STORM2K

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) -- Payrolls outside the farm sector grew by just 21,000 jobs in February, the Labor Department reported, compared with a downwardly revised gain of 97,000 in January. The unemployment rate held steady at 5.6 percent.

The nation has lost about 2.35 million jobs since March 2001, when the last recession began, marking the longest stretch of labor market weakness since the Labor Department started keeping track in 1939. The state figures below are for January and were released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on March 10. Numbers for February are due March 31.



State - Unemployment Rate

South Dakota - 2.9%
North Dakota - 3.0%
Delaware - 3.4%
Virginia - 3.6%
Vermont - 3.8%
Hawaii - 3.9%
Nebraska - 3.9%
Wyoming - 3.9%
Iowa - 4.1%
New Hampshire - 4.1%
Florida - 4.3%
Georgia - 4.3%
Maryland - 4.3%
Nevada - 4.5%
Minnesota - 4.6%
Montana - 4.6%
Connecticut - 4.7%
Kansas - 4.7%
Missouri - 4.7%
Idaho - 4.8%
Maine - 4.9%
Tennessee - 4.9%
Indiana - 5.0%
Oklahoma - 5.0%
Utah - 5.0%
Wisconsin - 5.0%
Arizona - 5.2%
Arkansas - 5.2%
Kentucky - 5.2%
Rhode Island - 5.2%
West Virginia - 5.2%
Pennsylvania - 5.3%
New Jersey - 5.5%
Colorado - 5.6%
Massachusetts - 5.6%

U.S. Average (as of February) 5.6%

New Mexico - 5.7%
Mississippi - 5.8%
North Carolina - 5.8%
Alabama - 6.0%
California - 6.1%
Louisiana - 6.1%
Illinois - 6.2%
Ohio - 6.2%
District of Columbia - 6.3%
South Carolina - 6.3%
Texas - 6.3%
New York - 6.5%
Washington - 6.5%
Michigan - 6.6%
Alaska - 7.3%
Oregon - 7.7%

Actually, the numbers are lower here in MS.