On March 26th, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the February regional and state unemployment rates.
At the national level the BLS reported the February unemployment rate at 9.7%, unchanged from January. 27 states reported increases in the February unemployment rate from January. 16 states reported no change for February. 7 states and the District of Columbia reported rate decreases.
February 2010, Connecticut was one of the 27 states to report an increase of unemployment. The rate increased to 9.1% from January’s 9.0% level. This is the highest unemployment since the beginning of the recession and the highest level of unemployment for the state since April 1976.
New Jersey (one of 7 states reporting decreases) reported a decrease in unemployment rate to 9.8% from January’s 9.9%. Since the recession started NJ’s highest unemployment rate reached 10% in December 2009. With the BLS data going back to 1976, the highest unemployment rate for NJ was reported in November and December 1976 at 10.7%.
New York was one of the 16 states to report no change in the February unemployment rate of 8.8%. Since the beginning of the recession New York's unemployment rate reached its highest level of 8.9% in October, November and December of 2009. The highest reported level of unemployment based on the BLS data is August – November 1976 at 10.3%. Prior to the recession the last time NY state reached this high of unemployment was July 1992 at 8.9%.
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