by Calculated Risk on 7/19/2019 10:11:00 AM

From the BLS: Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Summary

Unemployment rates were lower in June in 6 states and stable in 44 states and the District of Columbia, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Three states had jobless rate decreases from a year earlier and 47 states and the District had little or no change. The national unemployment rate, 3.7 percent, was little changed from May but was 0.3 percentage point lower than in June 2018.
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Vermont had the lowest unemployment rate in June, 2.1 percent. The rates in Alabama (3.5 percent), Arkansas (3.5 percent), New Jersey (3.5 percent), and Texas (3.4 percent) set new series lows. (All state series begin in 1976.) Alaska had the highest jobless rate, 6.4 percent.
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Click on graph for larger image.

This graph shows the number of states (and D.C.) with unemployment rates at or above certain levels since January 1976.

At the worst of the great recession, there were 11 states with an unemployment rate at or above 11% (red).

Currently only one state, Alaska, has an unemployment rate at or above 6% (dark blue).  Note that the series low for Alaska is above 6%.  Two states and the D.C. have unemployment rates above 5%; Alaska and Mississippi.

A total of nine states are a series low: Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Maine, New Jersey, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Texas and Vermont.