Georgia has nation's highest jobless rate in September
Georgia's 7.9 percent unemployment rate for the month of September is again ranked highest in the nation, according to a federal report released this morning.
The state’s jobless rate has been thrust into the center of Gov. Nathan Deal’s re-election campaign, and his opponents were eagerly awaiting the latest numbers. Democrat Jason Carter contends the metric is a sign that Deal’s jobs plan isn’t working, while the governor calls the statistic an “outlier” that doesn’t accurately gauge the state’s economic health.
"Unemployment rates are only good for political advertising," Deal said at Sunday's debate. "Economists don't pay any attention to them."
Georgia had the nation's highest jobless rate for the month of August after a surprising increase to 8.1 percent. The governor has suggested that politicking was behind the "historically faulty" data used for the rankings.
Unemployment rates for states monthly rankings
Seasonally adjusted for Sept. 2014
| Rank | State | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Dokota | 2.8 |
| 2 | South Dakota | 3.4 |
| 3 | Utah | 3.5 |
| 4 | Nebraska | 3.6 |
| 5 | Minnesota | 4.1 |
| 6 | Hawaii | 4.2 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | 4.3 |
| 8 | Vermont | 4.4 |
| 9 | Idaho | 4.5 |
| 10 | Iowa | 4.6 |
| 10 | Montana | 4.6 |
| 12 | Colorado | 4.7 |
| 12 | Oklahoma | 4.7 |
| 12 | Wyoming | 4.7 |
| 15 | Kansas | 4.8 |
| 16 | Texas | 5.2 |
| 17 | Virginia | 5.5 |
| 17 | Wisconsin | 5.5 |
| 19 | Ohio | 5.6 |
| 20 | Indiana | 5.7 |
| 20 | Pennsylvania | 5.7 |
| 20 | Washington | 5.7 |
| 23 | Maine | 5.8 |
| 24 | Louisiana | 6.0 |
| 24 | Massachusetts | 6.0 |
| 26 | Florida | 6.1 |
| 27 | Arkansas | 6.2 |
| 27 | New York | 6.2 |
| 29 | Maryland | 6.3 |
| 29 | Missouri | 6.3 |
| 31 | Connecticut | 6.4 |
| 32 | Delaware | 6.5 |
| 32 | New Jersey | 6.5 |
| 34 | Alabama | 6.6 |
| 34 | Illinois | 6.6 |
| 34 | New Mexico | 6.6 |
| 34 | South Carolina | 6.6 |
| 34 | West Virginia | 6.6 |
| 39 | Kentucky | 6.7 |
| 39 | North Carolina | 6.7 |
| 41 | Alaska | 6.8 |
| 42 | Arizona | 6.9 |
| 43 | Oregon | 7.1 |
| 44 | Michigan | 7.2 |
| 45 | California | 7.3 |
| 45 | Nevada | 7.3 |
| 45 | Tennessee | 7.3 |
| 48 | Rhode Island | 7.6 |
| 49 | District of Columbia | 7.7 |
| 49 | Mississippi | 7.7 |
| 51 | Georgia | 7.9 |
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
About the Author
Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution's chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.
