More signs that the job market is slowly recovering: 40 states showed a drop in unemployment in April.

Louisiana, Tennessee and North Dakota showed an increase in the unemployment rate, while rates were unchanged in seven states, according to the Labor department.

The country's unemployment rate is 7.5 percent, the lowest since December 2008.

Although companies are adding jobs, part of the reason for the decline in unemployment is because people have stopped looking for work. They are either discouraged by their prospects of getting a job or they are joining the swelling ranks of retiring baby boomers.

Texas, New York and Florida saw the most jobs added, while Wisconsin and Minnesota saw the biggest drop in unemployment.

Nevada had the highest unemployment rate at 9.6 percent, though this is down significantly from a high of 14 percent in October 2010.

North Dakota, meanwhile, had the lowest jobless rate at 3.3 percent. The state's unemployment rate has been persistently low because of the oil and gas boom facilitated by hydraulic fracturing.

The housing recovery is playing its part in the job market, as many of the job added in Texas and Florida for instance were in construction.

Here's the rundown of state rates:

Alabama - 6.9%

Alaska - 6.0%

Arizona - 7.9%

Arkansas - 7.1%

California - 9.0%

Colorado - 6.9%

Connecticut - 8.0%

Delaware - 7.2%

D.C. - 8.5%

Florida - 7.2%

Georgia - 8.2%

Hawaii - 4.9%

Idaho - 6.1%

Illinois - 9.3%

Indiana - 8.5%

Iowa - 4.7%

Kansas - 5.5%

Kentucky - 7.9%

Louisiana - 6.5%

Maine - 6.9%

Maryland - 6.5%

Massachusetts - 6.4%

Michigan - 8.4%

Minnesota - 5.3%

Mississippi - 9.1%

Missouri - 6.6%

Montana - 5.5%

Nebraska - 3.7%

Nevada - 9.6%

New Hampshire - 5.5%

New Jersey - 8.7%

New Mexico - 6.7%

New York - 7.8%

North Carolina - 8.9%

North Dakota - 3.3%

Ohio - 7.0%

Oklahoma - 4.9%

Oregon - 8.0%

Pennsylvania - 7.6%

Puerto Rico - 13.7%

Rhode Island - 8.8%

South Carolina - 8.0%

South Dakota - 4.1%

Tennessee - 8.0%

Texas - 6.4%

Utah - 4.7%

Vermont - 4.0%

Virginia - 5.2%

Washington - 7.0%

West Virginia - 6.6%

Wisconsin - 7.1%

Wyoming - 4.8%