Unemployment Drops in Every State For the First Time in 30 Years

New York, NY, March 5, 2015—Unemployment fell in every state and the nation’s capital last year, something that hadn’t happened since 1984, reports The Wall Street Journal.

The declines varied broadly. Unemployment fell the most in Illinois, where the rate dropped 2 percentage points from the prior year to an average 7.1%.

The Wall Street Journal notes that the rate declined by 1.8 points in Colorado, North Carolina and Ohio.

North Dakota, at the center of the nation’s energy boom of the past few years, had the lowest jobless rate of any state at 2.8% last year.

Unemployment across the entire U.S. fell 1.2 points to 6.2% last year, said The Wall Street Journal.