For release 10:00 a.m. (EST) Tuesday, February 27, 2018 USDL-18-0297
Technical information: (202) 691-6392 * lausinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/lau
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov
REGIONAL AND STATE UNEMPLOYMENT -- 2017 ANNUAL AVERAGES
In 2017, annual average unemployment rates decreased in 32 states and were little changed
or unchanged in 18 states and the District of Columbia, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
reported today. Employment-population ratios increased in 12 states, decreased in 2 states,
and were little changed or unchanged in 36 states and the District. The U.S. jobless rate
declined by 0.5 percentage point from the prior year to 4.4 percent, and the national
employment-population ratio rose by 0.4 point to 60.1 percent.
Regional Unemployment
All four census regions had unemployment rate decreases from 2016: the Midwest, South, and
West (-0.6 percentage point each) and the Northeast (-0.3 point). The Midwest had the lowest
jobless rate, 4.1 percent in 2017. No other region had a rate significantly different from
that of the U.S. The West recorded the lowest unemployment rate in its series, 4.5 percent.
(All region, division, and state series begin in 1976. See table 1.)
All nine geographic divisions had over-the-year unemployment rate declines in 2017. The largest
of these occurred in the East South Central (-0.9 percentage point). The lowest jobless rate
was in the West North Central, 3.4 percent, followed by the New England and Mountain divisions
(3.8 percent and 4.1 percent, respectively). The highest rates were in the Middle Atlantic and
Pacific (4.7 percent each). The remaining four divisions had rates that were not significantly
different from that of the U.S. The Pacific recorded the lowest unemployment rate in its series,
4.7 percent.
_________________________________________________________________________________
| |
| Changes to Local Area Unemployment Statistics Data |
| |
| Effective with this news release, the civilian labor force and unemployment |
| data for census regions and divisions, the states and the District of Columbia, |
| and the modeled substate areas were revised to incorporate updated inputs, |
| new population controls, reestimation of models, and adjustment to new control |
| totals. In addition, a new procedure for seasonally adjusting the data was |
| implemented. While the not seasonally adjusted data were revised from 2013 |
| forward, the seasonally adjusted data were revised back to 1976. Information |
| on the new seasonal adjustment procedure is available at |
| www.bls.gov/lau/ssachanges2018.htm. |
|_________________________________________________________________________________|
State Unemployment
Thirty-two states had statistically significant unemployment rate decreases in 2017. The largest
decline occurred in Alabama (-1.5 percentage points), followed by Wyoming (-1.1 points) and
Tennessee (-1.0 point). The remaining 18 states and the District of Columbia had annual average
jobless rates in 2017 that were not appreciably different from those of the previous year, though
some had changes that were at least as large numerically as the significant changes. (See table A.)
Hawaii and North Dakota had the lowest unemployment rates in 2017, 2.4 percent and 2.6 percent,
respectively. Alaska had the highest jobless rate, 7.2 percent, followed by New Mexico, 6.2
percent. The District of Columbia had a rate of 6.1 percent. Overall, 20 states had unemployment
rates significantly lower than the U.S. figure of 4.4 percent, 12 states and the District had
higher rates, and 18 states had rates that were not appreciably different from that of the nation.
Seven states recorded the lowest unemployment rates in their series in 2017: Arkansas (3.7 percent),
California (4.8 percent), Hawaii (2.4 percent), Maine (3.3 percent), North Dakota (2.6 percent),
Oregon (4.1 percent), and Tennessee (3.7 percent). (See table B.)
Regional Employment-Population Ratios
In 2017, two census regions had statistically significant changes in their employment-population
ratios--the proportion of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years of age and over who
are employed--both of which were increases. These occurred in the West (+0.6 percentage point) and
South (+0.5 point). The Midwest had the highest ratio, 62.3 percent, while the South, at 58.8
percent, had the lowest. These two regions had the only ratios that were notably different from
the national figure of 60.1 percent. (See table 2.)
Four of the 9 geographic divisions had increases in their employment-population ratios from 2016
to 2017: the East South Central and South Atlantic (+0.7 percentage point each) and the Mountain
and Pacific (+0.6 point each). The remaining five divisions experienced little or no change in
their ratios. The division with the highest employment-population ratio in 2017 was the West North
Central, 65.2 percent, followed by New England, 63.2 percent. These two divisions, along with the
Mountain and East North Central, at 61.2 percent and 61.1 percent, respectively, had employment-
population ratios significantly above that of the U.S. The East South Central had the lowest
proportion of employed persons, 55.9 percent. The ratios in the Middle Atlantic (59.0 percent)
and South Atlantic (59.2 percent) also were appreciably below the national average.
State Employment-Population Ratios
In 2017, the largest employment-population ratio increase among the states occurred in Colorado
(+1.3 percentage points), followed by Georgia and Tennessee (+1.1 points each). Nine other states
also had significant increases in their ratios. Two states had over-the-year decreases in their
employment-population ratios: Nebraska (-0.5 percentage point) and New Hampshire (-0.4 point). The
remaining 36 states and the District of Columbia had ratios that were not appreciably different
from those of the previous year, though some had changes that were at least as large numerically
as the significant changes. (See table C.)
North Dakota had the highest proportion of employed persons, 69.6 percent in 2017. The next highest
ratios were in Minnesota, 67.8 percent, and Utah, 67.2 percent. West Virginia had the lowest
employment-population ratio among the states, 50.5 percent. (West Virginia has had the lowest
employment-population ratio each year since the series began in 1976.) Overall, 24 states and the
District of Columbia had employment-population ratios significantly higher than the U.S. ratio of
60.1 percent and 16 states had ratios that were below it. Alaska had the lowest employment-population
ratio in its series, 61.6 percent. (See table D.)
_____________
The State Employment and Unemployment news release for January 2018 is scheduled to be released
on Monday, March 12, 2018, at 10:00 a.m. (EDT). The Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment
news release for January 2018 is scheduled to be released on Friday, March 16, 2018, at 10:00 a.m.
(EDT).
Table A. States with statistically significant unemployment rate changes,
2016-17 annual averages
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Rate |
|-------------------------| Over-the-year
State | | | rate change
| 2016 | 2017 |
--------------------------------|------------|------------|---------------
Alabama ........................| 5.9 | 4.4 | -1.5
Arizona ........................| 5.4 | 4.9 | -.5
California .....................| 5.5 | 4.8 | -.7
Colorado .......................| 3.3 | 2.8 | -.5
Florida ........................| 4.8 | 4.2 | -.6
Georgia ........................| 5.4 | 4.7 | -.7
Hawaii .........................| 2.9 | 2.4 | -.5
Idaho ..........................| 3.8 | 3.2 | -.6
Illinois .......................| 5.8 | 5.0 | -.8
Indiana ........................| 4.4 | 3.5 | -.9
| | |
Iowa ...........................| 3.6 | 3.1 | -.5
Kansas .........................| 4.0 | 3.6 | -.4
Louisiana ......................| 6.0 | 5.1 | -.9
Maine ..........................| 3.8 | 3.3 | -.5
Minnesota ......................| 3.9 | 3.5 | -.4
Mississippi ....................| 5.8 | 5.1 | -.7
Missouri .......................| 4.6 | 3.8 | -.8
Nevada .........................| 5.7 | 5.0 | -.7
New Mexico .....................| 6.7 | 6.2 | -.5
North Carolina .................| 5.1 | 4.6 | -.5
| | |
North Dakota ...................| 3.1 | 2.6 | -.5
Oklahoma .......................| 4.8 | 4.3 | -.5
Oregon .........................| 4.8 | 4.1 | -.7
Pennsylvania ...................| 5.4 | 4.9 | -.5
Rhode Island ...................| 5.2 | 4.5 | -.7
South Carolina .................| 5.0 | 4.3 | -.7
Tennessee ......................| 4.7 | 3.7 | -1.0
Texas ..........................| 4.6 | 4.3 | -.3
Washington .....................| 5.3 | 4.8 | -.5
West Virginia ..................| 6.1 | 5.2 | -.9
Wisconsin ......................| 4.0 | 3.3 | -.7
Wyoming ........................| 5.3 | 4.2 | -1.1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table B. States with unemployment rates significantly different
from that of the U.S., 2017 annual averages
--------------------------------------------------------------
State | Rate
--------------------------------------------------------------
United States .......................| 4.4
|
Alaska ..............................| 7.2
Arizona .............................| 4.9
Arkansas ............................| 3.7
California ..........................| 4.8
Colorado ............................| 2.8
District of Columbia ................| 6.1
Hawaii ..............................| 2.4
Idaho ...............................| 3.2
Illinois ............................| 5.0
Indiana .............................| 3.5
|
Iowa ................................| 3.1
Kansas ..............................| 3.6
Louisiana ...........................| 5.1
Maine ...............................| 3.3
Massachusetts .......................| 3.7
Minnesota ...........................| 3.5
Mississippi .........................| 5.1
Missouri ............................| 3.8
Nebraska ............................| 2.9
Nevada ..............................| 5.0
|
New Hampshire .......................| 2.7
New Mexico ..........................| 6.2
New York ............................| 4.7
North Dakota ........................| 2.6
Ohio ................................| 5.0
Pennsylvania ........................| 4.9
South Dakota ........................| 3.3
Tennessee ...........................| 3.7
Utah ................................| 3.2
Vermont .............................| 3.0
|
Virginia ............................| 3.8
West Virginia .......................| 5.2
Wisconsin ...........................| 3.3
--------------------------------------------------------------
Table C. States with statistically significant employment-population
ratio changes, 2016-17 annual averages
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Ratio |
|-------------------------| Over-the-year
State | | | ratio change
| 2016 | 2017 |
--------------------------------|------------|------------|---------------
Alabama ........................| 53.7 | 54.1 | 0.4
Arizona ........................| 57.0 | 57.7 | .7
California .....................| 58.8 | 59.4 | .6
Colorado .......................| 64.9 | 66.2 | 1.3
Florida ........................| 56.3 | 57.1 | .8
Georgia ........................| 59.1 | 60.2 | 1.1
Kentucky .......................| 55.2 | 56.2 | 1.0
Maryland .......................| 64.2 | 64.8 | .6
Nebraska .......................| 67.2 | 66.7 | -.5
New Hampshire ..................| 66.5 | 66.1 | -.4
| | |
Oregon .........................| 59.6 | 60.6 | 1.0
Tennessee ......................| 57.3 | 58.4 | 1.1
Utah ...........................| 66.5 | 67.2 | .7
Washington .....................| 60.2 | 60.9 | .7
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table D. States with employment-population ratios significantly
different from that of the U.S., 2017 annual averages
----------------------------------------------------------------
State | Ratio
----------------------------------------------------------------
United States .......................| 60.1
|
Alabama .............................| 54.1
Alaska ..............................| 61.6
Arizona .............................| 57.7
Arkansas ............................| 56.1
California ..........................| 59.4
Colorado ............................| 66.2
Connecticut .........................| 63.3
District of Columbia ................| 66.1
Florida .............................| 57.1
Idaho ...............................| 62.0
|
Illinois ............................| 61.3
Indiana .............................| 61.8
Iowa ................................| 66.2
Kansas ..............................| 64.2
Kentucky ............................| 56.2
Louisiana ...........................| 55.7
Maine ...............................| 61.5
Maryland ............................| 64.8
Massachusetts .......................| 63.1
Michigan ............................| 58.6
|
Minnesota ...........................| 67.8
Mississippi .........................| 53.1
Missouri ............................| 61.4
Nebraska ............................| 66.7
New Hampshire .......................| 66.1
New Mexico ..........................| 53.9
New York ............................| 58.0
North Carolina ......................| 58.7
North Dakota ........................| 69.6
Oklahoma ............................| 58.6
|
Rhode Island ........................| 61.5
South Carolina ......................| 56.1
South Dakota ........................| 66.7
Tennessee ...........................| 58.4
Texas ...............................| 61.0
Utah ................................| 67.2
Vermont .............................| 64.9
Virginia ............................| 62.8
West Virginia .......................| 50.5
Wisconsin ...........................| 66.4
Wyoming .............................| 62.7
----------------------------------------------------------------
Technical Note
This release presents labor force and unemployment data for census regions
and divisions and states from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS)
program. The LAUS program is a federal-state cooperative endeavor.
Concepts
Definitions. The labor force and unemployment data are based on the same
concepts and definitions as those used for the official national estimates
obtained from the Current Population Survey (CPS), a sample survey of
households that is conducted for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) by
the U.S. Census Bureau. The LAUS program measures employed and unemployed
persons on a place-of-residence basis. The universe for each is the civilian
noninstitutional population 16 years of age and older. Employed persons are
those who did any work at all for pay or profit in the reference week (the
week including the 12th of the month) or worked 15 hours or more without
pay in a family business or farm, plus those not working who had a job from
which they were temporarily absent, whether or not paid, for such reasons
as labor management dispute, illness, or vacation. Unemployed persons are
those who were not employed during the reference week (based on the
definition above), had actively looked for a job sometime in the 4-week
period ending with the reference week, and were currently available for
work; persons on layoff expecting recall need not be looking for work to
be counted as unemployed. The labor force is the sum of employed and
unemployed persons. The unemployment rate is the number of unemployed
expressed as a percent of the labor force. The employment-population ratio
is the proportion of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years of
age and older that is employed.
Method of estimation. Estimates for 48 of the 50 states, the District of
Columbia, the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale metropolitan division, New
York City, and the balances of California and New York State are produced
using estimating equations based on regression techniques. This method
utilizes data from several sources, including the CPS, the Current
Employment Statistics (CES) survey of nonfarm payroll employment, and
state unemployment insurance (UI) programs. Estimates for the State of
California are derived by summing the estimates for the Los Angeles-Long
Beach-Glendale metropolitan division and the balance of California.
Similarly, estimates for New York State are derived by summing the
estimates for New York City and the balance of New York State. Estimates
for all nine census divisions are based on a similar regression approach
that does not incorporate CES or UI data. Estimates for census regions
are obtained by summing the model-based estimates for the component
divisions and then calculating the unemployment rate. Each month, census
division estimates are controlled to national totals; state estimates
are then controlled to their respective division totals. Estimates for
Puerto Rico are derived from a monthly household survey similar to the
CPS. A detailed description of the estimation procedures is available
from BLS upon request.
Annual revisions. Labor force and unemployment data for prior years
reflect adjustments made at the beginning of each year. The adjusted
estimates incorporate updated population controls from the U.S. Census
Bureau, any revisions in the other data sources, and model re-estimation.
The population controls reflect extrapolation from the 2010 Census. In
most years, historical data for the most recent 5 years (both seasonally
adjusted and not seasonally adjusted) are revised near the beginning of
each calendar year, prior to the release of January estimates. Though
the labor force estimates typically are updated for 5 years, the
population estimates are revised back to the decennial estimates base
(April 2010).
Reliability of the estimates
The estimates presented in this release are based on sample surveys,
administrative data, and modeling and, thus, are subject to sampling and
other types of errors. Sampling error is a measure of sampling variability--
that is, variation that occurs by chance because a sample rather than
the entire population is surveyed. Survey data also are subject to
nonsampling errors, such as those which can be introduced into the data
collection and processing operations. Estimates not directly derived
from sample surveys are subject to additional errors resulting from the
specific estimation processes used. In table 1, level estimates for
states may not sum to level estimates for regions and divisions because
of rounding. Unemployment rates and employment-population ratios are
computed from unrounded levels and, thus, may differ slightly from rates
and ratios computed using the rounded level estimates displayed in table 1.
Use of error measures. Changes in unemployment rates and employment-population
ratios are cited in the analysis of this release only if they have been determined
to be statistically significant. Furthermore, unemployment rates and
employment-population ratios for the latest year generally are cited only
if they have been determined to be significantly different from the corresponding
U.S. measure. The underlying model-based error measures are available online at
www.bls.gov/lau/lastderr.htm. BLS uses 90-percent confidence levels in determining
whether changes in LAUS unemployment rates and employment-population ratios are
statistically significant. The average magnitude of the over-the-year change in
an annual state unemployment rate that is required in order to be statistically
significant at the 90-percent confidence level is about 0.4 percentage point. The
average magnitude of the over-the-year change in an annual state employment-
population ratio that is required in order to be statistically significant
at the 90-percent confidence level is about 0.6 percentage point. Measures
of nonsampling error are not available.
Additional information
Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired
individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay
Service: (800) 877-8339.
Table 1. Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years of age and over by region, division, and state,
2016-17 annual averages
(Numbers in thousands)
Population Civilian labor Employed Unemployed Unemployment
force rate Error range of
Region, division, and state rate, 2017 (1)
2016 2017 2016 2017 2016 2017 2016 2017 2016 2017
United States............. 253,538 255,079 159,187 160,320 151,436 153,337 7,751 6,982 4.9 4.4 4.3 - 4.4
Northeast...................... 45,246 45,414 28,505 28,573 27,138 27,289 1,367 1,284 4.8 4.5 4.3 - 4.7
New England................. 11,984 12,053 7,853 7,922 7,527 7,618 326 303 4.1 3.8 3.6 - 4.1
Connecticut.............. 2,883 2,890 1,905 1,919 1,807 1,829 98 90 5.1 4.7 4.1 - 5.3
Maine.................... 1,094 1,101 692 700 666 677 26 23 3.8 3.3 2.8 - 3.8
Massachusetts............ 5,543 5,584 3,611 3,657 3,471 3,521 140 136 3.9 3.7 3.3 - 4.1
New Hampshire............ 1,091 1,100 746 747 725 727 21 20 2.9 2.7 2.3 - 3.0
Rhode Island............. 859 862 554 555 525 530 29 25 5.2 4.5 3.8 - 5.1
Vermont.................. 514 516 345 345 333 334 11 10 3.2 3.0 2.6 - 3.4
Middle Atlantic............. 33,262 33,362 20,652 20,651 19,611 19,671 1,041 980 5.0 4.7 4.5 - 5.0
New Jersey............... 7,123 7,159 4,531 4,519 4,306 4,310 225 209 5.0 4.6 4.2 - 5.1
New York................. 15,904 15,941 9,669 9,705 9,200 9,249 468 455 4.8 4.7 4.4 - 5.0
Pennsylvania............. 10,235 10,261 6,453 6,427 6,105 6,112 348 316 5.4 4.9 4.5 - 5.3
Midwest........................ 53,240 53,492 34,760 34,777 33,142 33,337 1,617 1,440 4.7 4.1 4.0 - 4.3
East North Central.......... 36,823 36,967 23,587 23,629 22,406 22,571 1,182 1,058 5.0 4.5 4.3 - 4.7
Illinois................. 10,060 10,060 6,550 6,493 6,170 6,171 380 322 5.8 5.0 4.6 - 5.3
Indiana.................. 5,147 5,181 3,327 3,320 3,180 3,203 147 117 4.4 3.5 3.1 - 4.0
Michigan................. 7,903 7,944 4,840 4,884 4,599 4,657 241 227 5.0 4.6 4.2 - 5.1
Ohio..................... 9,147 9,190 5,739 5,780 5,451 5,491 288 289 5.0 5.0 4.6 - 5.4
Wisconsin................ 4,566 4,592 3,131 3,152 3,005 3,048 125 104 4.0 3.3 2.9 - 3.7
West North Central.......... 16,417 16,525 11,172 11,148 10,736 10,766 436 382 3.9 3.4 3.2 - 3.6
Iowa..................... 2,441 2,455 1,696 1,679 1,635 1,626 61 53 3.6 3.1 2.7 - 3.6
Kansas................... 2,211 2,219 1,485 1,479 1,425 1,425 60 54 4.0 3.6 3.2 - 4.1
Minnesota................ 4,321 4,365 3,036 3,064 2,919 2,958 117 106 3.9 3.5 3.0 - 3.9
Missouri................. 4,756 4,781 3,080 3,051 2,939 2,936 140 115 4.6 3.8 3.3 - 4.2
Nebraska................. 1,454 1,466 1,009 1,007 978 977 31 30 3.1 2.9 2.6 - 3.3
North Dakota............. 581 580 414 414 402 404 13 11 3.1 2.6 2.3 - 2.9
South Dakota............. 653 659 452 455 438 440 14 15 3.0 3.3 2.8 - 3.8
South.......................... 94,960 96,155 58,207 59,139 55,364 56,581 2,843 2,558 4.9 4.3 4.2 - 4.4
South Atlantic.............. 50,409 51,104 30,993 31,600 29,487 30,236 1,505 1,364 4.9 4.3 4.1 - 4.5
Delaware................. 757 766 474 477 452 455 21 22 4.5 4.6 4.0 - 5.2
District of Columbia..... 563 570 395 401 371 377 24 24 6.1 6.1 5.5 - 6.6
Florida.................. 16,646 16,951 9,846 10,100 9,373 9,681 473 419 4.8 4.2 3.9 - 4.5
Georgia.................. 7,893 8,007 4,927 5,061 4,663 4,822 264 240 5.4 4.7 4.3 - 5.2
Maryland................. 4,735 4,764 3,179 3,219 3,038 3,086 141 133 4.4 4.1 3.7 - 4.6
North Carolina........... 7,910 8,030 4,855 4,942 4,608 4,717 247 225 5.1 4.6 4.1 - 5.0
South Carolina........... 3,886 3,948 2,294 2,313 2,180 2,214 114 99 5.0 4.3 3.8 - 4.8
Virginia................. 6,548 6,606 4,243 4,308 4,069 4,146 174 162 4.1 3.8 3.4 - 4.2
West Virginia............ 1,471 1,462 782 779 734 738 48 41 6.1 5.2 4.7 - 5.8
East South Central.......... 14,767 14,873 8,599 8,700 8,146 8,320 453 379 5.3 4.4 4.1 - 4.6
Alabama.................. 3,812 3,830 2,173 2,168 2,046 2,073 128 95 5.9 4.4 3.9 - 4.9
Kentucky................. 3,457 3,476 2,012 2,052 1,909 1,952 103 100 5.1 4.9 4.3 - 5.5
Mississippi.............. 2,283 2,289 1,279 1,280 1,204 1,215 74 65 5.8 5.1 4.5 - 5.6
Tennessee................ 5,215 5,278 3,135 3,199 2,987 3,080 148 119 4.7 3.7 3.3 - 4.1
West South Central.......... 29,783 30,179 18,615 18,839 17,730 18,025 885 815 4.8 4.3 4.1 - 4.5
Arkansas................. 2,310 2,325 1,343 1,354 1,290 1,304 53 50 3.9 3.7 3.2 - 4.1
Louisiana................ 3,590 3,595 2,126 2,112 1,997 2,004 129 108 6.0 5.1 4.6 - 5.6
Oklahoma................. 2,985 2,997 1,829 1,834 1,741 1,756 88 79 4.8 4.3 3.8 - 4.8
Texas.................... 20,898 21,261 13,317 13,538 12,702 12,961 615 578 4.6 4.3 4.0 - 4.5
West........................... 59,674 60,443 37,450 38,100 35,539 36,387 1,911 1,712 5.1 4.5 4.3 - 4.6
Mountain.................... 18,320 18,653 11,625 11,911 11,093 11,423 531 487 4.6 4.1 3.9 - 4.3
Arizona.................. 5,357 5,462 3,226 3,313 3,053 3,151 173 161 5.4 4.9 4.4 - 5.4
Colorado................. 4,315 4,392 2,893 2,992 2,799 2,907 94 85 3.3 2.8 2.4 - 3.2
Idaho.................... 1,271 1,302 813 833 782 807 31 26 3.8 3.2 2.8 - 3.6
Montana.................. 821 832 522 525 500 504 22 21 4.1 4.0 3.6 - 4.5
Nevada................... 2,298 2,349 1,430 1,463 1,348 1,389 82 74 5.7 5.0 4.4 - 5.6
New Mexico............... 1,612 1,620 929 930 867 872 62 57 6.7 6.2 5.6 - 6.7
Utah..................... 2,195 2,248 1,511 1,561 1,459 1,510 52 51 3.4 3.2 2.9 - 3.6
Wyoming.................. 451 448 301 293 285 281 16 12 5.3 4.2 3.7 - 4.7
Pacific..................... 41,354 41,790 25,826 26,189 24,446 24,964 1,379 1,225 5.3 4.7 4.5 - 4.9
Alaska................... 546 547 363 363 338 337 25 26 6.9 7.2 6.5 - 7.9
California............... 30,720 30,990 19,094 19,312 18,049 18,393 1,045 919 5.5 4.8 4.5 - 5.0
Hawaii................... 1,094 1,096 684 685 664 669 20 16 2.9 2.4 2.0 - 2.7
Oregon................... 3,274 3,329 2,049 2,104 1,951 2,017 98 87 4.8 4.1 3.6 - 4.6
Washington............... 5,719 5,829 3,635 3,725 3,444 3,547 191 177 5.3 4.8 4.3 - 5.2
Puerto Rico.................... 2,786 2,751 1,118 1,103 986 983 132 119 11.8 10.8 NA
1 Error ranges are shown at the 90-percent confidence level and are based on unrounded data.
NA = Data not available.
NOTE: Data refer to place of residence. Unemployment rates are in percent and are based on unrounded levels. Data for subnational
areas reflect revised population controls and model re-estimation. As a result, they do not sum to U.S. totals. Data for Puerto Rico
are derived from a monthly household survey similar to the Current Population Survey.
Table 2. Employment-population ratios of persons 16 years of age and over by region, division,
and state, 2016-17 annual averages
(Percent)
Employment-population
ratio (1) Over-the- Error range of
Region, division, and state year ratio,
change 2017 (2)
2016 2017
United States............. 59.7 60.1 0.4 59.9 - 60.3
Northeast...................... 60.0 60.1 .1 59.7 - 60.5
New England................. 62.8 63.2 .4 62.6 - 63.8
Connecticut.............. 62.7 63.3 .6 62.0 - 64.5
Maine.................... 60.9 61.5 .6 60.1 - 62.9
Massachusetts............ 62.6 63.1 .5 62.2 - 63.9
New Hampshire............ 66.5 66.1 -.4 65.0 - 67.1
Rhode Island............. 61.1 61.5 .4 60.2 - 62.7
Vermont.................. 64.8 64.9 .1 63.7 - 66.0
Middle Atlantic............. 59.0 59.0 .0 58.5 - 59.5
New Jersey............... 60.4 60.2 -.2 59.3 - 61.1
New York................. 57.8 58.0 .2 57.3 - 58.7
Pennsylvania............. 59.7 59.6 -.1 58.8 - 60.3
Midwest........................ 62.3 62.3 .0 61.9 - 62.7
East North Central.......... 60.8 61.1 .3 60.6 - 61.5
Illinois................. 61.3 61.3 .0 60.5 - 62.2
Indiana.................. 61.8 61.8 .0 60.8 - 62.9
Michigan................. 58.2 58.6 .4 57.7 - 59.5
Ohio..................... 59.6 59.8 .2 58.9 - 60.6
Wisconsin................ 65.8 66.4 .6 65.3 - 67.4
West North Central.......... 65.4 65.2 -.2 64.5 - 65.8
Iowa..................... 67.0 66.2 -.8 65.0 - 67.5
Kansas................... 64.5 64.2 -.3 63.1 - 65.4
Minnesota................ 67.6 67.8 .2 66.6 - 68.9
Missouri................. 61.8 61.4 -.4 60.3 - 62.5
Nebraska................. 67.2 66.7 -.5 65.6 - 67.7
North Dakota............. 69.1 69.6 .5 68.2 - 71.0
South Dakota............. 67.1 66.7 -.4 65.4 - 68.0
South.......................... 58.3 58.8 .5 58.6 - 59.1
South Atlantic.............. 58.5 59.2 .7 58.8 - 59.6
Delaware................. 59.8 59.4 -.4 58.2 - 60.7
District of Columbia..... 65.8 66.1 .3 65.0 - 67.3
Florida.................. 56.3 57.1 .8 56.5 - 57.7
Georgia.................. 59.1 60.2 1.1 59.3 - 61.1
Maryland................. 64.2 64.8 .6 63.7 - 65.8
North Carolina........... 58.3 58.7 .4 57.9 - 59.5
South Carolina........... 56.1 56.1 .0 55.2 - 57.0
Virginia................. 62.1 62.8 .7 61.8 - 63.7
West Virginia............ 49.9 50.5 .6 48.9 - 52.1
East South Central.......... 55.2 55.9 .7 55.3 - 56.6
Alabama.................. 53.7 54.1 .4 53.1 - 55.1
Kentucky................. 55.2 56.2 1.0 55.0 - 57.3
Mississippi.............. 52.8 53.1 .3 51.9 - 54.3
Tennessee................ 57.3 58.4 1.1 57.3 - 59.4
West South Central.......... 59.5 59.7 .2 59.2 - 60.2
Arkansas................. 55.8 56.1 .3 55.1 - 57.1
Louisiana................ 55.6 55.7 .1 54.7 - 56.8
Oklahoma................. 58.3 58.6 .3 57.3 - 59.8
Texas.................... 60.8 61.0 .2 60.4 - 61.5
West........................... 59.6 60.2 .6 59.9 - 60.5
Mountain.................... 60.6 61.2 .6 60.7 - 61.8
Arizona.................. 57.0 57.7 .7 56.6 - 58.8
Colorado................. 64.9 66.2 1.3 65.0 - 67.4
Idaho.................... 61.6 62.0 .4 60.9 - 63.1
Montana.................. 60.9 60.6 -.3 59.6 - 61.7
Nevada................... 58.7 59.1 .4 58.2 - 60.1
New Mexico............... 53.7 53.9 .2 52.7 - 55.0
Utah..................... 66.5 67.2 .7 66.2 - 68.2
Wyoming.................. 63.2 62.7 -.5 61.4 - 64.1
Pacific..................... 59.1 59.7 .6 59.3 - 60.2
Alaska................... 61.8 61.6 -.2 60.2 - 63.1
California............... 58.8 59.4 .6 58.9 - 59.8
Hawaii................... 60.7 61.1 .4 60.0 - 62.2
Oregon................... 59.6 60.6 1.0 59.4 - 61.8
Washington............... 60.2 60.9 .7 59.9 - 61.8
Puerto Rico.................... 35.4 35.7 .3 NA
1 Employment as a percent of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years of age
and over.
2 Error ranges are shown at the 90-percent confidence level and are based on unrounded
data.
NA = Data not available.
NOTE: Data refer to place of residence. Employment-population ratios are based on
unrounded levels. Data for subnational areas reflect revised population controls and model
re-estimation. Data for Puerto Rico are derived from a monthly household survey similar to
the Current Population Survey.
United States Department of Labor
