Nevada’s March jobless rate dips, remains highest in U.S.

(The Center Square) – Nevada had an unemployment rate of 5.7% in March, a 0.1% drop from the previous month.

Despite this decline, the state still has the highest unemployment rate in America.

March’s unemployment rate has returned to the same level as November 2024 and December 2024.

David Schmidt, chief economist for the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation, said March’s job report showed a “slight improvement” from February.

“Nevada added 1,000 jobs over the month, and the annual growth in employment accelerated slightly to 0.6%,” he added.

Last month, Las Vegas’s unemployment rate was 5.6%, while Reno and Carson’s rates were 4.7% and 4.5%, respectively.

Las Vegas and Carson City both saw a 0.3% decrease in their unemployment rate from February to March. Reno experienced a 0.2% decline in its rate during this time period.

Furthermore, Las Vegas’ unemployment rate was 0.1% higher than in March 2024.

Reno and Carson City both had lower unemployment rates compared to the same time last year.

Elko County had the lowest unemployment rate among Nevada counties in March at 4.3%. Mineral County had the highest unemployment rate in the state at 9.6%

Moreover, Esmerelda County saw its March unemployment rate drop from 9.6% to 8.1%, the largest decline among Nevada counties from February to March.

Nevada’s labor force increased by 4,095 people from February to March.

In March, 1.7 million people participated in Nevada’s labor force, up almost 35,000 from the same time last year.

Schmidt said Nevada’s labor force participation rate was “stable” at 62.8%, which the chief economist described as higher than the national average.

“While these improvements are not large, they continue to point to an ongoing economic expansion in the state through the first three months of 2025,” he said.

In addition to Nevada, Washington, D.C. (5.6%) and Michigan (5.5%) have America’s highest unemployment rates.

The states with the lowest unemployment rate in America are South Dakota (1.8%), North Dakota (2.6%) and Vermont (2.6%).