KGW

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Oregon remains second-highest in national unemployment, with Michigan still number one, in statistics released Friday by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Michigan's unemployment rate in May was 14.1 percent. Oregon was at 12.4 percent; Rhode Island and South Carolina 12.1 percent and California 11.5. The lowest rates, at 4.4 percent each, were registered in Nebraska and North Dakota.

Oregon has the largest rate increase of any state from a year ago, up 6.7 percent, followed by Michigan at 5.9.

The national unemployment rate went up from 8.9 percent in April to 9.4 percent in May, an increase of 3.9 percent from a year ago.

More: Complete Labor Department report

The Department of Labor also reported that the West had the highest unemployment rate at 10.1 percent. Next was the Midwest at 9.8 percent. Worth noting is that the last time any region had a rate higher than 10 percent was in 1983, the report said, when the Midwest recorded 10.1 percent.