LANSING – Michigan was one of 15 states and the District of Columbia to see its unemployment rate drop in December, according to a report released Tuesday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

While Michigan has typically ranked first or second in national jobless reports for years, December’s 11.7 percent unemployment rate placed the state fourth. Nevada continues to record the highest jobless level with an unemployment rate of 14.5 percent.

The lowest unemployment in the country continued in North Dakota with a rate of 3.8 percent.

The bureau noted Michigan was one of four states, all located in the Midwest, to see a substantial drop-off in the number of people without jobs. Michigan’s jobless rate fell 0.7 percentage points from its November figure while Illinois, Indiana and Iowa all recorded rate decreases of 0.3 percentage points apiece.

For the month, jobless rates increased in 20 states and 15 states posted no change to their unemployment rates. The national unemployment rate for the month was 9.4 percent.

Regionally, the West continues to struggle the most with joblessness, posting a 10.9 percent unemployment rate in December. The Northeast performed the best in this area with a jobless rate of 8.4 percent.

The largest job gains, according to the bureau were made in Texas (added 20,000 jobs) and South Carolina (added 9,000 jobs) between November and December. However, a number of job losses were also reported by states, including 22,800 jobs in New York, 22,400 jobs in Minnesota, 17,900 jobs in Florida and 17,500 jobs in Georgia.

Over the year, 31 states and the District of Columbia have seen their jobless rates decline, while 16 have experienced an increase in their unemployment rates and three have recorded no change.

For the year, the largest job gains have occurred in Texas (up 230,800 jobs), Pennsylvania (up 65,600), Illinois (up 46,300) and Massachusetts (up 45,600).

For the year, New Jersey is the only state to record statistically significant employment loss, according to the bureau, with a decrease of 30,700 jobs.

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