Unemployment rate falls in nearly every US state with 12 to record lows | State and Region

The jobless rate fell last month in more than half of US states, including 12 where jobless rates hit record highs.

Nebraska and Utah, with an unemployment rate of 2.1%, are tied for the lowest in the country, according to Labor Department data released Friday. Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, Montana, Oklahoma, West Virginia and Wisconsin also had data records dating back to 1976.

Unemployment rates were highest in New Mexico, California and Alaska. However, from a year earlier, the rate in California fell 3.2 percentage points — one of the fastest improvements in the country — to 5.4%.

Meanwhile, percentage increases in payrolls from a year ago were most pronounced in Nevada, Hawaii, California and Texas. As millions of Americans remain unemployed or sidelined, the report highlights just how much employment has rebounded since the pandemic began.

The state data follows the National Jobs Report, which earlier this month showed the country’s unemployment rate fell to 3.8% last month and payrolls had the highest increased since July.

The median estimate from the Bloomberg Survey of Economists calls for a robust gain of 475,000 in March payrolls and an unemployment rate of 3.7%. These figures will be published on April 1.