Washington, DC…According to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics Report Texas and California led the way in new jobs last month. The latest report is below..

REGIONAL AND STATE EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT — FEBRUARY 2011

Regional and state unemployment rates were generally little changed in
February. Twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia recorded
unemployment rate decreases, 7 states registered rate increases, and
16 states had no change, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported
today. Forty-one states and the District of Columbia posted
unemployment rate decreases from a year earlier, 7 states reported
increases, and 2 states had no change. The national jobless rate was
8.9 percent in February, little changed from January but 0.8
percentage point lower than a year earlier.

In February nonfarm payroll employment increased in 35 states,
decreased in 14 states and the District of Columbia, and was unchanged
in 1 state. The largest over-the-month increase in employment occurred
in California (+96,500), followed by Pennsylvania (+23,700), Florida
and Texas (+22,700 each), and Illinois (+17,600). South Carolina
experienced the largest over-the-month percentage increase in employment
(+0.9 percent), followed by California and Delaware (+0.7 percent each)
and Oregon and Rhode Island (+0.6 percent each). The largest over-the-month
decrease in employment occurred in Kansas (-12,800), followed by Missouri
(-10,100), Washington (-8,500), Indiana (-7,900), and Oklahoma (-5,200).
Kansas experienced the largest over-the-month percentage decrease in
employment (-1.0 percent), followed by Montana (-0.6 percent), Maine and
New Mexico (-0.5 percent each), and Missouri and Wyoming (-0.4 percent each).
Over the year, nonfarm employment increased in 44 states and the District
of Columbia and decreased in 6 states. The largest over-the-year percentage
increase occurred in North Dakota (+4.4 percent), followed by Vermont (+2.8
percent) and Alaska and Texas (+2.5 percent each). The largest over-the-
year percentage decrease in employment occurred in Kansas (-1.0 percent),
followed by New Mexico (-0.8 percent) and Nevada (-0.7 percent).

Regional Unemployment (Seasonally Adjusted)

The West reported the highest regional unemployment rate in February,
10.8 percent, while the Northeast and Midwest recorded the lowest rates,
8.3 and 8.4 percent, respectively. Over the month, the Midwest, South,
and West each experienced statistically significant jobless rate changes
(-0.1 percentage point each). Three of the 4 regions registered
significant rate changes from a year earlier, all of which were declines:
the Midwest (-1.6 percentage points), Northeast (-0.7 point), and South
(-0.4 point). (See table 1.)

Among the nine geographic divisions, the Pacific continued to report the
highest jobless rate, 11.4 percent in February. The West North Central
again registered the lowest rate, 7.0 percent. The South Atlantic and
Pacific were the only divisions with statistically significant over-the-
month unemployment rate changes (-0.2 and -0.1 percentage point, respectively).
Over the year, two divisions posted significant rate changes: the East
North Central (-2.1 percentage points) and the Middle Atlantic (-0.6 point).

State Unemployment (Seasonally Adjusted)

Nevada continued to register the highest unemployment rate among the states,
13.6 percent in February. The states with the next highest rates were
California, 12.2 percent, Florida, 11.5 percent, and Rhode Island,
11.2 percent. North Dakota reported the lowest jobless rate, 3.7 percent,
followed by Nebraska and South Dakota, 4.3 and 4.8 percent, respectively.
One state, Colorado, set a new series high, 9.3 percent. (All state series
begin in 1976.) In total 22 states posted jobless rates significantly lower
than the U.S. figure of 8.9 percent, 10 states recorded measurably higher
rates, and 18 states and the District of Columbia had rates that were not
appreciably different from that of the nation. (See tables A and 3.)

Nevada experienced the largest over-the-month unemployment rate decrease
in February (-0.6 percentage point). Six other states also posted
statistically significant rate declines from January: Florida (-0.4
percentage point); Indiana, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina (-0.3 point
each); California (-0.2 point); and Maryland (-0.1 point). The remaining 43
states and the District of Columbia registered jobless rates that were not
measurably different from those of a month earlier, though some had changes
that were at least as large numerically as the significant changes.

Sixteen states reported statistically significant over-the-year jobless rate
decreases in February, the largest of which were in Michigan (-3.1 percentage
points) and Illinois (-2.2 points). The remaining 34 states and the District
of Columbia registered unemployment rates that were not appreciably different
from those of a year earlier. (See table B.)

Nonfarm Payroll Employment (Seasonally Adjusted)

Over the month, 19 states recorded statistically significant changes in employment.
The largest over-the-month statistically significant job gains occurred in Cali-
fornia (+96,500), Pennsylvania (+23,700), Florida (+22,700), and Illinois (+17,600).
Six states experienced statistically significant over-the-month declines in
employment: Kansas (-12,800), Missouri (-10,100), Washington (-8,500), New
Mexico (-4,000), Maine (-3,100), and Montana (-2,500). (See tables C and 5.)

Over the year, 27 states experienced statistically significant changes in employment,
all of which were increases. The largest increase occurred in Texas (+254,200),
followed by California (+196,400), Pennsylvania (+106,800), Ohio (+77,600), and
Illinois (+75,200). (See table D.)