Unemployment Rates Seasonally Adjusted - October 2009 Not Seasonally Adjusted - October 2009 United States 10.2% United States 9.5% New Hampshire 6.8% New Hampshire 6.5%

November 16, 2009

New Hampshire’s preliminary seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for October 2009 was 6.8 percent, a decrease of 0.4 percentage points from the September rate, which was unchanged with revision. The October 2008 seasonally adjusted rate was 4.0 percent.

Seasonally adjusted estimates for October 2009 placed the number of employed residents at 687,300, an increase of 2,900 from the previous month and a decrease of 21,710 from October 2008. The number of unemployed residents decreased by 2,800 over-the-month to 50,520. This was 21,360 more unemployed than in October 2008. From September 2009 to October 2009, the total labor force increased by 100 to 737,820. This was a decrease of 350 from October 2008.

The unadjusted October 2009 unemployment rate for New Hampshire was 6.5 percent, a decrease of 0.5 percentage points from the September rate, which was unchanged with revision. The October 2008 unadjusted rate was 3.7 percent.

Nationally, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for October 2009 was 10.2 percent, an increase of 0.4 percentage points from the September 2009 rate and an increase of 3.6 percentage points from the October 2008 rate. The national unadjusted rate for October 2009 was 9.5 percent, unchanged from the September rate and an increase of 3.4 percentage points from the October 2008 rate.

NOTE: State nonfarm employment estimates are available on our Internet Web site: www.nh.gov/nhes/elmi concurrent with this release. Local area unemployment rates are expected to be available on Wednesday, November 25. All monthly data will continue to be published in the monthly newsletter New Hampshire Economic Conditions.