NH records lowest unemployment in the nation
Jun. 24—For the month of May, New Hampshire recorded the lowest unemployment rate in the nation, according to data released Wednesday.
The unemployment rate dropped to 2.5% in May — lower than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic. The rate held steady at 2.6% for nearly a year before the pandemic hit, according to data from the Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau.
In April, New Hampshire tied with Nebraska, South Dakota and Utah for the lowest with 2.8% unemployment rates.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, unemployment rates were lower in 21 states and the District of Columbia than the month before. The national unemployment rate was 5.8%.
Hawaii has the highest unemployment rate at 8.1%
Nebraska and Vermont — with unemployment rates of 2.6% each — are not far behind New Hampshire.
New Hampshire is down 10.9 percentage points from May 2020. The unemployment rate skyrocketed to 16% in April 2020 because of the pandemic.
"For a second month in a row, New Hampshire has the lowest unemployment rate in the nation," said Gov. Chris Sununu, in a statement. "As we head into a booming 603 summer, our pro-growth, pro-jobs agenda is paying dividends for the citizens and small businesses of our state. New Hampshire is open for business."
New Hampshire Employment Security has already held 23 virtual job fairs that have connected 10,000 job-seekers with 1,000 employers.
The state saw a historic low unemployment rate of 2.1% in June 1987.
