State unemployment rate in the U.S. May 2020

This table ranks the 50 states of the United States and the District of Columbia by their unemployment rate. In May 2020, about 22.6 percent of Hawaii's population was unemployed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The highest unemployment rate recorded was in Nevada at 25.3 percent.

Unemployment in the U.S.

A person is considered unemployed if they have no job and are currently looking for a job and available to work. The unemployment rate in the United States varies across states. Nation-wide unemployment was 13.3 percent as of May 2020. Unemployment can be affected by various factors including economic conditions and global competition. During economic prosperity, unemployment rates generally decrease and during times of recession, rates increase. Many Americans believe that job creation should be one of the most important priorities set by the government. Since 1990, the country’s unemployment rate reached a low of 3.7 percent in 2019, and a high in 2010 at 9.6 percent. It has been argued that the definition of unemployment is too narrow and does not include some groups of people, such as the “underemployed” and the “hidden unemployed.”