According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Nevada had the highest unemployment rate across all states last year at 5.4%. That was against a national average of 3.6%. (Click here to see the cities expected to add the most jobs by 2060.)
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Nevada’s number is truly an outlier. The next state on the list in terms of high unemployment is Illinois at 4.6%.

The reason for the high Nevada number is probably the gaming industry. Las Vegas has tended to have a high jobless rate, and the city has the majority of the state’s population.

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There is probably no state beyond Nevada where a single industry dominates employment. During periods of strong tourism, the Nevada rate tends to be low.

The states with the lowest unemployment rates are North Dakota and South Dakota, both at 2.1%. The jobless rate in the Mountain States tends to be lower than the rest of the country.

• Alabama (2.6)
• California (4.2)
• Colorado (3.0)
• Delaware (4.5)
• District of Columbia (4.7)
• Florida (2.9)
• Georgia (3.0)
• Idaho (2.7)
• Illinois (4.6)
• Indiana (3.0)
• Iowa (2.7)
• Kansas (2.7)
• Maine (3.0)
• Michigan (4.2)
• Minnesota (2.7)
• Missouri (2.5)
• Montana (2.6)
• Nebraska (2.3)
• Nevada (5.4)
• New Hampshire (2.5)
• New York (4.3)
• North Dakota (2.1)
• Oklahoma (3.0)
• Pennsylvania (4.4)
• South Dakota (2.1)
• Utah (2.3)
• Vermont (2.6)
• Virginia (2.9)
• Washington (4.2)
• Wisconsin (2.9)

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