Unemployment by state

[Brittain33]

The Boston Globe reported this morning that Rhode Island has the highest unemployment rate in the country, an alarming 8.8%. I went to the Census and found state numbers for those states that are significantly off of the national average of 6.1%.

Table A.  States with unemployment rates significantly differ-
ent from that of the U.S., September 2008, seasonally adjusted
--------------------------------------------------------------
                State                |          Rate(p)
--------------------------------------------------------------
United States (1) ...................|           6.1
                                     |             
Arkansas ............................|           4.9
California ..........................|           7.7
Colorado ............................|           5.2
Delaware ............................|           4.8
Hawaii ..............................|           4.5
Idaho ...............................|           5.0
Illinois ............................|           6.9
Iowa ................................|           4.2
Kansas ..............................|           4.8
Kentucky ............................|           7.1
                                     |             
Maryland ............................|           4.6
Massachusetts .......................|           5.3
Michigan ............................|           8.7
Mississippi .........................|           7.8
Montana .............................|           4.6
Nebraska ............................|           3.5
Nevada ..............................|           7.3
New Hampshire .......................|           4.1
New Mexico ..........................|           4.0
North Carolina ......................|           7.0
                                     |             
North Dakota ........................|           3.6
Ohio ................................|           7.2
Oklahoma ............................|           3.8
Rhode Island ........................|           8.8
South Carolina ......................|           7.3
South Dakota ........................|           3.2
Tennessee ...........................|           7.2
Texas ...............................|           5.1
Utah ................................|           3.5
Vermont .............................|           5.2
                                     |             
Virginia ............................|           4.3
West Virginia .......................|           4.5
Wisconsin ...........................|           5.0
Wyoming .............................|           3.3

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Official unemployment figures in the U.S are even more of a (not really very funny) joke than other places.

[Tender Branson]

Full report:

1    SOUTH DAKOTA     3.2
2    WYOMING    3.3
3    NEBRASKA    3.5
3    UTAH    3.5
5    NORTH DAKOTA    3.6
6    OKLAHOMA    3.8
7    NEW MEXICO    4.0
8    NEW HAMPSHIRE    4.1
9    IOWA    4.2
10    VIRGINIA    4.3
11    HAWAII    4.5
11    WEST VIRGINIA    4.5
13    MARYLAND    4.6
13    MONTANA    4.6
15    DELAWARE    4.8
15    KANSAS    4.8
17    ARKANSAS    4.9
18    IDAHO    5.0
18    WISCONSIN    5.0
20    TEXAS    5.1
21    COLORADO    5.2
21    LOUISIANA    5.2
21    VERMONT    5.2
24    ALABAMA    5.3
24    MASSACHUSETTS    5.3
26    MAINE    5.6
27    PENNSYLVANIA    5.7
28    NEW JERSEY    5.8
28    NEW YORK    5.8
28    WASHINGTON    5.8
31    ARIZONA    5.9
31    MINNESOTA    5.9
33    CONNECTICUT    6.1
34    INDIANA    6.2
35    MISSOURI    6.4
35    OREGON    6.4
37    GEORGIA    6.5
38    FLORIDA    6.6
39    ALASKA    6.8
40    ILLINOIS    6.9
41    DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA    7.0
41    NORTH CAROLINA    7.0
43    KENTUCKY    7.1
44    OHIO    7.2
44    TENNESSEE    7.2
46    NEVADA    7.3
46    SOUTH CAROLINA    7.3
48    CALIFORNIA    7.7
49    MISSISSIPPI    7.8
50    MICHIGAN    8.7
51    RHODE ISLAND    8.8

Map:



Counties (12-month-average):

[Filuwaúrdjan]

All this tells us is where the short term problems are (that's written wrong. ach) and even then it's totally useless in agricultural areas.

[opebo]

All this tells us is where the short term problems are (that's written wrong. ach) and even then it's totally useless in agricultural areas.

Why, because no one is employed there/lives there?

Seriously, of course this only reflects recent or short term unemployment, and not the massive permanent unemployment, underemployment, and 'employment' at below living wages and or without health care that is the real problem in america.

[phk]

All this tells us is where the short term problems are (that's written wrong. ach) and even then it's totally useless in agricultural areas.

Why, because no one is employed there/lives there?

Agricultural employment/unemployment is heavily sensitive to season.

[Хahar 🤔]

Ouch, California.  How could such a booming state, the epicenter of the .com explosion, be in such dire conditions?

A quick glance at a map can be decieving: look at the parts where all the people live.

[dead0man]

This makes sense.  I constantly see "Help Wanted" signs.

[Bacon King]

Question, Al, or anyone really. What do 'real' unemployment figures look like among the states?

[Хahar 🤔]

Ouch, California.  How could such a booming state, the epicenter of the .com explosion, be in such dire conditions?

A quick glance at a map can be decieving: look at the parts where all the people live.

Yeah, I enlarged it after I posted, that makes more sense.  On the other hand, the rest of the state should not be that far behind not only in California but the whole country.

It's all agricultural.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

Nice. Charleston County is holding it down!

[opebo]

Ouch, California.  How could such a booming state, the epicenter of the .com explosion, be in such dire conditions?

California is not a 'booming state' exactly, and nearly always has much higher unemployment than the national average.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Ouch, California.  How could such a booming state, the epicenter of the .com explosion, be in such dire conditions?

A quick glance at a map can be decieving: look at the parts where all the people live.

Yeah, I enlarged it after I posted, that makes more sense.  On the other hand, the rest of the state should not be that far behind not only in California but the whole country.

It's all agricultural.

See Iowa.

Very (very, very, very) different sort of agriculture though.

[A18]

Question, Al, or anyone really. What do 'real' unemployment figures look like among the states?

As in literal "unemployment" (i.e., non-employment)? Presumably those figures would be rather large; they would include, mind you, homemakers, retirees, and children.

But of course, non-employment is not, by any stretch of the imagination, an inherently bad thing.

[Sbane]

Ouch, California.  How could such a booming state, the epicenter of the .com explosion, be in such dire conditions?

In addition to the central valley, I would also direct your attention towards 3 counties, LA,San Bernardino and Riverside. Those areas of California aren't exactly booming and have been in decline since the early 90's really. The jobs there today are mostly related to trade and other blue collar jobs, and they don't really have a lot of tech jobs. Now look at Ventura,Orange,San Diego and the Bay area. That is where the tech jobs are.

[phk]

Ouch, California.  How could such a booming state, the epicenter of the .com explosion, be in such dire conditions?

In addition to the central valley, I would also direct your attention towards 3 counties, LA,San Bernardino and Riverside. Those areas of California aren't exactly booming and have been in decline since the early 90's really. The jobs there today are mostly related to trade and other blue collar jobs, and they don't really have a lot of tech jobs. Now look at Ventura,Orange,San Diego and the Bay area. That is where the tech jobs are.

Central Valley unemployment rate is sensitive to season.

[Sbane]

Ouch, California.  How could such a booming state, the epicenter of the .com explosion, be in such dire conditions?

In addition to the central valley, I would also direct your attention towards 3 counties, LA,San Bernardino and Riverside. Those areas of California aren't exactly booming and have been in decline since the early 90's really. The jobs there today are mostly related to trade and other blue collar jobs, and they don't really have a lot of tech jobs. Now look at Ventura,Orange,San Diego and the Bay area. That is where the tech jobs are.

Central Valley unemployment rate is sensitive to season.

Right but thats not the only reason for California's horrible unemployment. The IE is in pretty bad shape, not to mention places like Stockton and Manteca which are the bay area's exurbs.

[phk]

Ouch, California.  How could such a booming state, the epicenter of the .com explosion, be in such dire conditions?

In addition to the central valley, I would also direct your attention towards 3 counties, LA,San Bernardino and Riverside. Those areas of California aren't exactly booming and have been in decline since the early 90's really. The jobs there today are mostly related to trade and other blue collar jobs, and they don't really have a lot of tech jobs. Now look at Ventura,Orange,San Diego and the Bay area. That is where the tech jobs are.

Central Valley unemployment rate is sensitive to season.

Right but thats not the only reason for California's horrible unemployment. The IE is in pretty bad shape, not to mention places like Stockton and Manteca which are the bay area's exurbs.

The IE in particular was propped up by those sub-prime loans.

[Torie]

Ouch, California.  How could such a booming state, the epicenter of the .com explosion, be in such dire conditions?

In addition to the central valley, I would also direct your attention towards 3 counties, LA,San Bernardino and Riverside. Those areas of California aren't exactly booming and have been in decline since the early 90's really. The jobs there today are mostly related to trade and other blue collar jobs, and they don't really have a lot of tech jobs. Now look at Ventura,Orange,San Diego and the Bay area. That is where the tech jobs are.

LA has the entertainment industry, and housing prices, particularly close in one's, have held up quite well. The declines in my "empire" there have been fairly modest. Now the IE is an entirely different matter.

[muon2]

Can any of our western posters explain why eastern OR is having such problems compared to neighboring ID?

[jimrtex]

Can any of our western posters explain why eastern OR is having such problems compared to neighboring ID?

Owyhee County is in the county in SW Idaho.  It has 10,000 people which is extremely concentrated in its NW tip along the Oregon border, plus elsewhere along its northern border which is formed by the Snake River.  Boise is among the counties just to the north (Boise is among the most extremely towards the edge capitals in the USA).

Owyhee County had 27% growth in the 1990s so I suspect that it getting some outgrowth from Boise, probably more exurban, which shows up because of the small base population.   It appears primarily agricultural, but again that will be concentrated along the Snake River where you can get some irrigation.  There is also a reservoir in the eastern part of the county (on the Snake).  You might not have enough water for cattle in the rest of the county, perhaps sheep.  But you're north of Nevada.

I suspect that Boise (and Nampa), etc. help keep the unemployment in Owyhee County down.  45 people is 1% of the labor force.  If you don't have a job, you're going to figure out pretty quick that you are not going to have a job for a long time.  There may be a lot of Mormans as well (pretty high concentration of children).

Malheur County is the big county in SW Oregon.  The Snake river dips a few miles into Oregon and then forms the western border of Idaho clear up to Washington.  North of Malheur County is Hells Canyon (Grand Canyon of the Snake), but in the area where the river turns north is a continuation of the agricultural area around Boise-Nampa.  Malheur County has about 30,000 people, with most concentrated in the extreme NW corner with 10,000 in Ontario.  I would expect it to have a similar economy to Owyhee County, but Ontario appears large enough to support a small service/professional sector who may be a little less willing to take "a job".  And it is a bit further from Boise.  Most of Malheur County is on Mountain Time, to match Boise rather than Portland.

Further west in Oregon you are into ranching areas until you get to the Cascades where lumbering will be the base of the economy.

So on a large scale basis you are comparing metropolitan Boise to a ranching area.  And between Owyhee and Malheur counties, it may just be the ability to get a few more jobs in adjacent counties.

[Tender Branson]

October 2008 (released today):

1    SOUTH DAKOTA     3.3
1    WYOMING    3.3
3    NORTH DAKOTA    3.4
4    UTAH    3.5
5    NEBRASKA    3.6
6    NEW HAMPSHIRE    4.1
7    OKLAHOMA    4.3
8    IOWA    4.4
8    NEW MEXICO    4.4
8    VIRGINIA    4.4
11    HAWAII    4.5
12    WEST VIRGINIA    4.7
13    MONTANA    4.8
14    KANSAS    4.9
15    MARYLAND    5.0
16    WISCONSIN    5.1
17    VERMONT    5.2
18    IDAHO    5.3
19    ARKANSAS    5.4
19    DELAWARE    5.4
21    LOUISIANA    5.5
21    MASSACHUSETTS    5.5
23    ALABAMA    5.6
23    TEXAS    5.6
25    COLORADO    5.7
25    MAINE    5.7
25    NEW YORK    5.7
28    PENNSYLVANIA    5.8
29    MINNESOTA    6.0
29    NEW JERSEY    6.0
31    ARIZONA    6.1
32    WASHINGTON    6.3
33    INDIANA    6.4
34    CONNECTICUT    6.5
34    MISSOURI    6.5
36    KENTUCKY    6.8
37    FLORIDA    7.0
37    GEORGIA    7.0
37    NORTH CAROLINA    7.0
37    TENNESSEE    7.0
41    MISSISSIPPI    7.2
42    ILLINOIS    7.3
42    OHIO    7.3
42    OREGON    7.3
45    ALASKA    7.4
45    DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA    7.4
47    NEVADA    7.6
48    SOUTH CAROLINA    8.0
49    CALIFORNIA    8.2
50    MICHIGAN    9.3
50    RHODE ISLAND    9.3

http://www.bls.gov/web/laumstrk.htm

[Nhoj]

i wonder what happened to SC it seems unemployment there has soared is it the housing industry?

[dead0man]

I'm still driving past help wanted signs all the time.

[Franzl]

I'm still driving past help wanted signs all the time.

You live in Nebraska