State Unemployment: Georgia Leads Way With Unemployment Rate of 7.9%

The list of the states with the highest unemployment states has changed dramatically over the past year or two.

After the economic meltdown and subsequent deflation of the US economy, states such as Nevada and California led the nation when it came to state jobless rates. As the US economy continues to lurch forward, however, Nevada and California have both dropped out of the list of the five states with the highest unemployment rates.

As of September 2014, here are the states with the highest and lowest unemployment rates:

Puerto Rico with a rate of 14.1%
Georgia with a rate of 7.9%
District of Columbia with a rate of 7.7%
Mississippi with a rate of 7.7%
Rhode Island with a rate of 7.6%

North Dakota with a rate of 2.8%
South Dakota with a rate of 3.4%
Utah with a rate of 3.5%
Nebraska with a rate of 3.6%
Minnesota with a rate of 4.1%

*note: The BLS includes Puerto Rico in their data

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California, which started the year with an unemployment rate of 8.1%, has since seen their jobless rate drop to 7.3%.

Nevada, which started the year with an unemployment rate of 8.7%, has since seen their jobless rate drop to 7.3% as well. In the fall of 2010, Nevada saw their jobless rate spike to nearly 14%. Many high-profile construction projects were scrapped or put on hold and the real estate market, which had been so hot just a few years prior, was essentially obliterated.

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North Dakota continues to lead the nation with a microscopic unemployment rate of 2.8%. The state still needs workers to fill all of the surplus jobs that are available, which has led North Dakota to unveil a "Find the Good Life in North Dakota" advertising campaign in order to lure new people to their state.

Source: State Unemployment Rates

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