In April, Michigan reported the highest jobless rate, 12.9 percent. This is according to data released by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The states with the next highest rates were Oregon, 12.0 percent; South Carolina, 11.5 percent; Rhode Island, 11.1 percent; California, 11.0 percent; North Carolina, 10.8 percent; Nevada, 10.6 percent; and Ohio, 10.2 percent.
The Rhode Island and South Carolina rates were the highest on record for those states. Georgia, at 9.3 percent, also posted a series high. (All state series begin in 1976.)
The national unemployment rate was 8.9 percent in April 2009.
This data is from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics program and are seasonally adjusted. More state unemployment statistics are available in "Regional and State Employment and Unemployment: April 2009" (PDF) (HTML), news release USDL 09-0548.
