US States with Highest Unemployment Rates
Jobless Claims Soar in Michigan, Nevada, Oregon and Alabama
Sep 13, 2009
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, America’s seasonally adjusted national unemployment rate was 9.4% in July 2009. That amount is up 3.6% from July 2008.
Economists point to a nation’s unemployment rate as a key indicator of a country’s stability and therefore desirability for foreign investment.
But there was some potentially good news. The 9.4% jobless rate in July represents about the same unemployment percentage during the prior month; some analysts argue that a steady – albeit high – unemployment rate suggests that a tortuous recession has bottomed out.
Surge in Job Hunters by State
Led by automotive-industry-dependent Michigan with its 15% unemployment percentage, 15 states plus the District of Colombia had double-digit jobless rates during July 2009.
California, Nevada, Rhode Island and South Carolina all experienced record unemployment rates during the month.
US States with Highest Jobless Rates
The list below shows states with the highest unemployment rates as of July 2009. New York State, an international finance and trade center, is well down on the list of states with high unemployment rates. While early, this may suggest the start of a “green shoots” recovery in certain U.S. financial and real estate sectors.
- Michigan … 15% unemployment rate (up 6.7% from July 2008)
- Rhode Island … 12.7% (up 4.8%)
- Nevada … 12.5% (up 5.8%)
- California … 11.9% (up 4.6%)
- Oregon … 11.9% (up 5.6%)
- South Carolina … 11.8% (up 4.9%)
- Ohio … 11.2% (up 4.5%)
- North Carolina … 11% (up 4.7%)
- Kentucky … 11% (up 4.5%)
- Florida … 10.7% (up 4.4%)
- Tennessee … 10.7% (up 4.1%)
- Indiana … 10.6% (up 4.6%)
- District of Columbia … 10.6% (up 3.6%)
- Illinois … 10.4% (up 3.7%)
- Georgia … 10.3% (up 4.1%)
- Alabama … 10.2% (up 5.1%)
- Mississippi … 9.7% (up 2.4%)
- New Jersey … 9.3% (up 3.8%)
- Missouri … 9.3% (up 3.2%)
- Arizona … 9.2% (up 3.5%)
- Washington … 9.1% (up 3.8%)
- Wisconsin … 9% (up 4.4%)
- West Virginia … 9% (up 4.8%)
- Massachusetts … 8.8% (up 3.6%)
- Idaho … 8.8% (up 3.8%)
- New York … 8.6% (up 3.2%).
Michigan experienced the biggest leap in unemployment rate percentage, up 6.7% from July 2008. In second place was Nevada with its 5.6% increase in joblessness as vacationers cut back on entertainment and gambling trips to Las Vegas. Oregon and Alabama also experienced hefty unemployment spikes of 5.6% and 5.1% respectively.
US States with Highest Number of Unemployed People
In raw numbers, the United States of America had 14,837,100 people out of work during July 2009. That number represents more than one half million more job hunters than in July 2008.
- California ... 2,187,000 unemployed people (14.7%o of US total)
- Florida ... 987,300 (6.7%)
- Texas … 949,100 (6.4%)
- New York … 835,900 (5.6%)
- Michigan … 730,600 (4.9%)
- Illinois … 692,500 (4.7%)
- Ohio … 664,500 (4.5%)
- Pennsylvania … 540,100 (3.6%)
- North Carolina … 496,900 (3.3%)
- Georgia … 493,700 (3.3%)
- New Jersey … 422,200 (2.8%)
- Indiana … 334,400 (2.3%)
- Tennessee … 324,200 (2.2%)
- Washington … 323,500 (2.2%)
- Massachusetts … 303,300 (2%)
- Arizona … 290,900 (2%)
- Virginia … 285,900 (1.9%)
- Missouri … 278,700 (1.9%)
- Wisconsin … 276,400 (1.9%)
- South Carolina … 258,500 (1.7%)
- Minnesota … 240,400 (1.6%)
- Oregon … 236,000 (1.6%)
- Kentucky … 227,400 (1.5%)
- Maryland … 215,500 (1.5%)
- Alabama … 215,400 (1.5%)
- Colorado … 209,300 (1.4%).
The following states had the greatest increases in the number of jobless citizens: California (35,800 more), North Carolina (26,400 more), Florida (25,200 more) and Mississippi (6,300 more).
The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics will issue the latest state unemployment figures on September 18 for the month of August 2009. Those seasonally adjusted statistics are particularly critical for the 15 states plus the District of Colombia with double-digit jobless percentages.
Should unemployment rates go up further in these hardest-hit states, this would be a troubling red flag indicating that President Obama’s stimulus package remains unsuccessful in American jurisdictions that need the most help.
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