WASHINGTON – The most recent edition of the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) Democrats’ State Economic Snapshots shows that private-sector employment increased in 35 states and the District of Columbia in November.
Since President Obama took office in January 2009, all but two states – Wyoming and West Virginia – have gained private-sector jobs. In total, the economy has gained 13.7 million jobs over the past 69 consecutive months, and the unemployment rate has fallen to 5.0 percent from a high of 10.0 percent in October 2009.
“We don’t need statisticians to tell us that many people are not benefiting from our economy and more work needs to be done to ensure that they do,” said JEC Ranking Member Carolyn B. Maloney. “But the latest data show that the economy is still improving and the picture is much brighter today than when President Obama took office.”
The economic report for all 50 states and the District of Columbia – based on the most recent economic data available – includes state-level data on jobs, unemployment and earnings. In addition, the snapshots include information on housing prices, state GDP and exports.
Highlights from the current report show:
- The unemployment rate fell in 27 states in November.
- Average hourly earnings, adjusted for inflation, have increased in 44 states over the past year.
- Home prices increased in 49 states and the District of Columbia over the year ending in the third quarter of 2015.
Over the past 12 months, 45 states and the District of Columbia gained private-sector jobs, with California (378,400), Florida (244,900), New York (175,200), Texas (153,500) and North Carolina (88,500) recording the largest increases. The largest percentage gains in private-sector employment during this period were in Idaho (5.1 percent), Utah (3.9 percent), Florida (3.6 percent), Washington (3.1 percent), South Dakota and South Carolina (3.0 percent each).
Nationally, in the past year, 2.5 million private-sector jobs were added, a 2.2 percent increase.
You may click here for individual state data, here for the full report and here for a map of unemployment rates.
