Chart assignment

Charts to read and discuss

Read each chart, then answer its questions. Every chart shows its source and date; open it for a table of the numbers and the data to download.

  1. Which states have the highest unemployment?

Chart 1 of 1 · Jobs and wages

Which states have the highest unemployment?

The interactive chart needs JavaScript. The numbers are on the chart's page.

In September 2026, District of Columbia had the highest unemployment rate, 5.6%, followed by California (5.1%) and Connecticut (5.1%). South Dakota had the lowest at 2.0%, and the US rate was 4.2%. Rates are BLS monthly estimates for each state, seasonally adjusted.

Questions to discuss

  1. In one sentence of your own, what does this chart show?
  2. Find the biggest change or difference in the chart. What might explain it?
  3. Who collected these numbers, and how recent are they? What else would you want to know before drawing a conclusion?

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (Public domain (U.S. government work)) · Data as of Sep 30, 2026

Open the chart and its numbers

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