RATES RISE: Unemployment rates increased in 25 U.S. states in January from December, the Labor Department said Monday. They fell in only 8 states and were unchanged in 17.

HIRING SLOWS: Nationwide, employers added only 119,000 jobs in January, the fewest in seven months. The lull may be temporary, as job growth picked up nationally in February and the unemployment rate fell to a four-year low of 7.7 percent.

SOME RELIEF: Some long-suffering states showed improvement in January. Florida's unemployment rate fell below the national level for the first time in five years. And Michigan, which has benefited from the comeback of the auto industry, added 26,500 jobs in January.