States with the most severe changes in unemployment rate

The country's overall unemployment rate was 3.9% as of February with notable gains in payroll jobs in healthcare, according to a WalletHub report.

The personal finance website compared unemployment rate changes from February 2023 to February 2024 in 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report, published March 22, compared the unemployment rate of February 2024 to January 2024, February 2023, February 2020 and February 2019. Each state was ranked on a 100-point scale.

Here are the states with the greatest increases and decreases in unemployment between February 2024 and February 2023:

Decrease in unemployment

1. Wyoming: -24.8%
   
   
2. Pennsylvania: -22.3%
   
   
3. Massachusetts: -19.8%
   
   
4. Mississippi: -18.4%
   
   
5. Vermont: -17.8%
   
   
6. Maryland: -17.4%
   
   
7. Hawaii: -12.4%
   
   
8. Oregon: -11.5%
   
   
9. Delaware: -10.3%
   
   
10. Kansas: -9.4%

Increase in unemployment

1. Montana: 40.8%
   
   
2. New Jersey: 37.1%
   
   
3. Rhode Island: 30.8%
   
   
4. Missouri: 29.3%
   
   
5. Idaho: 28.9%
   
   
6. Maine: 25.7%
   
   
7. Colorado: 23.4%
   
   
8. Oklahoma: 23.3%
   
   
9. Alabama: 23%
   
   
10. Alaska: 22.8%