Louisiana's unemployment rate is higher than the national average — just another sign that your economic situation is often determined by where you live.
The big picture: Americans are feeling almost as gloomy about the job market as they did during the Great Recession — and entry-level workers are having an especially hard time getting their foot in the door.
By the numbers: South Dakota (1.9%) had July's lowest unemployment rate and Washington, D.C., (6%) had the highest, based on preliminary and seasonally-adjusted Bureau of Labor Statistics data out yesterday.
Louisiana came in at 4.5%. The national unemployment rate was 4.2%.