The current national unemployment rate is 4.2%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in its “The Employment Situation — November 2021” report. It is hard to imagine that unemployment was three times that just a year and a half ago. The economy added 210,000 jobs in November after adding 546,000 jobs in October — six-figure job increases have been the rule and not the exception over the months since April 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic drove unemployment to a high not seen since World War II. In April 2020, the jobless rate reached 14.8%, according to the Congressional Research Service. That was up from 3.5% in February 2020. Two states, Nevada and California, currently have the highest unemployment rate. (This is the worst state to work in America.)
The jobless rate varies widely from state to state and city to city. To find the unemployment rate in each state, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the BLS’ “State Employment and Unemployment — October 2021” report, the most recently published. The civilian labor force as of October is also from the report.
The report points out that “Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 25 states and the District of Columbia and was essentially unchanged in 25 states in October 2021.” Industries in some areas recover faster than others. In several metro areas, the unemployment rate was above 8%, and in one it was over 18%.
In Nebraska, the jobless rate was 1.9% in October. That is the lowest of any state since 1976, when the BLS started to post state jobs data.
The highest unemployment rate was 7.3% in California and Nevada. California is the largest state by population, so it is hard to pin down one cause for its high figure. Because of the state’s diversity of large industries, it is also impossible to pinpoint what would cause a large recovery in jobs.
Nevada, on the other hand, has one main industry (gambling and hospitality) that provides hundreds of thousands of jobs. COVID-19 has caused the shuttering of much of the gambling and hospitality industry.
Nevada’s jobs recovery will depend almost entirely on COVID-19 spread both in the state and in the states that people travel from to gamble and be entertained. Aside from several school districts and medical centers, the largest employers are Wynn Las Vegas, Bellagio, MGM Grand Hotel/Casino, Aria Resort & Casino, Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, and the Venetian/Palazzo Casino Resort. (Here is the largest employer in every state.)
When the gambling tables and floor shows reopen without any restrictions or concerns, the unemployment rate in Nevada will fall.
Click here to see the state that has the highest unemployment in America
50. Nebraska
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 1.9%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 1,023,422 — 15th smallest
[in-text-ad]
49. Utah
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 2.2%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 1,674,192 — 21st smallest
24/7 Wall St.
48. Oklahoma
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 2.7%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 1,860,060 — 23rd smallest
45. Idaho
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 2.8%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 907,622 — 13th smallest
[in-text-ad-2]
45. South Dakota
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 2.8%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 471,319 — 5th smallest
45. Vermont
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 2.8%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 318,528 — 2nd smallest
[in-text-ad]
44. New Hampshire
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 2.9%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 747,312 — 11th smallest
24/7 Wall St.
41. Alabama
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 3.1%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 2,212,185 — 24th largest
41. Georgia
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 3.1%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 5,174,052 — 8th largest
[in-text-ad-2]
41. Montana
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 3.1%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 542,128 — 7th smallest
40. Wisconsin
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 3.2%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 3,108,650 — 20th largest
[in-text-ad]
38. Indiana
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 3.3%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 3,327,434 — 16th largest
24/7 Wall St.
38. North Dakota
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 3.3%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 401,429 — 4th smallest
37. Minnesota
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 3.5%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 3,032,807 — 22nd largest
[in-text-ad-2]
36. Virginia
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 3.6%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 4,256,634 — 12th largest
34. Arkansas
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 3.7%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 1,353,559 — 17th smallest
[in-text-ad]
34. Missouri
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 3.7%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 3,064,875 — 21st largest
24/7 Wall St.
31. Iowa
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 3.9%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 1,660,928 — 20th smallest
31. Kansas
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 3.9%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 1,511,879 — 18th smallest
[in-text-ad-2]
31. South Carolina
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 3.9%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 2,407,798 — 23rd largest
29. North Carolina
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 4.1%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 5,033,893 — 9th largest
[in-text-ad]
29. Wyoming
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 4.1%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 292,999 — the smallest
27. Kentucky
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 4.2%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 1,991,931 — 24th smallest
27. Tennessee
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 4.2%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 3,313,097 — 17th largest
[in-text-ad-2]
26. West Virginia
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 4.3%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 791,930 — 12th smallest
25. Oregon
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 4.4%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 2,168,534 — 25th largest
[in-text-ad]
24. Florida
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 4.6%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 10,590,466 — 3rd largest
23. Maine
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 4.9%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 679,456 — 10th smallest
22. Washington
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 5.0%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 3,935,591 — 13th largest
[in-text-ad-2]
21. Ohio
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 5.1%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 5,673,734 — 7th largest
20. Arizona
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 5.2%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 3,646,948 — 15th largest
[in-text-ad]
18. Delaware
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 5.3%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 489,745 — 6th smallest
18. Massachusetts
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 5.3%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 3,726,330 — 14th largest
14. Colorado
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 5.4%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 3,196,796 — 18th largest
[in-text-ad-2]
14. Louisiana
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 5.4%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 2,060,767 — 25th smallest
14. Rhode Island
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 5.4%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 551,654 — 8th smallest
[in-text-ad]
14. Texas
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 5.4%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 14,204,236 — 2nd largest
13. Mississippi
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 5.5%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 1,272,248 — 16th smallest
12. Maryland
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 5.7%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 3,142,549 — 19th largest
[in-text-ad-2]
10. Illinois
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 6.0%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 6,222,873 — 6th largest
10. Pennsylvania
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 6.0%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 6,270,198 — 5th largest
[in-text-ad]
8. Alaska
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 6.1%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 349,757 — 3rd smallest
8. Michigan
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 6.1%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 4,758,642 — 10th largest
7. Hawaii
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 6.3%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 646,795 — 9th smallest
[in-text-ad-2]
6. Connecticut
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 6.4%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 1,812,579 — 22nd smallest
5. New Mexico
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 6.5%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 951,702 — 14th smallest
[in-text-ad]
4. New York
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 6.9%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 9,303,737 — 4th largest
3. New Jersey
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 7.0%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 4,438,109 — 11th largest
1. California
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 7.3%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 19,022,372 — the largest
[in-text-ad-2]
1. Nevada
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2021: 7.3%
> Civilian labor force Oct. 2021: 1,552,758 — 19th smallest
Get Ready To Retire (Sponsored)
Start by taking a quick retirement quiz from SmartAsset that will match you with up to 3 financial advisors that serve your area and beyond in 5 minutes, or less.
Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests.
Here’s how it works:
1. Answer SmartAsset advisor match quiz
2. Review your pre-screened matches at your leisure. Check out the advisors’ profiles.
3. Speak with advisors at no cost to you. Have an introductory call on the phone or introduction in person and choose whom to work with in the future
Get started right here.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Latest from 24/7
