New Jobs Report Shows Lower Unemployment Rates In States With GOP Governors

September 18, 2020

States led by Republican governors continue to lead America’s economic comeback as they recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Governors’ decisive leadership has enabled states to adapt to unprecedented challenges, safely reopen their economies, and – as new federal unemployment data shows – lead the nation in getting citizens safely back to work.

According to a report released today from the U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics, GOP-led states have much lower unemployment rates than those led by Democratic governors. Nine of the ten states with the lowest unemployment rates in the country are led by Republican governors, with the top six, Nebraska (4.0%), Utah (4.1%), Idaho (4.2%), South Dakota (4.8%), Vermont (4.8%), and North Dakota (5.0%) all at 5% or less. Republicans govern the two states with the largest decline in unemployment rate, Massachusetts and Arizona, which each saw their rates decrease by nearly five points.

On the flip side, nine of the ten states with the highest unemployment rates in the country are governed by Democrats – all of which have an unemployment rate higher than 10%. Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak is currently presiding over the state with the highest unemployment rate in the nation (13.2%), followed by Rhode Island (12.8%), and New York and Hawaii tied at 12.5%. The latest numbers for Hawaii continue to highlight the miserable downward economic turn the state has experienced under Democratic Governor David Ige. In addition to having the third highest unemployment rate, Hawaii was the only state in the nation to experience a loss of jobs in August, bringing total job losses to over 16% for the year – the largest decline in the nation.

As the national unemployment rate fell to 8.4% in August, half of all states with Democratic governors have an unemployment rate higher than the national average.

“Republican governors continue put working families first by focusing on safe recovery strategies that get people back to work,” said RGA Communications Director Amelia Chassé Alcivar. “Today’s jobs report is more evidence that Republican governors are leading America’s comeback.”