North Dakota Unemployment Rate Falls to Record 4.9 points Below National Average
For the second consecutive month, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate has fallen in the State of North Dakota – providing further evidence of at least a lull in, if not a cessation to, the bad economic news that has befallen the Upper Midwest during the past year.
April’s jobless rate fell 0.2 points from March in North Dakota, landing at 4.0 percent – the lowest level in the state this year. North Dakota joins Minnesota and South Dakota as states in the region that experienced a net gain in employment for the month of April.
With the nation’s unemployment rate rising 0.4 points to 8.9 percent, North Dakota’s jobless rate is now a record 4.9 points below that of the country overall – breaking a record dating back over 33 years to January 1976 (-4.7 points). Last month, North Dakota’s unemployment rate was 4.3 points below the national average – tied for the 7th largest differential in state history (comparable Bureau of Labor Statistics records are available since 1976).
North Dakota vs. U.S. Unemployment Rate Differential, 1976-2009
|
Rank
|
Month
|
North Dakota
|
U.S.
|
Net
|
|
1
|
April 2009
|
4.0
|
8.9
|
-4.9
|
|
2
|
January 1976
|
3.2
|
7.9
|
-4.7
|
|
3
|
November 1982
|
6.2
|
10.8
|
-4.6
|
|
4
|
February 1976
|
3.2
|
7.7
|
-4.5
|
|
4
|
April 1976
|
3.2
|
7.7
|
-4.5
|
|
4
|
December 1982
|
6.3
|
10.8
|
-4.5
|
|
7
|
March 1976
|
3.3
|
7.6
|
-4.3
|
|
7
|
March 2009
|
4.2
|
8.5
|
-4.3
|
|
9
|
September 1982
|
5.9
|
10.1
|
-4.2
|
|
9
|
October 1982
|
6.2
|
10.4
|
-4.2
|
|
9
|
June 1983
|
5.9
|
10.1
|
-4.2
|
|
12
|
July 1976
|
3.7
|
7.8
|
-4.1
|
|
12
|
July 1982
|
5.7
|
9.8
|
-4.1
|
|
14
|
June 1982
|
5.6
|
9.6
|
-4.0
|
Note: Data from North Dakota Workforce Intelligence Network and U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics compiled by Smart Politics.
Unlike other states in the region, such as Minnesota and Wisconsin, North Dakota has had an extremely stable month-to-month unemployment situation.
Other than a historic 0.9-point jump in jobless claims from December 2008 to January 2009, the month-to-month rate of unemployment change in North Dakota has fluctuated between -0.2 and +0.2 points in 109 of 112 months since January 2000.
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