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Show Table 14. Average Annual Pay for Covered Workers* Utah as a Utah as a Year Utah U.S. % of U.S. Year Utah U.S. % of U.S. 1979 12,237 13,110 93.3 1987 18,303 20,857 87.8 1980 13,574 14,327 94.7 1988 18,910 21,872 86.5 1981 15,055 15,636 96.3 1989 19,362 22,563 85.8 1982 15,904 16,634 95.3 1990 20,074 23,602 85.1 1983 16,613 17,547 94.1 1991 20,874 24,578 84.9 1984 17,174 18,363 93.6 1992 21,976 25,903 84.8 1985 17,577 19,185 91.6 1993 22,250 26,361 84.4 1986 17,863 19,966 89.5 1994 22,811 26,939 84.7 ?Covered workers are those covered by workmen's compensation. Unemployment Rate The unemployment rate is an important measure for examining the health status of a population because when people are unemployed they are less likely to be insured. Working people with health insurance generally have better access to health care, use the health care system more, and are more able to afford health care than the unemployed. Because of this, low employment rates can be linked to healthier populations. Since 1988, Utah's unemployment rate has been consistently lower than both the Mountain States and the U.S. average. The unemployment rate does not, however, provide information of how many employed people actually receive health insurance. Nor does it provide information about the state's wage structure, poverty levels, or health care costs. Table 15. Unemployment Rate Mountain Year Utah States U.S. 1985 5.9 6.8 7.2 1987 6.4 7.2 6.2 1988 4.9 6.2 5.5 1989 4.6 5.5 5.3 1990 4.3 5.2 5.5 1991 4.9 5.6 6.7 1992 4.9 6.4 7.4 1993 3.9 5.9 6.8 Figure 11 Unemployment Rate "¦-------Utah • Mountain States ¦A------U.S. 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 Utah's Health: An Annual Review 1995 53 |