Delaware’s jobless rate 38th among the 50 states and D.C.

Delaware is slowly climbing up the ranking of 50 states and the District of Columbia based on the unemployment rate.

In a September report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the First State was 38th among the 50 states. with an 8.2 percent jobless rate.

Earlier in the year,  the state was in the bottom ten as stay at home orders were kept in place.

Delaware was not as strict as some states, since it allowed construction and manufacturing plants to stay open during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. However, it was slower than some Sun Belt states in reopening bars and restaurants.

All states have seen an improvement in their unemployment rates. 

Maryland is emerging with the lowest rate in the region. The tourism-focused economy of Hawaii is No. 50 with Nebraska at No. 1.

Job losses in Delaware have occurred across the board, with the biggest declines taking place in the hospitality industry. Delaware had a  slower than normal summer in beach areas.

As the Bureau of Labor Statistics noted below, rates are subject to revisions. Jobless figures are initially based on estimates. Revisions take place when hard data from payrolls is calculated. 

Critics of  John Carney have called for the governor to move the state from Phase 2 to phase three of the state’s reopening. Carney is running for a second term, with GOP opponent Julianne Murray calling for a full reopening.

It remains unclear as to whether a full reopening would jump-start the economy given the current rate of transmission of coronavirus and the reluctance of many to resume their normal activities.

States that were quicker to reopen tend to have lower unemployment rates, but were not in areas hit by the initial spread of Covid-19.