SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- California's unemployment rate soared to 15.5% in April. The nation's most populous state lost 2.3 million jobs because of the coronavirus pandemic that shuttered most businesses.
The unemployment rate increased 10.2 percentage points since March. It's the largest one-month increase since 1976 when the state began using its current formula to measure job losses.
It's higher than the 12.5% unemployment rate the state reached during the Great Recession a decade ago.
The numbers reflect survey results from the week of April 12.
The numbers are likely far higher now.
