National Unemployment Rate Remains Unchanged at 9.7% in February

But Many States Saw an Increase in Unemployment Rates

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The national unemployment rate remained steady in February, keeping at the 9.7% rate seen in January 2010. However, individual states did not fare so well. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that unemployment rate increased slightly in 27 states, while remaining the same in 16 states and actually dropping in 7 states.

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Decreases in employment are starting spread around a bit, with Virginia leading job losses with -32,600. California continues to struggle, with job losses increasing on the West Coast as the budget problems persist. California shed 20,400 jobs last month. Michigan and Pennsylvania both lost 16,000 jobs in February.

Even with these somewhat dire numbers, there is some room for optimism – depending on where the job hunt takes you. Florida actually added 26,300 jobs last month, and New York added 5,800. These numbers shed light on why the East Coast appears to be doing a little better than the West (the region with the highest unemployment) in terms of jobs. However, Nevada appears to be one of the exceptions to the job loss trend in the West; the state saw the largest over-the-month increase in employment from January to February (+0.5%).

Michigan continues to be the state with the highest unemployment rate, followed by Rhode Island and California. On the opposite end, North Dakota retains the lowest unemployment rate, followed by Nebraska and South Dakota. While Nebraska has seen some movement toward job creation, and is expected to provide some growth going forward, due to its place in the ethanol market, the Dakotas remain relatively stagnant, even though the unemployment rate is low.

There are signs of stability in the jobs market; even though most states saw an increase in the unemployment rate, the increase was small in most areas. However, until hiring begins in earnest, we remain in danger of a “jobless recovery.”