Wednesday, August 12, 2009
South Carolina unemployment rate is 12,1%, third highest in nation and highest in state’s history
SC unemployment rate at 12.1% reaches highest in history
The unemployment rate in South Carolina is 12.1%, the third highest in the nation and the highest on record for the state, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The figures cover the month of June 2009, the most recent month for which statistics are available.
A year earlier in June 2008 South Carolina’s unemployment rate was 6.5%, meaning that unemployment has almost doubled in the state during the past 12 months. During the 12 months the state has lost 91,000 jobs.
Only Oregon (12.2%), Rhode Island (12.4%) and Michigan (15.2%) have higher rates of unemployment than South Carolina according to the figures.
Over the year, jobless rates were higher in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The highest-unemployment states are experiencing rates of unemployment that have not been seen since the Great Depression and, in the case of South Carolina, have not been seen in history. The largest job losses occurred in California (-766,300), Florida (-392,800), Michigan (-337,600), Ohio (-279,000), Illinois (-272,600), and Texas (-266,300).
Here is a state by state comparison of unemployment between 2008 and 2009:
