Midwest Had Country’s Lowest Unemployment Rate at the End of 2015

Federal labor officials said at an average of 4.7 percent, the Midwest had the lowest regional unemployment rate in the nation in December 2015. Despite some job losses, North Dakota had the lowest unemployment rate of all states at the end of last year — 2.7 percent — according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Recent news reports show other positive employment trends for Midwest states.

Missouri’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.3 percent in January 2016, down one-tenth of a percentage point from December 2015 and the lowest since June 2001, according to the state’s Department of Economic Development. Missouri’s adjusted employment rose by 5,800 jobs in January. The largest gains occurred in healthcare and the social assistance industry.

Minnesota’s unemployment rate held steady at 3.7 percent in January despite an overall loss of 5,000 jobs, mostly in the government sector. The Department of Employment and Economic Development said 3,800 government jobs were cut; however, eight of the 11 major industrial sectors added jobs over the past year. Education-and-health-services led with 3,000 new jobs in January.

JobsOhio, a privatized economic-development agency, said it created 23,602 jobs in Ohio last year, a record. The agency said it also attracted $6.7 billion in corporate investment last year, increasing its percentage of both jobs landed and investments made by approximately 10 percent compared to 2014. The state-created nonprofit said the new jobs have an annual payroll of $1.1 billion, which represents a 17 percent increase over last year’s payroll creation.

Nationwide, the unemployment rate at the end of December 2015 was 5.0 percent; by the end of February 2016 it had fallen to 4.9 percent.

The table shows BLS’ average unemployment rates for Midwest states for 2015 compared with 2014.