new england and state unemployment – March 2012

The New England unemployment rate for March 2012 was essentially unchanged at 7.0 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Deborah A. Brown noted that the New England jobless rate decreased 0.9 percentage point over the year. The national jobless rate was little changed at 8.2 percent in March, but was 0.7 percentage point lower when compared to one year earlier. (See chart 1.) The New England jobless rate was among the lowest on record since January 2009.

New England is one of nine geographic divisions nationwide. In March, among the nine divisions, the Pacific continued to report the highest jobless rate, 10.2 percent. The West North Central again registered the lowest rate, 5.9 percent. Two divisions experienced statistically significant unemployment rate changes over the month: the East North Central and South Atlantic (-0.2 percentage point each). Over the year, seven divisions joined New England in posting measurable unemployment rate decreases. The largest unemployment rate decrease occurred in the East South Central division (-1.5 percentage points).

During March, five of the six New England states posted jobless rates that were significantly different from that of the United States. Vermont (4.8 percent), New Hampshire (5.2 percent), Massachusetts (6.5 percent) and Maine (7.2 percent) recorded lower-than-average unemployment rates and were among 23 states in the country to do so. Vermont and New Hampshire (which tied with Iowa) reported the fourth- and fifth-lowest jobless rates nationwide, respectively. In contrast, Rhode Island (11.1 percent) had the highest jobless rate among the New England states and the second-highest jobless rate in the nation. Rhode Island was among seven states and the District of Columbia with rates significantly higher than the national average. Connecticut was among the 20 remaining states which registered unemployment rates not appreciably different from that of the nation.

In New England, two states posted statistically significant unemployment rate decreases from the prior month: Massachusetts (-0.4 percentage point) and Vermont (-0.1 percentage point), and were among seven states nationally to do so. The remaining 43 states and the District of Columbia registered jobless rates not measurably different from those of a month earlier, though some had changes at least as large numerically as the significant changes.

Over the year, Connecticut (-1.4 percentage points) and Vermont (-1.0 percentage point) were among the 18 states nationwide that reported a statistically significant jobless rate decrease. The four remaining New England states were among the 32 states and the District of Columbia that registered unemployment rates not appreciably different from those a year earlier.

Technical Note

This release presents labor force and unemployment data from the Current Population Survey (CPS) and the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program. Estimates for the U.S. are obtained directly from the CPS, which is a sample survey of approximately 60,000 households nationwide that is conducted for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) by the Census Bureau. The LAUS program produces data for the nine geographic divisions in the United States: New England, Middle Atlantic, South Atlantic, East South Central, West South Central, East North Central, West North Central, Mountain, and Pacific. Data for all divisions, as well as the 50 states, are available in the Regional and State Employment and Unemployment release www.bls.gov/lau/home.htm#news issued monthly by BLS, while national statistics are highlighted in the Employment Situation www.bls.gov/cps/home.htm#news.

Labor force and unemployment data for prior years reflect adjustments made at the end of each year. The adjusted estimates reflect updated population data from the U.S. Census Bureau, any revisions in the other data sources, and model reestimation. In most years, historical data for the most recent five years (both seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted) are revised near the beginning of each calendar year, prior to or coincident with the release of January estimates.

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U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics | New England Information Office, JFK Federal Building Suite E-310, Boston, MA 02203

www.bls.gov/ro1 | Telephone: 1-617-565-2327 | Contact New England Region (R01)