Mississippi vs. Michigan

It's not even close any more in the ongoing contest between Mississippi and Michigan for the state with the highest unemployment rate in the country. Mississippi can declare victory.

State unemployment rates for August came out today, and Michigan now ranks #51 with a jobless rate of 7.4%, the highest in the country and the highest rate in Michigan in more than 14 years (since June 1993).

Mississippi's jobless rate is now 1.5% below Michigan at only 5.9% (and it ranks #49), ahead of Alaska's unemployment rate at 6.3% (#50), which is more than 1% below Michigan.