Most states see unemployment drop in 2012

Unemployment dropped for the vast majority of states in 2012, according to new numbers released by the Labor Department Friday.

All told, the average unemployment rate dropped in 46 states and the District of Columbia across 2012, and rose in just two. The rate stayed the same for another pair of states.

The major trend of falling unemployment in the states lines up with the national trend, which saw the overall unemployment rate fall 0.8 percentage points in 2012, ending the year at 8.1 percent.

Nevada experienced the biggest drop in its unemployment rate in 2012, falling 2.1 percentage points. However, it still has the furthest to fall, as it is home to the nation's highest jobless rate — at 11.1 percent — following by California and Rhode Island at 10.5 and 10.4 percent, respectively.

North Dakota held on to its title as the state with the lowest jobless rate for the fourth year in a row, now at 3.1 percent. Nebraska and South Dakota rounded out the top three in terms of the employment.

The only states to see their jobless rate rise in 2012 were New York and New Jersey, which both lingering above the national average. New Jersey's rate climbed 0.1 percent to 9.5 percent, while New York's jumped 0.2 percent to 8.5. The unemployment rate of New Hampshire (5.5 percent) and Pennsylvania (7.9 percent) remained flat throughout 2012.  

From a regional perspective, the West was the only area of the country to have an unemployment rate above the national average, standing at 9.2 percent. Three of the four regions, including the West, experienced significant drops in their unemployment rate, while the Northeast sits relatively close to the national average at 8.2 percent and was unchanged in 2012. The Midwest and South both have unemployment rates below the national average of 7.4 and 7.7 percent, respectively.

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