43 states broke their unemployment records in April

An out-of-work protestor in Florida.
(Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Forty-three states recorded their highest unemployment rate since the government began tracking the data in 1939, CNN reports based on federal numbers released Friday. Nevada had the highest overall unemployment rate in the country, at 28.2 percent, up from 3.6 in February before the pandemic shutdowns.

The other two states to top 20 percent unemployment in April were Michigan and Hawaii, at 22.7 percent and 22.3 percent respectively. Those states saw particularly high numbers because of their reliance on tourism, in the case of Nevada and Hawaii, and the fact that the auto plants in Michigan were closed during the worst of the outbreak.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.