Nevada Remains State with Highest Unemployment Rate « The Washington Independent

Nevada wins again. Today, the Labor Department reported that Nevada has the highest unemployment rate of any state or Washington, D.C., at 14.3 percent. That is the highest rate on record for Nevada. Other states rounding out the top five are Michigan (13.1 percent), California (12.3), Rhode Island (11.9) and Florida (11.5). All in all, 11 states have unemployment rates higher than 10 percent — down from 17 last month. Just three have unemployment rates lower than five percent — South Dakota, North Dakota and Nebraska.

The unemployment rate declined in 18 states plus the District of Columbia, rose in 14 and did not change in 18. That is not much of an improvement: In June, the unemployment rate fell in more than half of states and increased in five.