The latest regional unemployment numbers are out and the news is decidedly better:
Twenty-one states recorded over-the-month unemployment rate decreases, 18 states and the District of Columbia registered rate increases, and 11 states had no rate change, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today.
The overall unemployment rate rose from 8.5% to 8.9%.
In April, Michigan reported the highest jobless rate, 12.9 percent. The states with the next highest rates were Oregon, 12.0 percent; South Carolina, 11.5 percent; Rhode Island, 11.1 percent; California, 11.0 percent; North Carolina, 10.8 percent; Nevada, 10.6 percent; and Ohio, 10.2 percent.
The worst unemployment appears to be in housing bubble states and states highly dependent on auto manufacturing.
North Dakota again registered the lowest state unemployment rate, 4.0 percent in April. The states with the next lowest rates were Nebraska, 4.4 percent; Wyoming, 4.5 percent; and South Dakota, 4.8 percent. Overall, 29 states had significantly lower jobless rates than the U.S.
These are primarily states with low populations.
Delaware’s unemployment rate is 7.5% in April 2009, an improvement from 7.7% in March 2009. (Yay us!) That’s still significantly worse than the 4.2% of April 2008.
Things are still bad out there, but this is a significant improvement. In March 2009 report, 46 states saw unemployment increases. I think this improved employment data fits with the improved right track/wrong track numbers we’ve seen in surveys recently.
So, Republicans, if you have a back-up plan to hoping Obama gets blamed for the economic crisis it’s probably time to dust it off.