Wall Street Journal Online (01/24/12) Josh Mitchell

New government data indicate the jobless rate fell in 37 states and Washington, DC, in December as the labor market strengthened. The Jan. 24 report shows the gains are spread across the nation, and that most of the gains are due to employers adding jobs rather than workers falling out of the labor force. The number of people with jobs rose in 25 states and Washington, DC. Jobs declined in 24 states and were unchanged in one state. Texas enjoyed the largest increase in nonfarm payrolls with 20,200 added jobs, followed by Indiana (15,000 new jobs) and California (10,700). New York, Missouri, and Washington state saw the biggest declines in jobs.