R.I. Jan. unemployment rate third highest in N.E.

RHODE ISLAND had the third highest unemployment rate in New England in January at 7.2%. / AP FILE PHOTO/ERIC GAY

PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island had the third-highest unemployment rate in New England in January at 7.2%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said on Monday.

The state’s unemployment rate declined 0.5 percentage points month to month, but was still higher than a rate of 3.8% one year prior, reflecting the ongoing economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read PBN’s full breakdown of Rhode Island’s employment statistics for January here.

The national unemployment rate was 6.3% in January, 0.4 percentage points lower than December, but a rise from 2.8% in January 2020. Hawaii and California had the highest unemployment rates in the nation in January at 10.2%. The lowest unemployment rates for the month were in South Dakota and Utah at 3.1%.

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In New England, Rhode Island had a lower unemployment rate in January than Connecticut and Massachusetts:

  • Connecticut: 8.1%, a decline from 8.2% in December and a rise from 3.7% in January 2020.
  • Massachusetts: 7.8%, a decline from 8.4% in December and a rise from 2.8% in January
  • Maine: 5.2%, a rise from 5% in December and 3% in January 2020
  • New Hampshire: 3.6%, a decline from 3.8% in December but an increase from 2.6% in January 2020
  • Vermont: 3.2%, a decline from 3.5% in December but a rise from 2.5% one year prior.

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