Civilian labor force population: 18,643,300
May 2013 unemployment rate: 8.6 percent
May marked the first time in nearly five years that California鈥檚 jobless rate dropped below 9 percent. Along with Virginia, California鈥檚 unemployment rate boasted the largest monthly decline (dropping 0.4 percentage points) of all states in May. The biggest gains were in the leisure and hospitality sector, with manufacturing, trade, financial activities, professional services, government, and education and health sectors also adding workers.
Still, the jobs picture varies greatly among different regions of the state. Northern California has fared well 鈥� costal Marin County has a state-low 4.5 percent unemployment. Imperial county, in the southeast, has the state high, at 22.8 percent.
Read on for the states where job growth has lagged, or gone backwards:
