Data released from the Labor Department Thursday showed that the unemployment rate fell in 11 states during June. The numbers contrasted those reported in May in which the rate fell in 25 states. June?s report also illustrated the unevenness of the recovery across the country; with the rate in Nevada reaching highest at 9.6 percent and North Dakota maintaining the lowest rate in the country at 3.1 percent. Nineteen states had jobless rates significantly lower than the national rate, which currently stands at 7.6 percent.
See "Jobless rates drop in 11 U.S. states in June: Labor Department", Lisa Lambert, Reuters, July 18, 2013