If the press was doing its job right, these numbers would be presented by state and take account intra US migration every time. The headline number is affected by wrong headed state and local policies and does not tell people where they might go were they not chained to their house (if its value > mortgage debt). (Not sure why DC is a “state” at the BLS).
| Unemployment Rates for States Monthly Rankings Seasonally Adjusted June 2012p |
||
|---|---|---|
| Rank | State | Rate |
| 1 | NORTH DAKOTA | 2.9 |
| 2 | NEBRASKA | 3.8 |
| 3 | SOUTH DAKOTA | 4.3 |
| 4 | OKLAHOMA | 4.7 |
| 4 | VERMONT | 4.7 |
| 6 | NEW HAMPSHIRE | 5.1 |
| 7 | IOWA | 5.2 |
| 8 | WYOMING | 5.4 |
| 9 | MINNESOTA | 5.6 |
| 10 | VIRGINIA | 5.7 |
| 11 | MASSACHUSETTS | 6.0 |
| 11 | UTAH | 6.0 |
| 13 | KANSAS | 6.1 |
| 14 | MONTANA | 6.3 |
| 15 | HAWAII | 6.4 |
| 16 | NEW MEXICO | 6.5 |
| 17 | DELAWARE | 6.7 |
| 18 | MARYLAND | 6.9 |
| 19 | TEXAS | 7.0 |
| 19 | WEST VIRGINIA | 7.0 |
| 19 | WISCONSIN | 7.0 |
| 22 | MISSOURI | 7.1 |
| 23 | ARKANSAS | 7.2 |
| 23 | OHIO | 7.2 |
| 25 | ALASKA | 7.3 |
| 26 | LOUISIANA | 7.5 |
| 26 | MAINE | 7.5 |
| 26 | PENNSYLVANIA | 7.5 |
| 29 | IDAHO | 7.7 |
| 30 | ALABAMA | 7.8 |
| 31 | INDIANA | 8.0 |
| 32 | CONNECTICUT | 8.1 |
| 32 | TENNESSEE | 8.1 |
| 34 | ARIZONA | 8.2 |
| 34 | COLORADO | 8.2 |
| 34 | KENTUCKY | 8.2 |
| 37 | WASHINGTON | 8.3 |
| 38 | OREGON | 8.5 |
| 39 | FLORIDA | 8.6 |
| 39 | MICHIGAN | 8.6 |
| 41 | ILLINOIS | 8.7 |
| 42 | MISSISSIPPI | 8.8 |
| 43 | NEW YORK | 8.9 |
| 44 | GEORGIA | 9.0 |
| 45 | DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA | 9.1 |
| 46 | NORTH CAROLINA | 9.4 |
| 46 | SOUTH CAROLINA | 9.4 |
| 48 | NEW JERSEY | 9.6 |
| 49 | CALIFORNIA | 10.7 |
| 50 | RHODE ISLAND | 10.9 |
| 51 | NEVADA | 11.6 |
Source: BLS