This table ranks the 50 states of the United States, and the District of Columbia, by their unemployment rate. In October 2018, about 2.4 percent of Hawaii's population was unemployed. The highest unemployment rate recorded was in Alaska at 6.3 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 3.7 percent as of November 2018. 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 4 percent in 2000 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”, which account for about 3.3 million Americans.
