Unemployment Rate Changes by State – WalletHub Study

WalletHub

Friday, February 21st, 2025

With the U.S. having gained 256,000 jobs in December, WalletHub today released updated rankings for its report on Changes in Unemployment Rate by State, along with expert commentary.

In order to take stock of how unemployment rates are changing throughout the U.S., WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on six key metrics that compare unemployment rate statistics from the latest month for which data is available (December 2024) to key dates in 2024, 2023, 2020 and 2019.

Best Change in Unemployment  Worst Change in Unemployment
1. South Dakota 42. Rhode Island
2. Connecticut 43. Colorado
3. New Hampshire 44. Indiana
4. Hawaii 45. District of Columbia
5. Vermont 46. Illinois
6. Virginia 47. California
7. Montana 48. Michigan
8. Oklahoma 49. South Carolina
9. Wisconsin 50. Nevada
10. Maryland 51. Kentucky 

To view the full report and your state’s rank, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/states-unemployment-rates/74907