North Dakota and South Dakota posted the lowest jobless rates among all US states in January at 2.1% each, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The next-lowest rates were in Utah at 2.4% and Montana and Nebraska at 2.5% each.
On the flip side, Nevada had the highest unemployment rate among all states in January at 5.5%.
The state with the largest year-over-year decrease in its jobless rate was New Mexico, down 1.9 percentage points to 3.5%. The next-largest decreases occurred in New Jersey, down 1.7 points to 3.4%, and the District of Columbia, down 1.6 points to 4.4%.
Meanwhile, the largest year-over-year unemployment rate increase occurred in Oregon, up 1.0 percentage point to 4.8%.