SACRAMENTO – Statistics released by the government show California had a jobless rate in January of 9.8%, which is tied with Rhode Island for the worst unemployment rate in the United States. Economists say the high number is a reflection of the slow hiring rate that is expected in California for 2013.
County-by-County unemployment numbers are expected to be released by this Friday. While the rest of the state has struggled high unemployment numbers, the Central Coast has enjoyed robust hiring. Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties have been in the top ten of counties with the lowest unemployment rates over the past several months.
As California, the most populous state in the country, continues to struggle with the nation's unemployment rate, the same is just the opposite in North Dakota, the state with the third least population. Thanks in large part to an oil boom, the Peace Garden State has an unemployment rate of just 3.3%
