Unemployment dips to post-recession lows in 29 states

Job seekers meet with recruiters at a job fair. (Justin Sullivan/Getty.)

In more than half the states in the nation, unemployment last month reached its lowest point since the recession officially ended 4.5 years ago.

December marked the lowest post-recession rate in 29 states, with Missouri, South Carolina and Florida returning to levels — 5.9 percent, 6.6 percent and 6.2 percent, respectively — not seen since the summer of 2008. Unemployment in the states for which December marked a post-recession record ranged from 3.6 percent in Nebraska to 8.8 percent in Nevada, which was especially hard-hit by the downturn.

The recession officially ended in July 2009, though significant concerns remain. Long-term unemployment is historically high, and some economists believe many part-time workers would be working full-time if they could find such work. Some also worry that the unemployment rate is artificially low as would-be workers abandon the job search altogether, disqualifying them from the count.

State	Last time unemployment was this low	December 2013 rate
Connecticut	03/2009	7.40
Mississippi	02/2009	8.00
New York	02/2009	7.10
Pennsylvania	02/2009	6.90
West Virginia	02/2009	5.90
Colorado	01/2009	6.20
Texas	01/2009	6.00
Iowa	01/2009	4.20
Maryland	01/2009	6.10
New Jersey	01/2009	7.30
Delaware	12/2008	6.20
Nevada	12/2008	8.80
Wisconsin	12/2008	6.20
Utah	12/2008	4.10
Kansas	12/2008	4.90
Washington	12/2008	6.60
Indiana	11/2008	6.90
Maine	11/2008	6.20
Georgia	11/2008	7.40
Nebraska	11/2008	3.60
Idaho	11/2008	5.70
Arizona	11/2008	7.60
California	11/2008	8.30
Alabama	11/2008	6.10
North Carolina	10/2008	6.90
Oregon	09/2008	7.00
Florida	07/2008	6.20
South Carolina	07/2008	6.60
Missouri	07/2008	5.90