North Carolina, Montana, West Virginia Add Jobs

North Carolina, Montana, and West Virginia added a combined 15,000 jobs to the nation’s economy in August, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today, though no state but North Dakota has a lower unemployment rate than it did a year ago.

Michigan still has the highest unemployment rate (and in many cities in Michigan, like Detroit, the empty lots are being put to a creative use) , followed by Nevada, Rhode Island, and California and Oregon. New York’s unemployment rate was 9.0 percent, slightly lower than the national average though not a significant change from last month.

Create a social media strategy, launch your campaign, and track the results in our Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting February 16. The online event and workshop will feature speakers including The Onion‘s Baratunde Thurston (left), Facebook’s Morin Oluwole, and bitly’s Tim Devane. Register now.