April’s jobs report showed an uptick in growth. The economy gained 253,000 nonfarm payroll jobs, up from 165,000 the previous month. In April, there were notable gains in sectors including professional and business services, health care, leisure and hospitality, and social assistance.
Now, the U.S. unemployment rate sits at 3.4%. We have come a long way from the nearly historic high of 14.7% in April 2020, due to a combination of vaccinations and the country fully reopening. However, inflation and the potential of a recession threaten to push the unemployment rate higher again if Federal Reserve rate increases are not able to stave them off.
In order to take stock of how unemployment rates are changing throughout the U.S., WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on six key metrics that compare unemployment rate statistics from the latest month for which data is available (April 2023) to key dates in 2023, 2022, 2020 and 2019.
Main Findings
Unemployment Rate Changes by State
| Overall Rank | State | Unemployment Rate (April 2023) | Change in Unemployment (April 2023 vs March 2023) | Change in Unemployment (April 2023 vs April 2022) | Change in Unemployment (April 2023 vs April 2020) | Change in Unemployment (April 2023 vs April 2019) | Not Seasonally Adjusted Continued Claims (April 2023 vs March 2023) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nebraska | 2.0% | -6.2% | -0.8% | -75.0% | -34.1% | -36.8% |
| 2 | New Hampshire | 2.1% | -13.6% | -1.0% | -86.4% | -17.2% | -15.6% |
| 3 | South Dakota | 1.9% | -2.2% | -1.3% | -77.9% | -31.3% | -37.6% |
| 4 | Wisconsin | 2.4% | -4.8% | -15.4% | -83.2% | -25.1% | -26.0% |
| 5 | Montana | 2.3% | -1.6% | -11.0% | -79.8% | -30.6% | -33.2% |
| 6 | Maryland | 2.5% | -8.7% | -19.9% | -72.8% | -30.3% | -11.3% |
| 7 | Alabama | 2.2% | -2.9% | -10.8% | -83.0% | -31.0% | -5.8% |
| 8 | Maine | 2.4% | -7.1% | -10.2% | -73.0% | -14.9% | -13.3% |
| 9 | North Dakota | 2.1% | 0.1% | 2.7% | -75.7% | -5.6% | -37.7% |
| 10 | Vermont | 2.4% | -9.8% | 10.0% | -83.2% | 16.6% | -22.5% |
| 11 | Florida | 2.6% | -0.9% | -11.4% | -77.5% | -17.5% | 2.9% |
| 12 | Arkansas | 2.8% | -4.6% | -9.6% | -71.6% | -15.9% | -12.4% |
| 13 | Utah | 2.3% | -0.9% | 7.8% | -74.6% | -1.7% | -15.9% |
| 14 | Iowa | 2.7% | -3.2% | 16.7% | -74.6% | 4.4% | -59.0% |
| 15 | Idaho | 2.6% | -0.7% | 3.4% | -76.4% | -2.6% | -28.6% |
| 16 | Missouri | 2.5% | 0.6% | 12.8% | -76.7% | -18.5% | -19.2% |
| 17 | West Virginia | 3.3% | -3.3% | -9.9% | -78.3% | -31.3% | -21.8% |
| 18 | Rhode Island | 3.0% | -2.9% | 0.2% | -82.9% | -15.3% | -11.5% |
| 19 | Massachusetts | 3.3% | -7.9% | -12.5% | -79.2% | 2.8% | -16.0% |
| 20 | Colorado | 2.8% | -1.9% | -9.4% | -73.4% | 9.4% | -5.6% |
| 21 | Mississippi | 3.4% | -4.7% | -10.5% | -77.7% | -38.9% | 5.9% |
| 22 | Oklahoma | 2.9% | -4.3% | 1.6% | -75.9% | -3.1% | 0.2% |
| 23 | Indiana | 3.0% | -1.3% | 9.4% | -80.8% | -5.9% | -19.1% |
| 24 | Minnesota | 2.8% | 0.1% | 21.6% | -67.3% | -11.4% | -16.7% |
| 25 | Tennessee | 3.3% | -3.2% | -0.8% | -78.2% | -1.0% | -7.2% |
| 26 | New Mexico | 3.5% | -0.8% | -18.5% | -58.9% | -29.3% | -5.0% |
| 27 | Michigan | 3.8% | -6.7% | -3.3% | -81.9% | -9.0% | -23.8% |
| 28 | Kansas | 2.9% | 1.2% | 23.2% | -76.1% | -9.1% | -16.8% |
| 29 | Arizona | 3.4% | -2.9% | -2.8% | -73.1% | -23.9% | 11.3% |
| 30 | Ohio | 3.7% | -3.3% | -5.4% | -76.8% | -9.2% | -20.8% |
| 31 | Kentucky | 3.7% | -1.0% | -2.9% | -77.8% | -10.7% | -31.7% |
| 32 | Alaska | 3.7% | -1.1% | -10.0% | -67.2% | -34.2% | -9.7% |
| 33 | South Carolina | 3.1% | -1.0% | 0.5% | -72.1% | 6.5% | 2.3% |
| 34 | Georgia | 3.1% | 0.3% | 7.3% | -73.1% | -11.3% | 5.9% |
| 35 | Hawaii | 3.3% | -4.3% | 0.8% | -84.6% | 24.7% | 2.9% |
| 36 | North Carolina | 3.4% | -2.3% | 3.8% | -72.8% | -5.8% | 0.2% |
| 37 | New Jersey | 3.5% | -0.3% | -7.1% | -74.6% | 14.7% | -5.3% |
| 38 | Louisiana | 3.6% | -0.2% | -0.3% | -71.8% | -17.9% | 1.3% |
| 39 | Virginia | 3.1% | -2.4% | 19.9% | -72.9% | 12.8% | 0.4% |
| 40 | Connecticut | 3.8% | -3.9% | -11.7% | -52.0% | 6.8% | -13.2% |
| 41 | Pennsylvania | 4.1% | -3.0% | -4.6% | -74.0% | -4.7% | -18.8% |
| 42 | Illinois | 4.2% | -3.1% | -5.0% | -75.6% | 0.5% | -16.5% |
| 43 | New York | 4.0% | -1.7% | -6.0% | -73.1% | 4.1% | -3.2% |
| 44 | Oregon | 4.0% | -9.1% | 12.5% | -69.0% | 8.1% | -2.1% |
| 45 | Wyoming | 3.5% | -3.1% | 13.0% | -30.1% | 5.8% | -20.5% |
| 46 | Washington | 4.3% | -3.2% | 13.0% | -74.0% | 0.6% | -3.2% |
| 47 | Delaware | 4.3% | -2.7% | -0.4% | -65.1% | 25.7% | 1.0% |
| 48 | Texas | 4.0% | 1.0% | 8.3% | -64.4% | 26.0% | 5.3% |
| 49 | California | 4.5% | 0.9% | 9.6% | -71.3% | 9.4% | 5.8% |
| 50 | District of Columbia | 5.0% | 2.9% | 2.3% | -55.7% | -14.6% | 6.6% |
| 51 | Nevada | 5.4% | -1.1% | 6.2% | -81.0% | 35.8% | -0.7% |
- Biggest Decrease
- 1. New Hampshire
- 2. Vermont
- 3. Oregon
- 4. Maryland
- 5. Massachusetts
- Smallest Decrease
- 47. Missouri
- 48. California
- 49. Texas
- 50. Kansas
- 51. District of Columbia
- Biggest Decrease
- 1. Maryland
- 2. New Mexico
- 3. Wisconsin
- 4. Massachusetts
- 5. Connecticut
- Smallest Decrease
- 47. Wyoming
- 48. Iowa
- 49. Virginia
- 50. Minnesota
- 51. Kansas
- Biggest Decrease
- 1. New Hampshire
- 2. Hawaii
- 3. Vermont
- 4. Wisconsin
- 5. Alabama
- Smallest Decrease
- 47. Texas
- 48. New Mexico
- 49. District of Columbia
- 50. Connecticut
- 51. Wyoming
- Biggest Decrease
- 1. Mississippi
- 2. Alaska
- 3. Nebraska
- 4. South Dakota
- 5. West Virginia
- Smallest Decrease
- 47. Vermont
- 48. Hawaii
- 49. Delaware
- 50. Texas
- 51. Nevada
- Lowest Rate
- 1. South Dakota
- 2. Nebraska
- T-3. New Hampshire
- T-3. North Dakota
- 5. Alabama
- Highest Rate
- T-47. Delaware
- T-47. Washington
- 49. California
- 50. District of Columbia
- 51. Nevada
Ask the Experts
In order to provide further insight on U.S. unemployment, WalletHub turned to a panel of experts. Click on the pictures of experts below to read their bios and responses to the following key questions:
- What are the best ways for state and local authorities to ensure a cost effective rebound from the economic aftermath of the pandemic?
- What are the most resilient industries and fields during the current crisis?
- What job skills do you think will be the most sought after in the current job market?
- What’s in store for the job market in 2023?
Ask the Experts
Associate Professor, Carlson School of Management – University of Minnesota
Read More
Associate Professor of Economics, School of Liberal Arts – Tulane University
Read More
Ph.D. – Professor of History – Western Illinois University
Read More
Associate Professor, Department of Economics – University of St. Thomas
Read More
Adjunct Professor of Economics, Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business – Clemson University
Read More
Assistant Professor of Economics – Occidental College
Read More
Methodology
In order to examine changes in unemployment rates throughout the U.S., WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across two categories. In the first category, we compared the change in unemployment for the latest month for which we had data (April 2023) to March 2023, April 2022, April 2020 and April 2019, in order to show the impact since the beginning of the pandemic and the recent changes in the job market amid high inflation. We also compared not seasonally adjusted continued claims in April 2023 to March 2023. In the second category, we looked at the state’s overall unemployment rate. We then used the average of those categories to rank-order the states.
Change in Unemployment - Total Points: 50
- Change in Unemployment in April 2023 vs. March 2023: Full Weight (~10.00 Points)
- Change in Unemployment in April 2023 vs. April 2022: Full Weight (~10.00 Points)
- Change in Unemployment in April 2023 vs. April 2020: Full Weight (~10.00 Points)
- Change in Unemployment in April 2023 vs. April 2019: Full Weight (~10.00 Points)
- Not Seasonally Adjusted Continued Claims in April 2023 vs. March 2023: Full Weight (~10.00 Points)
Unemployment Rate - Total Points: 50
- Unemployment Rate (April 2023): Full Weight (~50.00 Points)
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were obtained from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Department of Labor.
