state employment trends: december 2011

State Employment Trends

January 2012National Association of REALTORS®Research DivisionCompilation of Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Data Highlights – Unemployment Rate

• The US unemployment rate ended 2011 at 8.5 percent, down from 8.7 percent in November and 9.4 percent at the end of 2010.

• The overwhelming majority of states saw the same improvements. Thirty-seven states and DC saw the unemployment rate improve in December; an additional 10 states saw no increase. From one month ago, Alabama and Michigan had the biggest improvements each seeing more than a 0.5 percent drop in the unemployment rate.

• Since December one year ago, 46 states have had an improvement in the unemployment rate. Nevada—now at 12.6 percent from 14.9 percent—had the largest improvement in this period followed by Florida and New Mexico, each with improvements of at least 2 percent.

• In November, North Dakota, Nebraska, and South Dakota had the lowest unemployment rates—all under 5 percent. At the same time, 4 states and the District of Columbia had double-digit unemployment rates, compared with 7 plus DC in October.

More Highlights—Payroll Jobs and Outlook

• 46 states and the District of Columbia had positive job growth in the last year, and 25 states and D.C. had positive job growth in December, a time when net growth was about 200,000 jobs for the nation. The average change among states was less than in previous months.

• The greatest job growth in December was in South Dakota, while Nevada had the largest job decline (both as a share of previous payrolls).

• While unemployment rates plummeted in December, part of the story was a slackening labor force. Going forward, increasing labor force participation may keep the unemployment rate high or even push it up slightly despite the creation of new jobs.

• The following slides show state-level detail of unemployment rates and payroll employment.

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, Alaska

SA, Thous

1110090807Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 01/24/12

332

328

324

320

316

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, Arizona

SA, Thous


2700

2625

2550

2475

2400

2325

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, Arkansas

SA, Thous


1220

1200

1180

1160

1140

All Employees: Total Nonfarm, California

SA, Thous

1110090807Source: BLS/CA Employment Development Department 01/24/12

15250

15000

14750

14500

14250

14000

13750

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, Colorado

SA, Thous


2400

2360

2320

2280

2240

2200

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, Connecticut

SA, Thous


1725

1700

1675

1650

1625

1600

1575

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, Delaware

SA, Thous


442.5

435.0

427.5

420.0

412.5

405.0

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, D.C.

SA, Thous


727.5

720.0

712.5

705.0

697.5

690.0

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, Florida

SA, Thous


8200

8000

7800

7600

7400

7200

7000

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, Georgia

SA, Thous


4200

4125

4050

3975

3900

3825

3750

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, Hawaii

SA, Thous


630

620

610

600

590

580

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, Idaho

SA, Thous


660

640

620

600

580

All Employees: Total Nonfarm, Illinois

SA, Thous

1110090807Source: BLS/IL Department of Employment Security 01/24/12

6000

5925

5850

5775

5700

5625

5550

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, Indiana

SA, Thous


3000

2950

2900

2850

2800

2750

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, Iowa

SA, Thous


1540

1520

1500

1480

1460

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, Kansas

SA, Thous


1400

1380

1360

1340

1320

1300

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, Kentucky

SA, Thous


1875

1850

1825

1800

1775

1750

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, Louisiana

SA, Thous


1960

1940

1920

1900

1880

1860

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, Maine

SA, Thous


622.5

615.0

607.5

600.0

592.5

585.0

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, Maryland

SA, Thous


2640

2600

2560

2520

2480

2440

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, Massachusetts

SA, Thous


3320

3280

3240

3200

3160

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, Michigan

SA, Thous


4300

4200

4100

4000

3900

3800

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, Minnesota

SA, Thous


2800

2760

2720

2680

2640

2600

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, Mississippi

SA, Thous


1180

1160

1140

1120

1100

1080

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, Missouri

SA, Thous


2840

2800

2760

2720

2680

2640

2600

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, Montana

SA, Thous


450

445

440

435

430

425

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, Nebraska

SA, Thous


967.5

960.0

952.5

945.0

937.5

930.0

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, Nevada

SA, Thous


1300

1250

1200

1150

1100

Units All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, New Hampshire

SA, Thous.


652.5

645.0

637.5

630.0

622.5

615.0

All Employees: Total Nonfarm, New Jersey

SA, Thous

1110090807Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics/NJ Dept of Labor 01/24/12

4100

4050

4000

3950

3900

3850

3800

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, New Mexico

SA, Thous


850

840

830

820

810

800

790

All Employees: Total Nonfarm, New York

SA, Thous

1110090807Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics/NY State Dept of Labor 01/24/12

8850

8775

8700

8625

8550

8475

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, North Carolina

SA, Thous


4200

4125

4050

3975

3900

3825

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, North Dakota

SA, Thous


410

400

390

380

370

360

350

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, Ohio

SA, Thous


5500

5400

5300

5200

5100

5000

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, Oklahoma

SA, Thous


1600

1580

1560

1540

1520

1500

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, Oregon

SA, Thous


1760

1720

1680

1640

1600

1560

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, Pennsylvania

SA, Thous


5850

5800

5750

5700

5650

5600

5550

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, Rhode Island

SA, Thous


500

490

480

470

460

450

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, South Carolina

SA, Thous


1960

1920

1880

1840

1800

1760

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, South Dakota

SA, Thous


412.5

410.0

407.5

405.0

402.5

400.0

397.5

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, Tennessee

SA, Thous


2850

2800

2750

2700

2650

2600

2550

All Employees: Total Nonfarm, Texas

SA ,Thous

1110090807Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics/TX Workforce Commission 01/24/12

10650

10575

10500

10425

10350

10275

10200

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, Utah

SA, Thous


1280

1260

1240

1220

1200

1180

1160

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, Vermont

SA, Thous


310.0

307.5

305.0

302.5

300.0

297.5

295.0

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, Virginia

SA, Thous


3800

3760

3720

3680

3640

3600

3560

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, Washington

SA, Thous


3000

2960

2920

2880

2840

2800

2760

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, West Virginia

SA, Thous


765

760

755

750

745

740

735

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, Wisconsin

SA, Thous


2920

2880

2840

2800

2760

2720

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, Wyoming

SA, Thous


305

300

295

290

285

280

275

All Employees: Total Nonagricultural, Alabama

SA, Thous


2040

2000

1960

1920

1880

1840

state employment trends: december 2011

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