10:18 AM EDT, 06/23/2026 (MT Newswires) -- State-level data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics Tuesday showed the unemployment rate fell in six states in May, rose in two and held steady elsewhere.

The unemployment rate declined by 0.2 percentage point in South Carolina, Delaware, Ohio, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, while it declined by 0.1 percentage point in South Dakota.

South Dakota had the lowest rate at 2.1% while Washington DC had the highest at 6.1%.

The national unemployment rate was reported at 4.3% in May, unchanged from April.

Nonfarm payrolls rose in two states, and were little changed elsewhere. Nationwide nonfarm payrolls increased by 172,000 in May after a 179,000 gain in April.

The largest payrolls gain in absolute terms was in North Carolina, which added 17,400 jobs, followed by West Virginia with 9,700.