Jobless rates hold steady or fall in 32 states

• North Dakota%27s 3.0%25 jobless rate is nation%27s lowest
• Texas leads in job growth since August 2012
• New York%2C California post highest monthly job gains for August

Led by North Dakota, 15 states saw August jobless rates significantly below the U.S. rate of 7.3%, the government said Friday.

North Dakota continues to have the nation's lowest unemployment rate, 3.0%, amid a boom in energy production there. Other states with low rates include South Dakota, 3.8%; Nebraska, 4.2%; Hawaii, 4.3%; Iowa, 4.9%; and Vermont and Wyoming, 4.6%.

At the other end of the spectrum, Nevada still leads the nation as it has for many months with the highest jobless rate, 9.5%. Illinois has the second-highest rate, 9.2%.

The national unemployment rate fell in August from 7.4% in July. But 18 states and the District of Columbia had unemployment rate increases in August from July, 17 states had decreases, and 15 states had no change, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.

Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 29 states, decreased in 20 states and the District of Columbia, and was unchanged in Montana.

New York and California were the top states for monthly job gains, adding 30,400 and 29,100 jobs respectively, from July. But their unemployment rates are also above the national average. California's was 8.9% in August and New York's was 7.6%.

Year over year, the four states with the highest employment gains are Texas, California, Florida and New York. Compared with August 2012, employment is up 274,700 in Texas, 223,900 in California, 131,400 in Florida and 92,500 in New York.