In an announcement, Governor Deval L. Patrick said he plans to eliminate 1,000 jobs from state government and slash the budget by more than $1 billion, in reaction to the national economic crisis. According to his administration, this is the worst single round of midyear budget rollbacks in state history.

This decision comes after several weeks of escalating drama on Beacon Hill, with lawmakers and municipal officials rallying against cuts in local aid and education funds, as the governor warned of cuts into governmental “muscle.”

The reductions will be spread across almost all sectors of state government, biting deeply into state university campuses and community colleges, the health insurance programs, and dozens of social service programs. The list of cuts, even targeting populations like disabled adults and the blind, is notable because the reductions come from a Democratic governor, who has made the protection of disadvantaged population a core theme of his administration.

Massachusetts and states from New York to California have been forced to revise budgets approved just months earlier in response to the national meltdown in credit markets, plummeting stock and real estate values, and an economy that appears to be tumbling toward a recession.

During a State House briefing televised live, Patrick told state residents: “I know you are anxious. There is real cause for concern, but not for panic. Just like families all across the Commonwealth, the state government is feeling the pinch.”

The governor struck a tone of sympathy for the pain people will feel because of the budget cuts, but he also sought to portray the crisis as manageable and under control. He seeks the transfer of $200 million from reserves - although adding to the $400 million drawdown already scheduled would put the state’s bond rating at risk at a time of tight credit.

In his plan, about $341 million will require action from the Legislature. Top lawmakers are weighing whether to return for a special session or wait until their next formal session, in January. Patrick indicated he wanted legislative approvals “as soon as possible,” but did not call lawmakers back to Beacon Hill.