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Ranked: Where Unemployment Is Highest in America
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Key Takeaways
- Washington, D.C. had the highest unemployment rate in December 2025 at 6.7%, far above the 4.4% national average.
- Delaware saw the largest year-over-year increase, rising 1.6 percentage points from December 2024.
- California, New Jersey, Delaware, and Oregon ranked among the highest-unemployment labor markets at the end of 2025.
The U.S. unemployment rate stood at 4.4% in December 2025, but conditions varied sharply across states. Washington, D.C. stood out as a clear outlier, while several coastal labor markets continued to post elevated jobless rates.
This graphic ranks U.S. states by unemployment rate in December 2025 and shows the 12-month change from December 2024, based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Three patterns stand out: D.C. at the top by a wide margin, Delaware recording the sharpest increase, and persistently higher unemployment across parts of the West Coast.
D.C. the Clear Outlier for Unemployment
Washington, D.C. had the highest unemployment rate in the country in December 2025 at 6.7%, up 1.4% from a year earlier and well above the national average.
The data below includes unemployment rates by state in December 2024 and December 2025.
| State | Dec. 2025 unemployment rate | Dec. 2024 unemployment rate | 12-month change |
|---|---|---|---|
| D.C. | 6.7 | 5.3 | 1.4 |
| California | 5.5 | 5.5 | 0 |
| New Jersey | 5.4 | 4.6 | 0.8 |
| Delaware | 5.2 | 3.6 | 1.6 |
| Nevada | 5.2 | 5.8 | -0.6 |
| Oregon | 5.2 | 4.3 | 0.9 |
| Michigan | 5.0 | 5.2 | -0.2 |
| Alaska | 4.8 | 4.7 | 0.1 |
| Massachusetts | 4.8 | 4.1 | 0.7 |
| South Carolina | 4.8 | 4.4 | 0.4 |
| Washington | 4.7 | 4.4 | 0.3 |
| Illinois | 4.6 | 4.9 | -0.3 |
| New York | 4.6 | 4.4 | 0.2 |
| West Virginia | 4.6 | 4.1 | 0.5 |
| Kentucky | 4.5 | 5.3 | -0.8 |
| Ohio | 4.5 | 4.5 | 0 |
| Arizona | 4.3 | 3.8 | 0.5 |
| Florida | 4.3 | 3.4 | 0.9 |
| New Mexico | 4.3 | 4.3 | 0 |
| Rhode Island | 4.3 | 4.5 | -0.2 |
| Texas | 4.3 | 4.2 | 0.1 |
| Arkansas | 4.2 | 3.6 | 0.6 |
| Connecticut | 4.2 | 3.2 | 1 |
| Louisiana | 4.2 | 4.6 | -0.4 |
| Maryland | 4.2 | 3.1 | 1.1 |
| Pennsylvania | 4.2 | 3.7 | 0.5 |
| Minnesota | 4.1 | 3.0 | 1.1 |
| Missouri | 3.9 | 3.6 | 0.3 |
| North Carolina | 3.9 | 3.7 | 0.2 |
| Colorado | 3.8 | 4.6 | -0.8 |
| Kansas | 3.8 | 3.8 | 0 |
| Mississippi | 3.7 | 3.6 | 0.1 |
| Georgia | 3.6 | 3.6 | 0 |
| Idaho | 3.6 | 3.8 | -0.2 |
| Oklahoma | 3.6 | 3.3 | 0.3 |
| Tennessee | 3.6 | 3.7 | -0.1 |
| Utah | 3.6 | 3.3 | 0.3 |
| Virginia | 3.6 | 2.9 | 0.7 |
| Indiana | 3.5 | 4.4 | -0.9 |
| Iowa | 3.5 | 3.3 | 0.2 |
| Montana | 3.4 | 2.9 | 0.5 |
| Wyoming | 3.4 | 3.5 | -0.1 |
| Maine | 3.2 | 3.4 | -0.2 |
| New Hampshire | 3.1 | 2.8 | 0.3 |
| Wisconsin | 3.1 | 3.1 | 0 |
| Nebraska | 3 | 2.9 | 0.1 |
| Alabama | 2.7 | 3.3 | -0.6 |
| North Dakota | 2.6 | 2.5 | 0.1 |
| Vermont | 2.6 | 2.5 | 0.1 |
| Hawaii | 2.2 | 3 | -0.8 |
| South Dakota | 2.2 | 1.9 | 0.3 |
D.C. had a challenging 2025, being impacted more than any anywhere else by the massive federal workforce reduction which saw over 300,000 government employees dismissed through either layoffs or voluntary resignation offers.
While not all of these workers were D.C.-based, the nation’s capital was at the center of reductions in force, as over 10% of the city’s population are employed by the federal government, compared to less than 3% nationally.
Highest and Lowest Unemployment in the U.S.
After D.C., the highest unemployment rates were in California (5.5%), New Jersey (5.4%), and Delaware and Oregon (both 5.2%).
When also considering Washington (4.7%), the West Coast average unemployment rate was over 5.1%, higher than any other region nationwide.
At the other end of the ranking, Hawaii and South Dakota (both 2.2%) had the lowest unemployment rates in the country, with Hawaii also seeing a 0.8% year-over-year drop.
Biggest Changes in Unemployment in 2025
Hawaii was not alone in seeing a notable decline in unemployment. Colorado and Kentucky each posted 0.8% drops over the course of 2025, while Indiana saw a slightly larger 0.9% reduction over the same period.
Delaware had the biggest increase in unemployment between December 2024 and December 2025 at 1.6%, followed by Maryland and Minnesota (both 1.1%).
These states saw the sharpest year-over-year changes in 2025, while California stood out for having one of the country’s highest unemployment rates with no change from a year earlier.
Learn More on the Voronoi App
If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Unemployment Rates in OECD Countries on Voronoi.