R.I.’s unemployment rate highest in New England in 2016

RHODE ISLAND had the highest unemployment rate in New England last year at 5.3 percent, which was higher than the overall New England rate of 4.1 percent, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. /COURTESY U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
RHODE ISLAND had the highest unemployment rate in New England last year at 5.3 percent, which was higher than the overall New England rate of 4.1 percent, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. /COURTESY U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island had the highest unemployment rate in New England last year at 5.3 percent, which was higher than the overall New England rate of 4.1 percent and the national rate of 4.9 percent.

All of the New England states saw their unemployment rates fall over the year, mirroring national and regional patterns, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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The Ocean State’s jobless rate fell seven-tenths of a percentage point over the year, while Massachusetts had the largest year-over-year decline, to 3.7 percent from 4.9 percent, a 1.2 percentage point change.

New Hampshire, at 2.8 percent, had the lowest jobless rate in New England last year. It declined six-tenths of a percentage point over the year. Vermont had the next-lowest rate at 3.3 percent, three-tenths of a percentage point lower than 2015. Maine’s rate fell to 3.9 percent, which was five-tenths of a percentage point lower.

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Connecticut had the next-highest jobless rate after Rhode Island at 5.1 percent. Its rate fell six-tenths of a percentage point over the year.

Rhode Island’s labor force declined to 552,000 in 2016 from 554,000 in 2015, while the number of employed grew to 523,000 from 520,000, and the number of unemployed fell to 29,000 from 33,000.

New England is one of nine geographic divisions in the country.

Jobless rates in the divisions ranged from a low of 3.9 percent in the West North Central to a high of 5.3 percent in the Pacific and East South Central last year. Three divisions, New England, West North Central, and Mountain, which had a rate of 4.6 percent, recorded annual average unemployment rates that were significantly lower than that for the nation.

Six of the nine geographic divisions had statistically significant over-the-year unemployment rate changes in 2016, all of which were declines. New England had the largest decline at 0.8 percentage points, according to the federal agency.

Lori Stabile is the PBN Web Editor. 

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