State Unemployment Rates
As of April 2026, the state unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted, BLS LAUS) ranges from 2.2% to 6.2%, averaging about 4.1% across all states. The states below are ranked highest to lowest.
| # | State | Unemployment Rate | 12-mo change | Labor Force | Unemployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DC | 6.2% | +0.1pp@else— | 404,153 | 25,058 |
| 2 | PR | 5.6% | +0.1pp@else— | 1,234,211 | 68,999 |
| 3 | NV | 5.3% | 0pp@else— | 1,697,414 | 89,347 |
| 4 | DE | 5.3% | +0.8pp@else— | 511,661 | 27,072 |
| 5 | CA | 5.3% | -0.1pp@else— | 19,720,139 | 1,045,879 |
| 6 | WA | 5.2% | +0.7pp@else— | 4,062,961 | 212,533 |
| 7 | OR | 5.2% | +0.1pp@else— | 2,204,914 | 114,642 |
| 8 | IL | 5.1% | +0.6pp@else— | 6,555,254 | 337,314 |
| 9 | CT | 5.0% | +1.2pp@else— | 1,912,299 | 96,549 |
| 10 | MI | 5.0% | -0.2pp@else— | 4,949,620 | 249,821 |
| 11 | NM | 4.9% | +0.8pp@else— | 978,764 | 47,575 |
| 12 | SC | 4.8% | +0.6pp@else— | 2,667,596 | 128,013 |
| 13 | FL | 4.8% | +1.1pp@else— | 11,149,552 | 531,739 |
| 14 | NJ | 4.8% | -0.3pp@else— | 4,903,477 | 233,953 |
| 15 | AZ | 4.7% | +0.5pp@else— | 3,760,052 | 177,914 |
| 16 | MA | 4.7% | +0.3pp@else— | 3,888,473 | 181,243 |
| 17 | AK | 4.7% | +0.1pp@else— | 369,457 | 17,203 |
| 18 | NY | 4.6% | +0.5pp@else— | 10,105,394 | 463,893 |
| 19 | MN | 4.5% | +0.9pp@else— | 3,145,932 | 140,910 |
| 20 | RI | 4.5% | +0.1pp@else— | 583,897 | 26,482 |
| 21 | MD | 4.4% | +0.6pp@else— | 3,207,414 | 142,484 |
| 22 | LA | 4.4% | +0.1pp@else— | 2,119,944 | 93,830 |
| 23 | WV | 4.4% | +0.5pp@else— | 777,057 | 34,569 |
| 24 | KY | 4.3% | -0.4pp@else— | 2,097,526 | 89,583 |
| 25 | TX | 4.3% | +0.2pp@else— | 15,894,837 | 682,550 |
| 26 | AR | 4.3% | +0.4pp@else— | 1,454,535 | 61,835 |
| 27 | PA | 4.2% | 0pp@else— | 6,607,497 | 275,779 |
| 28 | OK | 4.0% | +0.9pp@else— | 1,996,427 | 80,048 |
| 29 | KS | 3.9% | +0.1pp@else— | 1,569,252 | 60,568 |
| 30 | OH | 3.9% | -0.9pp@else— | 5,911,768 | 231,987 |
| 31 | CO | 3.9% | -0.3pp@else— | 3,215,579 | 126,402 |
| 32 | UT | 3.8% | +0.4pp@else— | 1,829,317 | 69,182 |
| 33 | VA | 3.8% | +0.5pp@else— | 4,496,730 | 171,785 |
| 34 | MO | 3.8% | -0.2pp@else— | 3,173,946 | 121,851 |
| 35 | MS | 3.8% | -0.1pp@else— | 1,288,869 | 49,479 |
| 36 | NC | 3.7% | -0.1pp@else— | 5,294,546 | 196,615 |
| 37 | TN | 3.6% | +0.1pp@else— | 3,504,215 | 127,499 |
| 38 | ID | 3.6% | 0pp@else— | 1,003,496 | 36,517 |
| 39 | WI | 3.5% | +0.3pp@else— | 3,130,188 | 110,085 |
| 40 | WY | 3.5% | +0.3pp@else— | 287,626 | 10,061 |
| 41 | MT | 3.5% | +0.4pp@else— | 576,091 | 20,282 |
| 42 | GA | 3.5% | +0.2pp@else— | 5,461,455 | 190,317 |
| 43 | IA | 3.3% | -0.3pp@else— | 1,735,035 | 57,168 |
| 44 | IN | 3.2% | -0.5pp@else— | 3,487,162 | 113,276 |
| 45 | ME | 3.1% | -0.2pp@else— | 705,854 | 22,217 |
| 46 | NH | 3.1% | -0.1pp@else— | 777,122 | 24,153 |
| 47 | NE | 3.0% | +0.1pp@else— | 1,102,667 | 33,462 |
| 48 | AL | 2.8% | -0.1pp@else— | 2,378,402 | 67,115 |
| 49 | VT | 2.6% | 0pp@else— | 341,132 | 8,927 |
| 50 | HI | 2.5% | 0pp@else— | 687,913 | 16,870 |
| 51 | ND | 2.4% | -0.2pp@else— | 435,162 | 10,644 |
| 52 | SD | 2.2% | +0.2pp@else— | 490,754 | 10,708 |
Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), seasonally adjusted. "pp" = percentage points.