Louisiana’s unemployment rate dropped between July and August, from 9.4% to 7.6%, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The national average unemployment rate was 8.4%.
Louisiana was among 41 states whose unemployment rate fell in August.
Nonetheless, all 50 states and Washington, D.C., reported jobless rate increases from the year before. Louisiana’s unemployment rate in August 2019 was 4.9%.
Altogether, Louisiana added 19,100 jobs in August, bringing total statewide employment up 1% to over 1.85 million. However, the employment count is down 6.6% from one year ago, when more than 1.98 million people were employed in Louisiana.
Overall, Nevada saw the highest unemployment rate last month (13.2%), followed by Rhode Island (12.8%) and Hawaii and New York (12.5% each). Meanwhile, Nebraska had the lowest rate (4.0%), followed by Utah (4.1%) and Idaho (4.2%).
