Unemployment Rate by State 2025

What this chart shows. The average unemployment rate in each state and the District of Columbia in 2025. The District of Columbia had the highest rate at 6.3 per cent, followed by California at 5.5 per cent; South Dakota had the lowest at 2.1 per cent, followed by Hawaii at 2.4. The national rate was 4.3 per cent.

How the data is collected. The figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Local Area Unemployment Statistics program, which estimates state figures with statistical models that combine its national household survey, payroll data and unemployment insurance claims. The rates are annual averages, not seasonally adjusted.

Background. The national unemployment rate rose from 4.0 per cent in 2024 to 4.3 per cent in 2025, and 15 of the 51 were above the national figure. Adding up all state estimates gives 4.28 per cent, in line with the national survey.

Limits. BLS did not publish October 2025 state figures because of the lapse in federal appropriations that autumn. State rates have wider margins of error than the national rate, so differences of 0.1 or 0.2 points between states are not meaningful.