Employment for nonfarm payroll increased in the District of Columbia and 36 states in May, according to the most recent report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
The largest employment increases were in Texas (56,400 new hires), Pennsylvania (24,700 new hires), and New York (23,400 new hires).
West Virginia, Maine and Delaware had the largest employment percentage increases over the month with a 1.5% increase, 0.8% increase and 0.7% increase, respectively.
Fourteen states had employment decreases, leaving the overall unemployment rate steady at 6.3%.
Florida had the largest employment drop in May, with a decrease in 17,900 jobs. Arizona also had an 8,400 employment decrease and Illinois had a 2,600 employment decrease.
Regionally, the South and Midwest had the lowest unemployment rates at 6%. The West had the highest unemployment rate in May at 6.9%, slightly over the national rate.
The states with the lowest unemployment rates in May were North Dakota (2.6%), Vermont (3.3%), Nebraska (3.6%), Utah (3.6%), South Dakota (3.8%) and Wyoming (3.8%).
Since last year, 31 states had major employment changes. All of these changes were positive, with the largest increase coming from Texas (increase of 383,100 jobs since May 2013), California (increase of 340,200 jobs since May 2013) and Florida (increase of 218,800 jobs since May 2013).
Nonfarm employment also increased in 48 states and the District of Columbia from May 2013 through May 2014. Only two states had overall employment decreases during the past year.
