A new report from the Labor Department shows that the majority of states saw declines in their unemployment rates after the national unemployment rate fell to 8.6% in November. While nineteen states have higher unemployment rates than the national average, only three states reported increases in their unemployment rates. Nevada has the highest unemployment rate, of13%, while North Dakota's unemployment rate of 3.4% is the lowest in the country.
See "Jobless Rates Fall in 43 States", Phil Izzo, The Wall Street Journal, December 19, 2011