1 . Michigan Unemployment rate : 7.6 percent Population : 10,071,822 Mean annual wage : $ 41,230 Top industry : Trade , transportation and utilities -LRB- 18.4 percent -RRB- *** 2 . Mississippi Unemployment rate : 6.8 percent Population : 2,918,785 Mean annual wage : $ 30,460 Top industry : Government -LRB- 21.2 percent -RRB- 3 . South Carolina Unemployment rate : 6.6 percent Population : 4,407,709 Mean annual wage : $ 33,400 Top industry : Trade , transportation and utilities -LRB- 19.4 percent -RRB- 4 . Alaska Unemployment rate : 6.5 percent Population : 683,478 Mean annual wage : $ 43,920 Top industry : Government -LRB- 25.9 percent -RRB- 5 . California Unemployment rate : 6.1 percent Population : 36,553,215 Mean annual wage : $ 44,180 Top industry : Trade , transportation and utilities -LRB- 18.9 percent -RRB- 6 . District of Columbia Unemployment rate : 6.1 percent Population : 588,292 Mean annual wage : $ 61,500 Top industry : Government -LRB- 33.3 percent -RRB- 7 . Ohio Unemployment rate : 6 percent Population : 11,466,917 Mean annual wage : $ 37,360 Top industry : Trade , transportation and utilities -LRB- 19.3 percent -RRB- 8 . Arkansas Unemployment rate
Editor 's note : CNN.com has a business partnership with CareerBuilder.com , which serves as the exclusive provider of job listings and services to CNN.com . If you 've rewritten that résumé several times and sent out dozens of applications but your job search still shows no promise , you might not be the problem . One frequently overlooked but critical factor in finding a new job is your state 's unemployment rate . You can have the experience and skills of an employer 's dream , but they wo n't do you any good if there just are n't enough jobs available . The unemployment rate is the percentage of job seekers in the work force who are still looking for work . The higher the percentage , the more difficult it is to find a job . The national unemployment rate is 5 percent , based on the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics -LRB- BLS -RRB- . If you 're looking for a job , you should see how your state compares to the rest of the country . Here are the 10 worst states to find work ranked by their unemployment rates .