10:16 AM EDT, 05/22/2026 (MT Newswires) -- State-level data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics Friday showed the unemployment rate fell in three states in April, rose in two and held steady elsewhere.

The largest unemployment rate decline was in Ohio, where it fell by 0.2 percentage point, while the unemployment rate rose by 0.2 percentage point in Connecticut. South Dakota had the lowest rate at 2.2% while Washington DC had the highest at 6.2%.

The national unemployment rate was reported at 4.3% in April, the same as in March.

Nonfarm payrolls rose in six states and were little changed elsewhere. Nationwide nonfarm payrolls increased by 115,000 in April after a 185,000 gain in March.

The largest payrolls gain in absolute terms was in Florida, which added 40,500 jobs, followed by North Carolina with 16,000 jobs. New Mexico's 0.6% gain was the largest percentage increase.