Nevada Posted Highest Unemployment Rate in May

According to the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics), 24 states posted unemployment rate decreases last month (May 2011). 13 states (and the District of Columbia) posted increases, while 13 states had no rate change.

43 states (and the District of Columbia) have lower unemployment rates compared to this time last year. Four states have posted increases, while the remaining three states are unchanged.

The five states and territories (Puerto Rico is included by the BLS) that posted the highest unemployment rates in May were:

Puerto Rico with a rate of 16.0%
Nevada with a rate of 12.1%
California with a rate of 11.7%
Rhode Island with a rate of 10.9%
Florida with a rate of 10.6%

The five states that posted the lowest unemployment rates in May were:

North Dakota with a rate of 3.2%
Nebraska with a rate of 4.1%
South Dakota with a rate of 4.8%
New Hampshire with a rate of 4.8%
Oklahoma with a rate of 5.3%

Nevada has seen their unemployment rate drop considerably over the past couple of months. In January, Nevada posted an unemployment rate of 14.2%, which was easily the highest number in the nation. Since January, Nevada's unemployment rate has dropped over 2%, which is a bit of welcome news for a state that has been absolutely hammered over the past 4-5 years.

It's also worth noting that Michigan, which possessed the nation's highest unemployment rate for a long period of time after the "Great Recession" first hit, has dropped out of the list of the top five states with the highest unemployment rates. Michigan, which started 2010 with an unemployment rate of well over 14.0%, posted a rate of 10.3% last month.

Source: Historical State Unemployment Rates

Filed under: General Knowledge