[xtypo_dropcap]T[/xtypo_dropcap]he unemployment rate rose in 21 states for November, while falling in only 15, with 14 states reporting no rate change, according to new U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data released on Friday.
The state and regional data were published the same day President Barack Obama signed into law a sweeping tax bill that renewed Bush-era tax cuts for both middle-class and wealthy Americans.
The BLS said earlier this month that the national jobless rate inched up to 9.8 percent amid concern that unemployment was stifling a potential economic recovery.
The western United States had the worst unemployment outlook with a 10.9 percent jobless rate, a distinction buoyed by poor employment environments in Nevada (14.3 percent, the highest in the nation) and California (12.4 percent).
The two Dakotas boast the nation’s lowest unemployment rates. North Dakota has only 3.8 percent and South Dakota 4.5 percent unemployment. Nebraska has 4.6 percent unemployment.
North Carolina suffered the largest decline in nonfarm payroll employment with a loss of 12,500 jobs, followed by Massachusetts (8,600) and Ohio (7,800). Texas (+19,100) and New Jersey (+10,000) were the biggest gainers in jobs.
