Unemployment rates rose in all 50 states during 2009

All 50 states ended 2009 with higher unemployment rates than a year earlier, according to a report issued Jan 22 by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nevada and West Virginia registered the sharpest upswings in unemployment last year, each rising by 4.6 percentage points. Nevada’s jobless rate soared from 8.4 percent in December 2008 to 13 percent in December 2009, while West Virginia’s rate climbed from 4.5 percent to 9.1 percent.

Minnesota and Nebraska showed the least upward movement. Their unemployment rates increased by just 0.8 percentage points during the past year. California's unemployment rate rose from 8.7 percent in December 2008 to 12.4 percent in December 2009.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics also reported the following:

• Sixteen states and the District of Columbia posted unemployment rates of 10 percent or higher at the end of 2009. Michigan was the worst at 14.6 percent.
• North Dakota had the lowest jobless rate, 4.4 percent. Nebraska and South Dakota were also below 5 percent.
• Every state lost jobs between the ends of 2008 and 2009. California suffered the worst decline in raw numbers, losing 579,400 jobs in a year. New York posted the eighth-worst loss, as 168,600 jobs melted away from its employment base since the end of 2008.
• The worst job loss in percentage terms occurred in Wyoming, which lost 6.8 percent of its jobs in a year. Nevada was next worst at 6.6 percent.