Michigan tops in unemployment rate

About three weeks after the government releases nonfarm payrolls and the unemployment rate for the prior month, the US Labor Department provides a state-by-state look at the jobless situation.

Not surprisingly, Michigan, with all the well-publicized auto-related problems it is dealing with, leads the list followed by Oregon, Rhode Island, and South Carolina.

States with the highest unemployment rates:

State                                            Jobless Rate in May

1. Michigan                                          14.1%
2. Oregon                                              12.4%
3. Rhode Island/South Carolina 12.1%
4. California                                         11.5%
5. Nevada                                              11.3%
6. North Carolina                               11.1%

States with the lowest unemployment rates:

1. North Dakota                                    4.4%
2. South Dakota/Wyoming              5.0%
3. Utah                                                     5.4%
4. Oklahoma/Montana                      6.3%
5. New Hampshire/New Mexico   6.5%
6. Louisiana                                           6.6%

United States = 9.4% in May

 

Michigan again reported the highest jobless rate, 14.1 percent in May. The states with the next
highest rates were Oregon, 12.4 percent; Rhode Island and South Carolina, 12.1 percent each;
California, 11.5 percent; Nevada, 11.3 percent; and North Carolina, 11.1 percent.