Highest unemployment rate in 2002: Alaska

March 04, 2003

Alaska registered the highest annual average unemployment rate for 2002 at 7.7 percent.

[Chart data—TXT]

Oregon was the State with the next highest rate, 7.5 percent, followed by Washington at 7.3 percent. The three States with the highest rates are all in the Pacific division. Another State in the Pacific division, California, had the sixth highest unemployment rate.

Overall, 16 States and the District of Columbia had unemployment rates above the national average of 5.8 percent in 2002, and two States had rates equal to it.

These data are a product of the Local Area Unemployment Statistics program. To learn more, see State and Regional Unemployment, 2002 Annual Averages, news release USDL 03-90.