Annual Average Jobless Rate Fell In 46 States in 2012, BLS Reports

The average annual unemployment rate declined in 2012 in 46 states and the District of Columbia, while increasing in two states and holding steady in two others, the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics said March 1.

In tandem with the decreases, the average share of the population 16 years of age and older who were employed last year—either full or part time—increased in 26 states and the district, while falling in 18 states, and staying the same as in 2011 in six states.

Nationwide, the jobless rate averaged 8.1 percent in 2012, down 0.8 percentage point from an ...