Nine states and the District of Columbia lost jobs in the year ending in September, according to a report released Tuesday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Stateline reported on October 21.
Source: Stateline
Hit hard by the Trump administration's cuts to the federal workforce, the District of Columbia suffered the largest percentage job loss, down 3.5% or 25,800 jobs, Stateline reported. Maryland lost 13,900 nonfarm jobs over the year, a 0.5% decline, and Virginia shed 25,600 jobs, a 0.6% decrease, citybiz reported, noting all three jurisdictions have substantial concentrations of federal employees.
Source: citybiz
Montana, which lost jobs for the first time since 2020, shed 1% of its total workforce, or 5,300 jobs, Stateline reported. Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia all experienced declines of less than 1%.
Source: Stateline
The state that gained the most jobs was South Carolina, up 2.3% or 55,200 jobs, followed by Louisiana (up 1.8% or 36,000) and Nevada (up 1.6% or 25,300), both reports said. South Carolina's job growth was concentrated in construction, health care, and leisure and hospitality, the state's employment and workforce executive director William Floyd said in a statement cited by both reports; car-parts makers are also ramping up to supply a planned Scout Motors factory, and hiring has begun for a new BMW battery factory.
Source: Stateline
What is solid
- Nine states and D.C. lost jobs in the year ending in September, per BLS data reported by Stateline and citybiz.
- D.C. had the steepest percentage fall (-3.5%, 25,800 jobs); Montana had the largest percentage fall among states (-1%, 5,300 jobs).
- South Carolina (+2.3%, 55,200), Louisiana (+1.8%, 36,000) and Nevada (+1.6%, 25,300) led percentage gains.
What is only claimed
- Both reports attribute D.C.'s and the Washington region's losses to federal workforce cuts — the BLS release itself, as reported, does not by itself prove that single cause for every state's decline.