Employment up in 29 states

{mosads}Unemployment rates fell in 29 states in August and were unchanged in 11, as hiring remained steady across the country.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics said joblessness rose in the 10 other states last month.

Also in August, payrolls increased in 32 states and shrank in 18.

The government reported that 41 states and the District of Columbia had unemployment rate decreases from a year earlier, seven states had increases, and two states had no change.

The labor market has added jobs since October 2010.

The August jobs report showed that 173,000 jobs were created in August and the jobless rate fell to 5.1 percent — a percentage point lower than a year ago.

The largest monthly increases in employment were in California (+36,200), Florida (+19,600) and Ohio (+14,600). The largest decreases occurred in New York and Texas (-13,700 each) and New Hampshire (-3,900).

Texas shed jobs with struggles in the energy sector. South Dakota, a hub for oil and gas drilling, had the largest (-0.7 percent) decline in hiring.

Last month, the Midwest posted the lowest regional unemployment rate of 4.6 percent, while the West had the highest rate of 5.7 percent.