Top Nine States With Lowest Unemployment Rates Led By Republican Governors

The latest jobs report released by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics proves that Republican governors continue to lead the way in getting Americans back to work.

States led by Republican governors are safely recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and balancing public health with economic welfare, evident by strong job gains and sharp declines in unemployment rates. For the month of September, the nine states with the lowest unemployment rates were led by Republican governors – Nebraska led the way for the second month in a row, boasting an unemployment rate of 3.5%. Five other states saw an unemployment rate of under 5%: South Dakota (4.1%), Vermont (4.2%), North Dakota (4.4%), Iowa (4.7%), and Missouri (4.9%). Under Governor Phil Scott and Governor Kim Reynolds respectively, Vermont and Iowa have seen their unemployment rate decline for five consecutive months. Rounding out the top nine are Utah (5.0%), South Carolina (5.1%), and Oklahoma (5.3%).

Many states led by Democrat governors faced yet another month with large numbers of workers unable to find jobs, with states led by Democrat governors reporting the five highest unemployment rates. Once again, Hawaii, under David Ige’s leadership, posted the highest unemployment rate in the nation (15.1%), exacerbating increasing concerns about Ige’s handling of the economy and COVID-19 pandemic, especially on the heels of a recent bond downgrade. Four other states saw their September unemployment rates over 10%: Nevada (12.6%), California (11.0%), Rhode Island (10.5%), and Illinois (10.2%).

Shockingly, despite astronomically high unemployment rates already rocking their states, Governor Gavin Newsom of California and Governor J.B. Pritzker of Illinois are looking to inflict more economic pain on their citizens by pushing tax-hiking ballot initiatives in the November election. Newsom is advocating for an $11.5 billion annual property tax hike, while Pritzker is hoping to scrap Illinois’ flat tax in favor of a $3.4 billion income tax hike.

“The latest jobs report highlights GOP governors’ hard work to implement safe and bold economic recovery plans to get their states back on track,” said RGA Deputy Communications Director Mike Demkiw. “While Republican governors are increasing economic opportunity for Americans, poor fiscal management, crushing regulations, and an obsession with raising taxes continue to stunt growth and drive up the unemployment rates in states led by Democrats.”