by Calculated Risk on 11/22/2011 10:52:00 AM

From the BLS: Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Summary

Regional and state unemployment rates were generally little changed or slightly lower in October. Thirty-six states and the District of Columbia recorded unemployment rate decreases, five states posted rate increases, and nine states had no rate change, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.
...
Nevada continued to record the highest unemployment rate among the states, 13.4 percent in October. California posted the next highest rate, 11.7 percent. North Dakota registered the lowest jobless rate, 3.5 percent, followed by Nebraska, 4.2
percent.

The following graph shows the current unemployment rate for each state (red), and the max during the recession (blue). Every state finally has some blue - indicating no state is currently at the maximum during the recession.

Click on graph for larger image in graph gallery.

The states are ranked by the highest current unemployment rate.

From the BLS: "Forty-five states recorded unemployment rates that were not appreciably different from those of a year earlier."

The fact that 45 states have seen little or no improvement over the last year is a reminder that the unemployment crisis is ongoing.

All current employment graphs