In June, 144 metropolitan areas reported jobless rates of at least 10.0 percent, up from 6 areas a year earlier, while 62 areas posted rates below 7.0 percent, down from 312 areas in June 2008. El Centro, Calif., recorded the highest unemployment rate, 27.5 percent, followed by Yuma, Ariz., 23.1 percent. Among the 18 areas with jobless rates of at least 15.0 percent, 8 were located in California and 5 were in Michigan. Bismarck, N.D., registered the lowest jobless rate in June, 3.8 percent, followed by Manhattan, Kan., and Rapid City, S.D., 4.6 percent each. Overall, 152 areas posted unemployment rates above the U.S. figure of 9.7 percent, 216 areas reported rates below it, and 4 areas had the same rate.
For the sixth consecutive month, all 372 metropolitan areas had over-the-year unemployment rate increases. Two areas in Indiana that experienced layoffs in transportation equipment manufacturing recorded the largest jobless rate increases from June 2008: Kokomo (+11.8 percentage points) and Elkhart-Goshen (+10.0 points). The Michigan areas of Monroe (+8.6 percentage points), Muskegon-Norton Shores (+8.2 points), and Detroit-Warren-Livonia (+8.1 points) had the next largest over-the-year rate increases. Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, N.C., also had a rate increase of 8.1 percentage points, and Bend, Ore., and Janesville, Wis., had increases of 8.0 points each. An additional 22 areas registered unemployment rate increases of 6.0 percentage points or more, and another 56 areas had rate increases of 5.0 to 5.9 points.
Of the 49 metropolitan areas with a Census 2000 population of 1 million or more, Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich., reported the highest unemployment rate in June, 17.1 percent.The large areas with the next highest rates were Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif., 13.7 percent; Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, N.C.-S.C., 12.4 percent; Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev., 12.3 percent; and Providence-Fall River Warwick, R.I., 12.1 percent. Eighteen additional large areas posted rates of 10.0 percent or more. The large areas with the lowest jobless rates in June were Oklahoma City, Okla., 6.0 percent; Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va., 6.6 percent; and San Antonio, Texas, 6.9 percent. All 49 large areas registered over-the-year unemployment rate increases of at least 2.0 percentage points. Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich., had the largest jobless rate increase from a year earlier (+8.1 percentage points). The areas with the next largest rate increase were Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, Ore.-Wash., (+6.3 percentage points), Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, N.C.-S.C. (+6.1 points), and Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev. (+6.0 points). Four additional large areas recorded rate increases of 5.0 percentage points or more.
Metropolitan Division Unemployment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
Eleven of the most populous metropolitan areas are composed of 34 metropolitan divisions, which are essentially separately identifiable employment centers. In June, the two divisions that comprise the Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich., metropolitan area registered the highest jobless rates: Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, 18.5 percent, and Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, 16.2 percent. The division with the next highest rate was Lawrence-Methuen-Salem, Mass.-N.H., 13.1 percent. Bethesda-Frederick-Rockville, Md., reported the lowest unemployment rate among the divisions, 5.9 percent. Washington-Arling-ton-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va., posted the next lowest rate, 6.8 percent.
In June, all 34 metropolitan divisions recorded over-the-year jobless rate increases of at least 2.5 percentage points. Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, Mich., and Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, Mich.,experienced the largest rate increases (+8.3 and +8.1 percentage points, respectively). Three additional divisions reported over-the-year rate increases of 5.0 percentage points or more.
In 5 of the 11 metropolitan areas that contain divisions, the ranges between the highest and lowest division jobless rates were 2.0 percentage points or more in June. Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass.-N.H., posted the largest rate difference among its divisions, 6.0 percentage points(Lawrence-Methuen-Salem, Mass.-N.H., 13.1 percent, compared with Framingham, Mass., and Nashua, N.H.-Mass., 7.1 percent each).
Metropolitan Area Nonfarm Employment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
In June, 352 metropolitan areas reported over-the-year decreases in nonfarm payroll employment, 16 reported increases, and 1 had no change. The largest over-the-year decrease in employment occurred in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif. (-259,100), followed by New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa. (-226,900), Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Ill.-Ind.-Wis. (-207,600), Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich. (-175,400), Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz. (-141,100), and Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Ga. (-133,500). The largest over-the-year percentage decreases in employment were reported in Kokomo, Ind. (-14.5 percent), Elkhart-Goshen, Ind. (-12.3 percent), Lake Havasu City-Kingman, Ariz. (-10.1 percent), Prescott, Ariz. (-10.0 percent), and Palm Coast, Fla. (-9.8 percent).
The largest over-the-year employment increase was recorded in Champaign-Urbana, Ill. (+1,400), followed by Fargo, N.D.-Min(+1,100), Lewiston, Idaho-Wash.(+1,000), and Kennewick-Pasco-Richland, Wash. (+900). The largest over-the-year percentage gain in employment was recorded in Lewiston, Idaho-Wash. (+4.4 percent), followed by Sandusky, Ohio (+1.7 percent), Grand Forks, N.D.-Minn.(+1.5 percent), and Champaign-Urbana, Ill., and Odessa, Texas (+1.3 percent each).
Over the year, nonfarm employment fell in all of the 38 metropolitan areas with annual average employment levels above 750,000 in 2008. The largest over-the-year percentage decreases in employment in these large metropolitan areas were posted in Detroit-Warren Livonia, Mich. (-9.0 percent), Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz. (-7.6 percent), Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev. (-6.5 percent), and Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, N.C.-S.C., and Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif. (-6.2 percent each).
Metropolitan Division Nonfarm Employment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
Nonfarm payroll employment data were available in June for 32 metropolitan divisions, which are essentially separately identifiable employment centers within a metropolitan area. All 32 metropolitan divisions reported over-the-year employment declines. The largest over-the-year employment decrease in the metropolitan divisions occurred in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif. (-188,300), followed by Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Ill. (-184,300), New York-White Plains-Wayne, N.Y.-N.J. (-130,300), Warren-Troy Farmington Hills, Mich. (-112,300), and Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, Calif. (-70,800).
The largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment among the metropolitan divisions was reported in Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, Mich. (-9.6 percent), followed by Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, Mich. (-8.1 percent), San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, Calif. (-5.0 percent), Wilmington, Del.-Md.-N.J. (-4.9 percent), and Chicago Naperville-Joliet, Ill., and Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, Calif. (-4.7 percent each).
