Unemployment rates were lower in March in 18 states, higher in the District of Columbia, and stable in 32 states, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. South Dakota had the lowest jobless rate in March, 1.9 percent. The next lowest rates were in Nebraska and North Dakota, 2.1 percent each. The rates in Alabama (2.3 percent), Arkansas (3.0 percent), Maryland (2.7 percent), Mississippi (3.5 percent), Montana (2.3 percent), West Virginia (3.4 percent), and Wisconsin (2.5 percent) set new series lows. (All state series begin in 1976.)

Eleven states and the District had jobless rate decreases from a year earlier, 10 states had increases, and 29 states had little change. The national unemployment rate, 3.5 percent, changed little both over the month and over the year.

Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 2 states and was essentially unchanged in 48 states and the District of Columbia in March 2023. Over the year, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 42 states and was essentially unchanged in 8 states and the District. The largest job increases occurred in Texas (+575,100), California (+432,100), and Florida (+413,000). The largest percentage increase occurred in Nevada (+5.0 percent), followed by Florida (+4.5 percent) and Texas (+4.3 percent).