Best and worst U.S. states to find a job


]()As in most cases, location matters. For job seekers, location may just be essential.

The U.S. unemployment rate has been hovering around the 9 percent rate across the country for a few months now, but not all states are equal. There are a number of U.S. states reporting unemployment rates under 6 percent, and even a few with under 5 percent. On the other hand, there are states that have one-tenth or more of their population out of work.

In our latest Marketplace Map, we take a look at America at Work. The data on unemployment as of August 2011 reveal distinct differences state-by-state -- North Dakota by far has the lowest unemployment rate with 3.5 percent, whereas Nevada has the worst, with a 13.4 percent unemployment rate. That's more than a three-fold difference.

Here are the top 10 best and worst U.S. states to find a job:

Top 10 U.S. states by unemployment rate:

1. North Dakota (3.5%)

2. Nebraska (4.2%)

3. South Dakota (4.7%)

4. New Hampshire (5.3%)

5. Oklahoma (5.6%)

6. Wyoming (5.8%)

7. Vermont (5.9%)

8. Iowa (6.1%)

9. Hawaii (6.2%)

10. Virginia (6.3%)

Bottom 10 U.S. states by unemployment rate:

1. Nevada (13.4%)

2. California (12.1%)

3. Michigan (11.2%)

4. South Carolina (11.1%)

5. Florida (10.7%)

6. Rhode Island (10.6%)

7. North Carolina (10.4%)

8. Mississippi (10.3%)

9. Georgia (10.2%)

10. Illinois (9.9%)

To see how your state fared, check out Marketplace Maps: America at Work.

About the author

Chau Tu is the former assistant web producer for Marketplace.


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