.8% | 2.7% | 15.4% | -3.3% | 16.7% | -22.4% |
46 | Rhode Island | 4.6% | 2.1% | 64.0% | -53.7% | 35.5% | -3.3% |
47 | California | 5.3% | 1.1% | 9.0% | -54.6% | 31.8% | -4.4% |
48 | Illinois | 5.3% | 0.4% | 15.7% | -43.3% | 40.9% | -3.6% |
49 | South Carolina | 4.3% | 10.4% | 52.2% | -24.9% | 87.6% | -15.9% |
50 | Nevada | 5.5% | 1.8% | 9.1% | -57.1% | 42.6% | -2.6% |
51 | District of Columbia | 5.7% | 3.7% | 21.4% | -27.0% | 9.3% | 4.5% |
- Biggest Decrease
- 1. Connecticut
- 2. Wisconsin
- 3. Oregon
- 4. Washington
- 5. Oklahoma
- Smallest Decrease
- 47. Wyoming
- 48. Utah
- 49. Minnesota
- 50. Massachusetts
- 51. South Carolina
- Biggest Decrease
- 1. Arizona
- 2. Mississippi
- 3. Wisconsin
- 4. Connecticut
- 5. Iowa
- Smallest Decrease
- 47. North Dakota
- 48. Ohio
- 49. Maryland
- 50. South Carolina
- 51. Rhode Island
- Biggest Decrease
- 1. Hawaii
- 2. Mississippi
- 3. Massachusetts
- 4. New Jersey
- 5. Connecticut
- Smallest Decrease
- 47. Maine
- 48. District of Columbia
- 49. Utah
- 50. South Carolina
- 51. Kentucky
- Biggest Decrease
- 1. Mississippi
- 2. South Dakota
- 3. Arizona
- 4. Pennsylvania
- 5. Wyoming
- Smallest Decrease
- 47. Nevada
- 48. New Jersey
- 49. Utah
- 50. Colorado
- 51. South Carolina
- Lowest Rate
- 1. South Dakota
- 2. Vermont
- 3. North Dakota
- 4. New Hampshire
- T-5. Mississippi
- T-5. Nebraska
- Highest Rate
- T-45. Kentucky
- T-45. New Jersey
- T-48. California
- T-48. Illinois
- 50. Nevada
- 51. District of Columbia
Ask the Experts
In order to provide further insight into the current unemployment situation in the U.S., WalletHub turned to a panel of experts. Click on the pictures of experts below to read their bios and responses to the following key questions:
- What are the best ways for state and local authorities to ensure a healthy recovery from the high inflation that has been experienced recently?
- What are the most resilient industries and fields during the current crisis?
- What job skills do you think will be the most sought after in the current job market?
- What’s in store for the job market in 2024?
Ask the Experts
Methodology
In order to examine changes in unemployment rates throughout the U.S., WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across two categories. In the first category, we compared the change in unemployment for the latest month for which we had data (August 2024) to July 2024, August 2023, August 2020 and August 2019, in order to show the impact since the beginning of the pandemic and the recent changes in the job market amid high inflation. We also compared not seasonally adjusted continued claims in August 2024 to July 2024. In the second category, we looked at the state’s overall unemployment rate. We then used the average of those categories to rank-order the states.
Change in Unemployment - Total Points: 50
- Change in Unemployment in August 2024 vs. July 2024: Full Weight (~10.00 Points)
- Change in Unemployment in August 2024 vs. August 2023: Full Weight (~10.00 Points)
- Change in Unemployment in August 2024 vs. August 2020: Full Weight (~10.00 Points)
- Change in Unemployment in August 2024 vs. August 2019: Full Weight (~10.00 Points)
- Not Seasonally Adjusted Continued Claims in August 2024 vs. July 2024: Full Weight (~10.00 Points)
Unemployment Rate - Total Points: 50
- Unemployment Rate (August 2024): Full Weight (~50.00 Points)
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were obtained from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Department of Labor.
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