With the U.S. having gained 142,000 jobs in August, WalletHub today released updated rankings for its report on Changes in Unemployment Rate by State, along with expert commentary.
In order to take stock of how unemployment rates are changing throughout the U.S., WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on six key metrics that compare unemployment rate statistics from the latest month for which data is available (August 2024) to key dates in 2024, 2023, 2020 and 2019.
| Best Change in Unemployment | Worst Change in Unemployment |
| 1. South Dakota | 42. Colorado |
| 2. Mississippi | 43. New Jersey |
| 3. North Dakota | 44. Washington |
| 4. Vermont | 45. Kentucky |
| 5. Wisconsin | 46. Rhode Island |
| 6. Hawaii | 47. California |
| 7. Nebraska | 48. Illinois |
| 8. Tennessee | 49. South Carolina |
| 9. Alabama | 50. Nevada |
| 10. Maine | 51. District of Columbia |
