New England Unemployment Rate Unchanged in October

BOSTON — The New England Information Office of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has released New England and state unemployment numbers for October 2015. These data are supplied by the Local Area Unemployment Statistics program, which produces monthly and annual employment, unemployment, and labor-force data for Census regions and divisions, states, counties, metropolitan areas, and many cities, by place of residence.

The New England unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.6% in October. One year ago, the New England jobless rate was higher, at 5.6%. The U.S. jobless rate was essentially unchanged from September (5.0%).

Three New England states posted jobless rates that were significantly different from the U.S. rate, as New Hampshire (3.3%), Vermont (3.7%), and Maine (4.3%) recorded lower-than-average unemployment rates.

Over the last year, five New England states recorded statistically significant unemployment rate decreases, with declines ranging from 1.7% in Rhode Island to 0.5% in Vermont. In fact, Rhode Island had the largest jobless-rate decline nationwide.