Washington state ranked No. 31 for unemployment rate bounce back

(The Center Square) – The Washington state unemployment rate ranks 31st out of 50 states and the District of Columbia in terms of bouncing back from the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain challenges, inflation, and high gas prices, according to a Friday report from WalletHub.

That’s according to the personal finance website’s updated rankings for “States Whose Unemployment Rates Are Bouncing Back Most.” February saw the U.S. gain 678,000 nonfarm payroll jobs, compared to 481,000 the previous months, the report states.

To identify which states are rebounding better than others, WalletHub compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia across two categories. The first category compared unemployment changes in February 2022 to February 2019, February 2021, and January 2020. Also, seasonally adjusted continued claims in January 2022 were compared to January 2019. The second category examined a state’s overall unemployment rate.

“Washington ranks in the bottom half for unemployment rate recovery,” WalletHub analyst Jill Gonzalez said in an email to The Center Square. “This is mostly due to the fact that the drop in the number of unemployed people in February 2022 compared to February 2021 was just above 27%, one of the lowest in the country. Plus, Washington’s overall unemployment rate is 4.3%, significantly higher than the national average of 3.8%.”

The Evergreen State’s 31st ranking represents a slight improvement from the state’s No. 32 position in WalletHub’s January report.

Washington fared worse in the study than its fellow Pacific Northwest states. Oregon was just ahead of Washington, coming in at No. 30 on the list. Idaho ranked No. 13.

The states that bounced back best are as follows:

1. Indiana

2. Utah

3. Nebraska

4. Kansas

5. Montana

6. Oklahoma

7. Minnesota

8. Alabama

9. New Hampshire

10. Arizona

The states or state designates that bounced back worst are as follows:

51. District of Columbia

50. California

49. Hawaii

48. New Mexico

47. Maryland

46. Massachusetts

45. Texas

44. Alaska

43. Connecticut

42. Delaware

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