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If you've rewritten that résumé several times and sent out dozens of applications but your job search still shows no promise, you might not be the problem.

One frequently overlooked but critical factor in finding a new job is your state's unemployment rate. You can have the experience and skills of an employer's dream, but they won't do you any good if there just aren't enough jobs available.

The unemployment rate is the percentage of job seekers in the work force who are still looking for work. The higher the percentage, the more difficult it is to find a job. The national unemployment rate is 5 percent, based on the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

If you're looking for a job, you should see how your state compares to the rest of the country. Here are the 10 worst states to find work ranked by their unemployment rates.

1. Michigan

Unemployment rate: 7.6 percent

Population: 10,071,822

Mean annual wage: $41,230

Top industry: Trade, transportation and utilities (18.4 percent)***

2. Mississippi

Unemployment rate: 6.8 percent

Population: 2,918,785

Mean annual wage: $30,460

Top industry: Government (21.2 percent)

3. South Carolina

Unemployment rate: 6.6 percent

Population: 4,407,709

Mean annual wage: $33,400

Top industry: Trade, transportation and utilities (19.4 percent)

4. Alaska

Unemployment rate: 6.5 percent

Population: 683,478

Mean annual wage: $43,920

Top industry: Government (25.9 percent)

5. California

Unemployment rate: 6.1 percent

Population: 36,553,215

Mean annual wage: $44,180

Top industry: Trade, transportation and utilities (18.9 percent)

6. District of Columbia

Unemployment rate: 6.1 percent

Population: 588,292

Mean annual wage: $61,500

Top industry: Government (33.3 percent)

7. Ohio

Unemployment rate: 6 percent

Population: 11,466,917

Mean annual wage: $37,360

Top industry: Trade, transportation and utilities (19.3 percent)

8. Arkansas

Unemployment rate: 5.9 percent

Population: 2,834,797

Mean annual wage: $30,870

Top industry: Trade, transportation and utilities (20.6 percent)

9. Nevada

Unemployment rate: 5.8 percent

Population: 2,565,382

Mean annual wage: $36,000

Top industry: Leisure and hospitality (26.5 percent)

10. Kentucky

Unemployment rate: 5.7 percent

Population: 4,241,474

Mean annual wage: $33,490

Top industry: Trade, transportation and utilities (20.4 percent)

*Unemployment rates, mean annual wages and industry percentages obtained from BLS in January 2008. Percentages based on nonfarm payrolls, seasonally adjusted.

**Population figures based on U.S. Census Bureau data.

***Top industries are those that employ the largest percentage of a state's labor force. E-mail to a friend

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