Maryland’s unemployment rate, once the lowest in the US, continues to rise

Maryland’s state unemployment rate hit an all-time low in October 2023, at just 1.7%, marking the lowest state unemployment rate in the U.S., but it has risen most of 2024.

In November, the Maryland unemployment rate was 3.1%, up from 3.0% in October, and notably higher than 2.2% recorded in November 2023 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Virginia’s unemployment rate now remains below Maryland, though it rose to 3.0% in November, up from 2.9% in October. A year ago, Virginia’s unemployment rate was 3.1%.

State unemployment rates reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics are seasonally-adjusted. Nationally, the unemployment rate in November was 4.2%.

Both Maryland and Virginia have seen modest job growth in the past year, Maryland’s nonfarm payrolls rose by 37,100 from a year ago in November, for a job growth ate of 1.4%. Virginia’s annual job growth rate of 1.7% has added 72,800 jobs in the past year.

South Dakota had the lowest state unemployment rate in November, at 1.9%. Nevada had the highest, at 5.7%. When compared to states, the District had the second-highest November unemployment rate, at 5.6%, down from 5.7% in November, although up from 4.9% a year ago.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics posts monthly state-by-state unemployment rates and changes in payrolls online.

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Jeff Clabaugh

Jeff Clabaugh has spent 20 years covering the Washington region's economy and financial markets for WTOP as part of a partnership with the Washington Business Journal, and officially joined the WTOP newsroom staff in January 2016.

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