The 2011 unemployment rate in New England was lower than the U.S. average for the fourth year in a row, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Maine’s unemployment rate last year was slightly below the regional average and well below the national average.
The annual average unemployment rate for 2011 in New England was 7.7%, down 0.8 percentage points from 2010. Nationally, the unemployment rate was 8.9% in 2011, down 0.7 percentage points. Maine’s average unemployment rate last year was 7.5%, down from 8.2% in 2010.
| Â | Unemployment rate, 2010 | Unemployment rate, 2011 |
| New Hampshire | 6.1% | 5.4% |
| Vermont | 6.4% | 5.6% |
| Massachusetts | 8.3% | 7.4% |
| Maine | 8.2% | 7.5% |
| Connecticut | 9.3% | 8.8% |
| Rhode Island | 11.7% | 11.3% |
| New England | 8.5% | 7.7% |
| U.S. | 9.6% | 8.9% |
Source: U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics
