Where the fewest people are out of work.
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Rankings · Highest Unemployment by State
2 States Tie for the Highest Unemployment of the 50 We Rank (2026)
California and Connecticut tie for the highest unemployment of the 50 states we rank, each at 5.1% (BLS, September 2026).
By The Honest Local · 50 states · every value links to its public source
5.1%California and Connecticut tie on the list, the highest reading of all 50 statesThe share of people who want work and can't find it, straight from the tape.
The top five states
No. 1California5.1%unemployment rate
No. 1Connecticut5.1%unemployment rate
No. 3Michigan5.0%unemployment rate- No. 3Oregon5.0%unemployment rate
No. 5Arizona4.9%unemployment rate
Highest Unemployment by State on the map
Jobless Rate, states
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Highest Unemployment by State, all 50
The full ranking
| Place | unemployment rate | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 5.1% |
| 1 | Connecticut | 5.1% |
| 3 | Michigan | 5.0% |
| 3 | Oregon | 5.0% |
| 5 | Arizona | 4.9% |
| 6 | Washington | 4.8% |
| 7 | Kentucky | 4.7% |
| 7 | Nevada | 4.7% |
| 7 | New Mexico | 4.7% |
| 10 | Delaware | 4.6% |
| 10 | Illinois | 4.6% |
| 12 | Minnesota | 4.5% |
| 13 | Florida | 4.4% |
| 13 | Texas | 4.4% |
| 15 | Alaska | 4.3% |
| 15 | Massachusetts | 4.3% |
| 15 | New York | 4.3% |
| 18 | New Jersey | 4.2% |
| 18 | Oklahoma | 4.2% |
| 20 | Colorado | 4.1% |
| 21 | Louisiana | 4.0% |
| 21 | South Carolina | 4.0% |
| 21 | West Virginia | 4.0% |
| 24 | Arkansas | 3.9% |
| 24 | Maryland | 3.9% |
| 26 | Kansas | 3.8% |
| 27 | Idaho | 3.6% |
| 27 | Missouri | 3.6% |
| 27 | Pennsylvania | 3.6% |
| 27 | Rhode Island | 3.6% |
| 27 | Virginia | 3.6% |
| 32 | Alabama | 3.5% |
| 32 | Utah | 3.5% |
| 34 | Indiana | 3.4% |
| 34 | North Carolina | 3.4% |
| 34 | Ohio | 3.4% |
| 34 | Tennessee | 3.4% |
| 38 | Georgia | 3.3% |
| 38 | Maine | 3.3% |
| 38 | Mississippi | 3.3% |
| 41 | Iowa | 3.2% |
| 41 | Wisconsin | 3.2% |
| 43 | Montana | 3.1% |
| 44 | Wyoming | 3.0% |
| 45 | Nebraska | 2.9% |
| 46 | Hawaii | 2.8% |
| 47 | New Hampshire | 2.6% |
| 47 | Vermont | 2.6% |
| 49 | North Dakota | 2.2% |
| 50 | South Dakota | 2.0% |
Sources and method
- BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics · 2026-09
How we got this. The jobless rate is the Bureau of Labor Statistics' metro rate for cities and its state rate for states, refreshed monthly. Cities and states each rank on their own list, lowest rate first, and places tied at the same rate share a rank. The US Virgin Islands has no series, so it's left off. It refreshes monthly, when the BLS publishes.
Rankings by The Honest Local from public data, one page per list, refreshed on each source’s own cycle. Places with no reading are left out rather than estimated. Every value on this page carries its source in the page’s structured data.
Photos Shutterstock/UladzikKryhin · Shutterstock.