Nevada Bumps Michigan as State With Highest Unemployment Rate

Michigan, which has reigned as the state with the largest unemployment rate since April 2006, has lost its crown, according to May numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Nevada, the new No. 1, saw its jobless rate climb to 14% in May. Michigan, however, didn't trail too far behind, recording a still-stunning 13.6% unemployment rate

The steadying in Michigan may be because most of the automakers and auto-parts firms did most of their layoffs in 2008 and 2009. Some of these companies are already hiring back very small numbers of workers.

Rounding out the top five states with the highest unemployment rates are California at 12.4%, Rhode Island at 12.3% and Florida with 11.7%. The states with the lowest unemployment were North Dakota at 3.6%, South Dakota at 4.6%, and Nebraska at 4.9%.
Overall, the data showed that unemployment fell in 37 states in May.