26 states see unemployment rates fall

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WASHINGTON, April 19 (UPI) -- Unemployment rates rose in seven states and fell in 26 and Washington, D.C., from February to March, the Labor Department said Friday.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics state-by-state report said figures were "little changed" overall in March. From a year earlier, however, 39 states and the nation's capital have seen unemployment rates drop, while eight states have seen their rates increase.

Nationally, the unemployment rate fell from 7.7 percent to 7.6 percent in March on a gain of 88,000 jobs -- a figure that implied more people were dropping out of the workforce than the number finding jobs.

Non-farm payrolls employment rose in 23 states in March and fell in 26 and the District of Columbia and broke even in New Mexico.

Florida gained the most jobs in the month -- 32,000. California added 25,500 as its unemployment rate fell to 9.4 percent, the lowest rate in four years.

Ohio for the month lost the most non-farm jobs, giving up 20,400, followed by Illinois with a loss of 17,800 jobs.

The lowest unemployment rates in March were 3.3 percent in North Dakota, 3.8 percent in Nebraska and 4.1 percent in Vermont. The highest rates were 9.7 percent in Nevada, 9.5 percent in Illinois, 9.4 percent in Mississippi and California, 9.2 percent in North Carolina, 9.1 percent in Rhode Island, and 9 percent in New Jersey.