The District states of Nevada, Utah, Washington, and Arizona have been the fastest growing states in the nation over the past twelve months.
Relative to the first half of the year, employment growth slowed in the third quarter in each of the seven most populous District states. Elsewhere, job growth picked up slightly in Alaska and remained weak in Hawaii.
Employment growth in 1996 and early 1997 has outpaced labor force growth in most areas of the District, leading to lower unemployment rates. In California, job growth was particularly strong over this period, and the pace of labor force growth in other District states appears to have been held down by a slowing of the inmigration of former California residents.