With the U.S. gaining 245,000 jobs in November and the national unemployment rate at 6.7% compared to the nearly historic high of 14.7% at the peak during the coronavirus pandemic, WalletHub today released updated rankings for the States Whose November Unemployment Rates Are Bouncing Back Most, along with accompanying videos and audio files, to illustrate which areas of the country have had the best recovery so far.
In order to identify the states with the best recovery in unemployment, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on four key metrics. We looked at the change in each state’s unemployment during the latest month for which we have data (November 2020) compared to November 2019 and January 2020. We also compared not seasonally adjusted continued claims in November 2020 to November 2019. Finally, we considered each state’s overall unemployment rate.
Below, you can see highlights from the report, along with a WalletHub Q&A.| Bounced Back Most | Bounced Back Least |
| 1. Iowa | 42. Colorado |
| 2. Vermont | 43. Arizona |
| 3. Nebraska | 44. Connecticut |
| 4. South Dakota | 45. Louisiana |
| 5. Missouri | 46. California |
| 6. Minnesota | 47. New York |
| 7. Montana | 48. Texas |
| 8. Alabama | 49. New Jersey |
| 9. Utah | 50. Nevada |
| 10. Delaware | 51. Hawaii |
