The US unemployment rate decreased slightly to 9.1% in July while 37 states saw declines over the past year. Nine states saw decreases and 13 saw no change in unemployment last month. North Dakota, Nebraska and South Dakota had the lowest rates under 5% while 11 states had double-digit unemployment. 44 states and DC saw positive job growth over the past year and 31 states plus DC saw growth in July, on average 0.1%. Hawaii added the most jobs but Minnesota saw the largest decline.

1. State Employment Trends August 2011 National Association of REALTORS® Research Division Compilation of Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics