For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Friday, September 18, 2020 USDL-20-1737 Technical information: Employment: sminfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/sae Unemployment: lausinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/lau Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov STATE EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT -- AUGUST 2020 Unemployment rates were lower in August in 41 states, higher in 2 states, and stable in 7 states and the District of Columbia, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. All 50 states and the District had jobless rate increases from a year earlier. The national unemployment rate fell by 1.8 percentage points over the month to 8.4 percent but was 4.7 points higher than in August 2019. Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 40 states and was essentially unchanged in 10 states and the District of Columbia in August 2020. Over the year, nonfarm payroll employment decreased in 49 states and the District and was essentially unchanged in 1 state. This news release presents statistics from two monthly programs. The civilian labor force and unemployment data are modeled based largely on a survey of households. These data pertain to individuals by where they reside. The employment data are from an establishment survey that measures nonfarm employment, hours, and earnings by industry. These data pertain to jobs on payrolls defined by where the establishments are located. For more information about the concepts and statistical methodologies used by these two programs, see the Technical Note. Unemployment Nevada had the highest unemployment rate in August, 13.2 percent, followed by Rhode Island, 12.8 percent, and Hawaii and New York, 12.5 percent each. Nebraska had the lowest rate, 4.0 percent, followed by Utah, 4.1 percent, and Idaho, 4.2 percent. In total, 29 states had jobless rates lower than the U.S. figure of 8.4 percent, 10 states had higher rates, and 11 states and the District of Columbia had rates that were not appreciably different from that of the nation. (See tables A and 1.) In August, the largest unemployment rate decreases occurred in Massachusetts (-4.9 percentage points) and Arizona (-4.8 points). Rates declined over the month by at least 2.0 percentage points in an additional 14 states. The only over-the-month jobless rate increases occurred in Kentucky (+3.1 percentage points) and Rhode Island (+1.5 points). (See table B.) The largest unemployment rate increases from August 2019 occurred in Hawaii (+9.8 percentage points), Nevada (+9.4 points), and Rhode Island (+9.3 points). The smallest over-the-year rate increases occurred in Nebraska (+0.9 percentage point) and Alaska (+1.2 points). (See table C.) Nonfarm Payroll Employment Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 40 states and was essentially unchanged in 10 states and the District of Columbia in August 2020. The largest job gains occurred in New York (+153,300), Texas (+106,800), and California (+101,900). The largest percentage increases occurred in New Jersey, New York, and Virginia (+1.8 percent each); Kentucky and New Hampshire (+1.7 percent each); and Alaska, Indiana, and Massachusetts (+1.6 percent each). (See tables D and 3.) Over the year, nonfarm payroll employment decreased in 49 states and the District of Columbia and was essentially unchanged in Idaho. The largest job declines occurred in California (-1,598,200), New York (-1,214,500), and Texas (-616,600). The smallest declines occurred in South Dakota (-19,900), Wyoming (-21,400), and Montana (-24,300). The largest percentage declines occurred in Hawaii (-16.1 percent), New York (-12.4 percent), and Massachusetts (-10.9 percent). The smallest percentage declines occurred in Utah (-1.8 percent), Mississippi (-2.6 percent), and Arizona (-3.2 percent). (See table E.) _____________ The Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment news release for August is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, September 30, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. (ET). The State Employment and Unemployment news release for September is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, October 20, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. (ET). ________________________________________________________________________________ | | | Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Impact on August 2020 | | Establishment and Household Survey Data | | | | BLS has continued to review all estimation and methodological procedures for | | the establishment survey, which included the review of data, estimation | | processes, the application of the birth-death model, and seasonal adjustment. | | Business births and deaths cannot be adequately captured by the establishment | | survey as they occur. Therefore, the Current Employment Statistics (CES) | | program uses a model to account for the relatively stable net employment | | change generated by business births and deaths. Due to the impact of | | COVID-19, the relationship between business births and deaths is no longer | | stable. Typically, reports with zero employment are not included in | | estimation. For the July final and August preliminary estimates, CES included | | a portion of these reports in the estimates and made modifications to the | | birth-death model. In addition for both months, the establishment survey | | included a portion of the reports that returned to reporting positive | | employment from reporting zero employment. For more information, see | | www.bls.gov/web/empsit/cesbd.htm. | | | | In the establishment survey, workers who are paid by their employer for all | | or any part of the pay period including the 12th of the month are counted | | as employed, even if they were not actually at their jobs. Workers who are | | temporarily or permanently absent from their jobs and are not being paid | | are not counted as employed, even if they are continuing to receive benefits. | | The length of the reference period does vary across the respondents in the | | establishment survey; one-third of businesses have a weekly pay period, | | slightly over 40 percent a bi-weekly, about 20 percent semi-monthly, and | | a small amount monthly. | | | | For the August 2020 estimates of household employment and unemployment from | | the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program, BLS continued to | | implement level-shift outliers in the employment and/or unemployment inputs | | to the models, based on statistical evaluation of movements in each area's | | inputs. Both the Current Population Survey inputs, which serve as the primary | | inputs to the LAUS models, and the nonfarm payroll employment and unemployment | | insurance claims covariates were examined for outliers. The resulting | | implementation of level shifts preserved movements in the published estimates | | that the models otherwise would have discounted, without requiring changes | | to how the models create estimates at other points in the time series. | | | | To mitigate distortions due to the complex relationships between level shifts | | in the household survey and covariate inputs to the state models, BLS | | retained the same modifications to the LAUS seasonal adjustment and smoothing | | procedures that had been introduced during the May 2020 cycle. Specifically, | | level shifts were isolated from the estimation of seasonal factors, and the | | Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Space filter was not used to smooth the seasonally | | adjusted estimates. It is anticipated that these modifications will be | | necessary for as long as complex outlier treatments are deemed necessary for | | the model inputs. | | | | The "Frequently asked questions" document at | | www.bls.gov/covid19/employment-situation-covid19-faq-august-2020.htm | | extensively discusses the impact of a misclassification in the household | | survey on the national estimates for August 2020. Despite the considerable | | decline in its degree relative to prior months, this misclassification | | continued to be widespread geographically, with BLS analysis indicating that | | most states again were affected to at least some extent. However, according | | to usual practice, the data from the household survey are accepted as | | recorded. To maintain data integrity, no ad hoc actions are taken to | | reclassify survey responses. Hence, the household survey estimates of employed | | and unemployed people that serve as the primary inputs to the state models | | were affected to varying degrees by the misclassification, which in turn | | affected the official LAUS estimates for August 2020. | | | | Household data for Puerto Rico are not modeled, but rather are derived from a | | monthly household survey similar to the Current Population Survey. Due to the | | effects of the pandemic and efforts to contain the virus, Puerto Rico had not | | been able to conduct its household survey for March or April 2020. Data | | collection resumed effective May 2020, and BLS resumed publication of the not | | seasonally adjusted data beginning with the June 2020 issuance of this news | | release on July 17, 2020. Publication of seasonally adjusted data for Puerto | | Rico will resume at a later time, pending further research. The Puerto Rico | | Department of Labor has reported a misclassification in its household survey | | since May 2020 similar in nature to the misclassification in the Current | | Population Survey. | |________________________________________________________________________________| Table A. States with unemployment rates significantly different from that of the U.S., August 2020, seasonally adjusted -------------------------------------------------------------- State | Rate(p) -------------------------------------------------------------- United States (1) ...................| 8.4 | Alabama .............................| 5.6 Alaska ..............................| 7.4 Arizona .............................| 5.9 Arkansas ............................| 7.4 California ..........................| 11.4 Colorado ............................| 6.7 Florida .............................| 7.4 Georgia .............................| 5.6 Hawaii ..............................| 12.5 Idaho ...............................| 4.2 | Illinois ............................| 11.0 Indiana .............................| 6.4 Iowa ................................| 6.0 Kansas ..............................| 6.9 Maine ...............................| 6.9 Maryland ............................| 6.9 Massachusetts .......................| 11.3 Minnesota ...........................| 7.4 Missouri ............................| 7.0 Montana .............................| 5.6 | Nebraska ............................| 4.0 Nevada ..............................| 13.2 New Hampshire .......................| 6.5 New Jersey ..........................| 10.9 New Mexico ..........................| 11.3 New York ............................| 12.5 North Carolina ......................| 6.5 North Dakota ........................| 5.0 Oklahoma ............................| 5.7 Pennsylvania ........................| 10.3 | Rhode Island ........................| 12.8 South Carolina ......................| 6.3 South Dakota ........................| 4.8 Texas ...............................| 6.8 Utah ................................| 4.1 Vermont .............................| 4.8 Virginia ............................| 6.1 Wisconsin ...........................| 6.2 Wyoming .............................| 6.6 -------------------------------------------------------------- (1) Data are not preliminary. (p) = preliminary. Table B. States with statistically significant unemployment rate changes from July 2020 to August 2020, seasonally adjusted ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Rate | |-----------|-----------| Over-the-month State | July | August | change(p) | 2020 | 2020(p) | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alabama ........................| 7.9 | 5.6 | -2.3 Alaska .........................| 11.6 | 7.4 | -4.2 Arizona ........................| 10.7 | 5.9 | -4.8 California .....................| 13.5 | 11.4 | -2.1 Colorado .......................| 7.4 | 6.7 | -.7 Connecticut ....................| 10.2 | 8.1 | -2.1 Delaware .......................| 10.5 | 8.9 | -1.6 Florida ........................| 11.4 | 7.4 | -4.0 Georgia ........................| 7.6 | 5.6 | -2.0 Hawaii .........................| 13.5 | 12.5 | -1.0 | | | Idaho ..........................| 5.1 | 4.2 | -.9 Indiana ........................| 7.9 | 6.4 | -1.5 Iowa ...........................| 6.8 | 6.0 | -.8 Kentucky .......................| 4.5 | 7.6 | 3.1 Louisiana ......................| 9.4 | 7.6 | -1.8 Maine ..........................| 9.9 | 6.9 | -3.0 Maryland .......................| 7.8 | 6.9 | -.9 Massachusetts ..................| 16.2 | 11.3 | -4.9 Mississippi ....................| 9.4 | 7.9 | -1.5 Montana ........................| 6.5 | 5.6 | -.9 | | | Nebraska .......................| 4.9 | 4.0 | -.9 Nevada .........................| 14.2 | 13.2 | -1.0 New Hampshire ..................| 8.0 | 6.5 | -1.5 New Jersey .....................| 14.2 | 10.9 | -3.3 New Mexico .....................| 12.7 | 11.3 | -1.4 New York .......................| 15.9 | 12.5 | -3.4 North Carolina .................| 8.5 | 6.5 | -2.0 North Dakota ...................| 6.6 | 5.0 | -1.6 Oklahoma .......................| 7.1 | 5.7 | -1.4 Oregon .........................| 10.4 | 7.7 | -2.7 | | | Pennsylvania ...................| 12.5 | 10.3 | -2.2 Rhode Island ...................| 11.3 | 12.8 | 1.5 South Carolina .................| 8.7 | 6.3 | -2.4 South Dakota ...................| 6.4 | 4.8 | -1.6 Tennessee ......................| 9.7 | 8.5 | -1.2 Texas ..........................| 8.0 | 6.8 | -1.2 Utah ...........................| 4.5 | 4.1 | -.4 Vermont ........................| 8.3 | 4.8 | -3.5 Virginia .......................| 7.9 | 6.1 | -1.8 Washington .....................| 10.2 | 8.5 | -1.7 | | | West Virginia ..................| 10.0 | 8.9 | -1.1 Wisconsin ......................| 7.1 | 6.2 | -.9 Wyoming ........................| 7.1 | 6.6 | -.5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- (p) = preliminary. Table C. States with statistically significant unemployment rate changes from August 2019 to August 2020, seasonally adjusted ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Rate | |-----------|-----------| Over-the-year State | August | August | change(p) | 2019 | 2020(p) | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alabama ........................| 2.8 | 5.6 | 2.8 Alaska .........................| 6.2 | 7.4 | 1.2 Arizona ........................| 4.6 | 5.9 | 1.3 Arkansas .......................| 3.6 | 7.4 | 3.8 California .....................| 3.9 | 11.4 | 7.5 Colorado .......................| 2.6 | 6.7 | 4.1 Connecticut ....................| 3.7 | 8.1 | 4.4 Delaware .......................| 3.9 | 8.9 | 5.0 District of Columbia ...........| 5.3 | 8.5 | 3.2 Florida ........................| 3.0 | 7.4 | 4.4 | | | Georgia ........................| 3.3 | 5.6 | 2.3 Hawaii .........................| 2.7 | 12.5 | 9.8 Idaho ..........................| 2.9 | 4.2 | 1.3 Illinois .......................| 3.8 | 11.0 | 7.2 Indiana ........................| 3.2 | 6.4 | 3.2 Iowa ...........................| 2.8 | 6.0 | 3.2 Kansas .........................| 3.1 | 6.9 | 3.8 Kentucky .......................| 4.3 | 7.6 | 3.3 Louisiana ......................| 4.9 | 7.6 | 2.7 Maine ..........................| 2.9 | 6.9 | 4.0 | | | Maryland .......................| 3.6 | 6.9 | 3.3 Massachusetts ..................| 2.8 | 11.3 | 8.5 Michigan .......................| 4.0 | 8.7 | 4.7 Minnesota ......................| 3.2 | 7.4 | 4.2 Mississippi ....................| 5.5 | 7.9 | 2.4 Missouri .......................| 3.2 | 7.0 | 3.8 Montana ........................| 3.5 | 5.6 | 2.1 Nebraska .......................| 3.1 | 4.0 | .9 Nevada .........................| 3.8 | 13.2 | 9.4 New Hampshire ..................| 2.6 | 6.5 | 3.9 | | | New Jersey .....................| 3.5 | 10.9 | 7.4 New Mexico .....................| 4.8 | 11.3 | 6.5 New York .......................| 3.9 | 12.5 | 8.6 North Carolina .................| 3.8 | 6.5 | 2.7 North Dakota ...................| 2.4 | 5.0 | 2.6 Ohio ...........................| 4.2 | 8.9 | 4.7 Oklahoma .......................| 3.3 | 5.7 | 2.4 Oregon .........................| 3.6 | 7.7 | 4.1 Pennsylvania ...................| 4.5 | 10.3 | 5.8 Rhode Island ...................| 3.5 | 12.8 | 9.3 | | | South Carolina .................| 2.5 | 6.3 | 3.8 South Dakota ...................| 3.3 | 4.8 | 1.5 Tennessee ......................| 3.4 | 8.5 | 5.1 Texas ..........................| 3.5 | 6.8 | 3.3 Utah ...........................| 2.5 | 4.1 | 1.6 Vermont ........................| 2.4 | 4.8 | 2.4 Virginia .......................| 2.7 | 6.1 | 3.4 Washington .....................| 4.2 | 8.5 | 4.3 West Virginia ..................| 4.9 | 8.9 | 4.0 Wisconsin ......................| 3.4 | 6.2 | 2.8 Wyoming ........................| 3.7 | 6.6 | 2.9 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- (p) = preliminary. Table D. States with statistically significant employment changes from July 2020 to August 2020, seasonally adjusted -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | Over-the-month change(p) State | July | August |--------------------------- | 2020 | 2020(p) | Level | Percent -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alabama ......................| 1,972,900 | 1,994,000 | 21,100 | 1.1 Alaska .......................| 291,700 | 296,500 | 4,800 | 1.6 Arizona ......................| 2,834,700 | 2,864,200 | 29,500 | 1.0 Arkansas .....................| 1,213,500 | 1,228,400 | 14,900 | 1.2 California ...................| 15,772,500 | 15,874,400 | 101,900 | .6 Colorado .....................| 2,612,700 | 2,649,600 | 36,900 | 1.4 Connecticut ..................| 1,546,200 | 1,566,600 | 20,400 | 1.3 Delaware .....................| 421,700 | 426,800 | 5,100 | 1.2 Florida ......................| 8,467,200 | 8,525,100 | 57,900 | .7 Georgia ......................| 4,411,300 | 4,433,000 | 21,700 | .5 | | | | Idaho ........................| 751,200 | 758,200 | 7,000 | .9 Illinois .....................| 5,629,200 | 5,695,200 | 66,000 | 1.2 Indiana ......................| 3,008,700 | 3,056,100 | 47,400 | 1.6 Kansas .......................| 1,355,800 | 1,365,100 | 9,300 | .7 Kentucky .....................| 1,791,500 | 1,822,300 | 30,800 | 1.7 Louisiana ....................| 1,836,700 | 1,855,800 | 19,100 | 1.0 Maine ........................| 575,900 | 582,000 | 6,100 | 1.1 Maryland .....................| 2,567,800 | 2,592,000 | 24,200 | .9 Massachusetts ................| 3,242,600 | 3,294,200 | 51,600 | 1.6 Michigan .....................| 3,939,700 | 3,994,200 | 54,500 | 1.4 | | | | Minnesota ....................| 2,725,300 | 2,765,800 | 40,500 | 1.5 Mississippi ..................| 1,117,800 | 1,128,000 | 10,200 | .9 New Hampshire ................| 620,300 | 631,000 | 10,700 | 1.7 New Jersey ...................| 3,754,000 | 3,820,000 | 66,000 | 1.8 New York .....................| 8,435,600 | 8,588,900 | 153,300 | 1.8 North Carolina ...............| 4,246,100 | 4,263,100 | 17,000 | .4 North Dakota .................| 404,700 | 408,700 | 4,000 | 1.0 Ohio .........................| 5,101,700 | 5,147,200 | 45,500 | .9 Oklahoma .....................| 1,610,500 | 1,621,600 | 11,100 | .7 Oregon .......................| 1,790,500 | 1,801,800 | 11,300 | .6 | | | | Pennsylvania .................| 5,518,400 | 5,577,900 | 59,500 | 1.1 Rhode Island .................| 459,300 | 466,200 | 6,900 | 1.5 South Carolina ...............| 2,072,500 | 2,092,200 | 19,700 | 1.0 Tennessee ....................| 2,963,500 | 2,986,100 | 22,600 | .8 Texas ........................| 12,112,600 | 12,219,400 | 106,800 | .9 Vermont ......................| 278,300 | 282,000 | 3,700 | 1.3 Virginia .....................| 3,782,200 | 3,850,200 | 68,000 | 1.8 Washington ...................| 3,227,900 | 3,274,200 | 46,300 | 1.4 West Virginia ................| 668,900 | 674,400 | 5,500 | .8 Wisconsin ....................| 2,720,500 | 2,755,200 | 34,700 | 1.3 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (p) = preliminary. Table E. States with statistically significant employment changes from August 2019 to August 2020, seasonally adjusted -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | Over-the-year change(p) State | August | August |--------------------------- | 2019 | 2020(p) | Level | Percent -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alabama ......................| 2,076,400 | 1,994,000 | -82,400 | -4.0 Alaska .......................| 329,700 | 296,500 | -33,200 | -10.1 Arizona ......................| 2,959,800 | 2,864,200 | -95,600 | -3.2 Arkansas .....................| 1,273,600 | 1,228,400 | -45,200 | -3.5 California ...................| 17,472,600 | 15,874,400 | -1,598,200 | -9.1 Colorado .....................| 2,797,400 | 2,649,600 | -147,800 | -5.3 Connecticut ..................| 1,685,300 | 1,566,600 | -118,700 | -7.0 Delaware .....................| 467,600 | 426,800 | -40,800 | -8.7 District of Columbia .........| 799,000 | 745,500 | -53,500 | -6.7 Florida ......................| 8,981,200 | 8,525,100 | -456,100 | -5.1 | | | | Georgia ......................| 4,627,000 | 4,433,000 | -194,000 | -4.2 Hawaii .......................| 652,800 | 547,600 | -105,200 | -16.1 Illinois .....................| 6,123,900 | 5,695,200 | -428,700 | -7.0 Indiana ......................| 3,162,300 | 3,056,100 | -106,200 | -3.4 Iowa .........................| 1,585,100 | 1,493,000 | -92,100 | -5.8 Kansas .......................| 1,426,500 | 1,365,100 | -61,400 | -4.3 Kentucky .....................| 1,942,700 | 1,822,300 | -120,400 | -6.2 Louisiana ....................| 1,986,200 | 1,855,800 | -130,400 | -6.6 Maine ........................| 637,300 | 582,000 | -55,300 | -8.7 Maryland .....................| 2,767,800 | 2,592,000 | -175,800 | -6.4 | | | | Massachusetts ................| 3,697,400 | 3,294,200 | -403,200 | -10.9 Michigan .....................| 4,442,400 | 3,994,200 | -448,200 | -10.1 Minnesota ....................| 2,984,300 | 2,765,800 | -218,500 | -7.3 Mississippi ..................| 1,158,300 | 1,128,000 | -30,300 | -2.6 Missouri .....................| 2,907,100 | 2,769,500 | -137,600 | -4.7 Montana ......................| 485,700 | 461,400 | -24,300 | -5.0 Nebraska .....................| 1,027,400 | 990,600 | -36,800 | -3.6 Nevada .......................| 1,423,400 | 1,289,800 | -133,600 | -9.4 New Hampshire ................| 686,200 | 631,000 | -55,200 | -8.0 New Jersey ...................| 4,198,300 | 3,820,000 | -378,300 | -9.0 | | | | New Mexico ...................| 860,100 | 791,400 | -68,700 | -8.0 New York .....................| 9,803,400 | 8,588,900 | -1,214,500 | -12.4 North Carolina ...............| 4,583,200 | 4,263,100 | -320,100 | -7.0 North Dakota .................| 439,900 | 408,700 | -31,200 | -7.1 Ohio .........................| 5,595,900 | 5,147,200 | -448,700 | -8.0 Oklahoma .....................| 1,700,800 | 1,621,600 | -79,200 | -4.7 Oregon .......................| 1,946,200 | 1,801,800 | -144,400 | -7.4 Pennsylvania .................| 6,077,500 | 5,577,900 | -499,600 | -8.2 Rhode Island .................| 503,400 | 466,200 | -37,200 | -7.4 South Carolina ...............| 2,196,900 | 2,092,200 | -104,700 | -4.8 | | | | South Dakota .................| 440,500 | 420,600 | -19,900 | -4.5 Tennessee ....................| 3,128,700 | 2,986,100 | -142,600 | -4.6 Texas ........................| 12,836,000 | 12,219,400 | -616,600 | -4.8 Utah .........................| 1,566,900 | 1,538,700 | -28,200 | -1.8 Vermont ......................| 315,900 | 282,000 | -33,900 | -10.7 Virginia .....................| 4,062,800 | 3,850,200 | -212,600 | -5.2 Washington ...................| 3,485,000 | 3,274,200 | -210,800 | -6.0 West Virginia ................| 720,000 | 674,400 | -45,600 | -6.3 Wisconsin ....................| 2,977,500 | 2,755,200 | -222,300 | -7.5 Wyoming ......................| 291,200 | 269,800 | -21,400 | -7.3 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (p) = preliminary.