10:13 AM EDT, 09/20/2024 (MT Newswires) -- State-level data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics Friday showed the unemployment rate rose in six states and the District of Columbia in August, fell in one and held steady elsewhere.

The largest unemployment rate gain was in South Carolina, where it rose by 0.4 percentage point. South Dakota had the lowest rate at 2% while the District of Columbia had the highest at 5.7%.

The national unemployment rate was reported at 4.2% in August, down from 4.3% in July.

Nonfarm payrolls increased in four states, fell in one and were little changed elsewhere. Nationwide nonfarm payrolls rose by 142,000 in August after an 89,000 jobs gain in July.

The largest payrolls gain in absolute terms was in Texas, which added 78,000 jobs, followed by Indiana with 19,800.