States Ranked by Unemployment Rate
All 52 U.S. states and territories ranked by unemployment rate. The highest is North Dakota at 2.7%, and the lowest is Puerto Rico at 10.7%. The national value is 5.3%.
What is Unemployment Rate?
Percentage of the civilian labor force that is unemployed but actively seeking work. This does not include discouraged workers who have stopped looking for employment.
The unemployment rate is a lagging economic indicator — it tends to rise after a recession has begun and fall after recovery is underway. Local rates can differ significantly from national figures.
Key Findings
The lowest unemployment rate is found in North Dakota, ND at 2.7%, followed by South Dakota, SD (2.9%) and Nebraska, NE (3.0%). The median county value is 4.8%. At the other end, New Jersey, NJ has the highest value at 6.3%.
Unemployment Rate by State
All States Ranked
52 states ranked from highest to lowest. Click any state to view its full profile.
| Rank | State | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | North Dakota | 2.7% |
| #2 | South Dakota | 2.9% |
| #3 | Nebraska | 3.0% |
| #4 | Wisconsin | 3.2% |
| #5 | New Hampshire | 3.3% |
| #6 | Vermont | 3.5% |
| #7 | Utah | 3.5% |
| #8 | Iowa | 3.6% |
| #9 | Montana | 3.6% |
| #10 | Wyoming | 3.7% |
| #11 | Idaho | 3.7% |
| #12 | Maine | 3.8% |
| #13 | Kansas | 3.8% |
| #14 | Missouri | 4.0% |
| #15 | Minnesota | 4.1% |
| #16 | Virginia | 4.1% |
| #17 | Indiana | 4.3% |
| #18 | Colorado | 4.6% |
| #19 | Hawaii | 4.6% |
| #20 | North Carolina | 4.6% |
| #21 | Tennessee | 4.7% |
| #22 | Alabama | 4.7% |
| #23 | Ohio | 4.7% |
| #24 | Florida | 4.8% |
| #25 | South Carolina | 4.8% |
| #26 | Kentucky | 4.8% |
| #27 | Maryland | 4.8% |
| #28 | Arkansas | 4.9% |
| #29 | Oklahoma | 4.9% |
| #30 | Washington | 5.0% |
| #31 | Arizona | 5.1% |
| #32 | Delaware | 5.1% |
| #33 | Georgia | 5.1% |
| #34 | Massachusetts | 5.1% |
| #35 | Texas | 5.2% |
| #36 | Pennsylvania | 5.2% |
| #37 | Oregon | 5.3% |
| #38 | West Virginia | 5.4% |
| #39 | Alaska | 5.5% |
| #40 | Connecticut | 5.6% |
| #41 | Michigan | 5.7% |
| #42 | Mississippi | 5.7% |
| #43 | Rhode Island | 5.8% |
| #44 | Illinois | 5.8% |
| #45 | New Mexico | 5.9% |
| #46 | Louisiana | 6.2% |
| #47 | District of Columbia | 6.3% |
| #48 | New Jersey | 6.3% |
| #49 | New York | 6.4% |
| #50 | California | 6.6% |
| #51 | Nevada | 6.9% |
| #52 | Puerto Rico | 10.7% |
Based on the American Community Survey 2024 5-Year Estimates. All values are estimates subject to margin of error. For more information, see our methodology.