WASHINGTON, Nov. 22 (UPI) -- Florida led 34 states reporting payrolls rising in October over the previous month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday.
Payrolls decreased in 15 states, and were unchanged in the District of Columbia and Pennsylvania, the Labor Department unit said.
In the same regional and state unemployment/employment report, the bureau said October unemployment rates in 28 states fell from September, while 11 states and the District of Columbia saw jobless rates rise and 11 states reported no change, the Labor Department said Friday.
With an additional 44,600 jobs, Florida paced job-gaining states, followed by California, with 39,800 more jobs and North Carolina with 22,200, BLS data indicated.
The largest decreases in employment were in Kentucky, with 12,600 jobs lost; followed by Washington, down 8,100 jobs; New Jersey, which lost 5,500 jobs; and Virginia, down 5,400, the bureau said.
Because of the partial federal government shutdown Oct. 1-16, preliminary local and area unemployment statistics for September weren't released until Friday, the BLS said.
In September, non-farm payroll employment increased in 26 states and the District of Columbia, and and fell in 24 states.
