With the U.S. gaining 4.8 million jobs in June and the national unemployment rate at 11.1% compared to the nearly historic high of 14.7% at the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, WalletHub released updated rankings for the States Whose 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.

This report examines unemployment rates on a monthly basis, complementing the weekly analysis in WalletHub’s report on the States Whose Unemployment Claims Are Recovering the Quickest.

In order to identify the states with the best recovery in unemployment rates, 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 rate during the latest month for which we have data (June 2020) compared to June 2019 and January 2020. We also compared not seasonally adjusted continued claims in June 2020 to June 2019. Finally, we considered each state’s overall unemployment rate. Below, you can see highlights from the report, along with a WalletHub Q&A.  

Unemployment Recovery in Florida (1=Most Recovered, 25=Avg.):

• 203.71% Change in Unemployment (June 2020 vs June 2019)
  • 1,045,481 unemployed people in June 2020 vs 344,231 in June 2019;
  • 15th worst recovery in the U.S.
• 237.01% Change in Unemployment (June 2020 vs January 2020)
  • 1,045,481 unemployed people in June 2020 vs 310,226 in January 2020;
  • 11th worst recovery in the U.S.
• 2,462.38% Change in Not Seasonally Adjusted Continued Claims (June 2020 vs June 2019)
  • 995,792 continued claims in June 2020 vs 38,862 in June 2019
  • 4th worst recovery in the U.S.
• 10.7% Unemployment Rate (June 2020)
  • 18th highest unemployment rate in the U.S.

View the full report and your state’s rank.