An increase in hiring helped lower unemployment rates in 37 U.S. states last month, the latest indication that the job market is slowly healing.
Unemployment rates are now below 7 percent in 23 of the 50 states. The Labor Department says rates rose in seven states in October and were unchanged in six.
Here are the unemployment rates for each state:
| State unemployment rates | |||
| Figures in percentages | |||
| October | September | Oct. 2011 | |
| Alabama | 8.1 | 8.2 | 8.5 |
| Alaska | 7.1 | 7.5 | 7.5 |
| Arizona | 8.1 | 8.2 | 9.2 |
| Arkansas | 7.2 | 7.1 | 8 |
| California | 10.1 | 10.2 | 11.5 |
| Colorado | 7.9 | 8 | 8.1 |
| Connecticut | 9 | 8.9 | 8.5 |
| Delaware | 6.8 | 6.8 | 7.3 |
| Florida | 8.5 | 8.7 | 10.2 |
| Georgia | 8.7 | 9 | 9.7 |
| Hawaii | 5.5 | 5.7 | 6.8 |
| Idaho | 7 | 7.1 | 8.6 |
| Illinois | 8.8 | 8.8 | 10 |
| Indiana | 8 | 8.2 | 9.1 |
| Iowa | 5.1 | 5.2 | 5.8 |
| Kansas | 5.7 | 5.9 | 6.6 |
| Kentucky | 8.4 | 8.4 | 9.3 |
| Louisiana | 6.6 | 7 | 7.1 |
| Maine | 7.4 | 7.6 | 7.3 |
| Maryland | 6.7 | 6.9 | 6.9 |
| Massachusetts | 6.6 | 6.5 | 7.1 |
| Michigan | 9.1 | 9.3 | 9.9 |
| Minnesota | 5.8 | 5.8 | 6.1 |
| Mississippi | 8.9 | 9.2 | 10.7 |
| Missouri | 6.9 | 6.9 | 8.3 |
| Montana | 6 | 6.1 | 6.8 |
| Nebraska | 3.8 | 3.9 | 4.4 |
| Nevada | 11.5 | 11.8 | 13.4 |
| New Hampshire | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.4 |
| New Jersey | 9.7 | 9.8 | 9.3 |
| New Mexico | 6.3 | 6.4 | 7.2 |
| New York | 8.7 | 8.9 | 8.2 |
| North Carolina | 9.3 | 9.6 | 10.6 |
| North Dakota | 3.1 | 3 | 3.5 |
| Ohio | 6.9 | 7.1 | 8.3 |
| Oklahoma | 5.3 | 5.2 | 6.3 |
| Oregon | 8.6 | 8.7 | 9.3 |
| Pennsylvania | 8.1 | 8.2 | 7.9 |
| Rhode Island | 10.4 | 10.5 | 11.2 |
| South Carolina | 8.6 | 9.1 | 10 |
| South Dakota | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.4 |
| Tennessee | 8.2 | 8.3 | 8.9 |
| Texas | 6.6 | 6.8 | 7.8 |
| Utah | 5.2 | 5.4 | 6.2 |
| Vermont | 5.5 | 5.4 | 5.4 |
| Virginia | 5.7 | 5.9 | 6.2 |
| Washington | 8.2 | 8.5 | 8.9 |
| Washington, D.C. | 8.5 | 8.7 | 10.3 |
| West Virginia | 7.5 | 7.6 | 7.9 |
| Wisconsin | 6.9 | 7.3 | 7.3 |
| Wyoming | 5.2 | 5.4 | 5.8 |
