In August, 124 metropolitan areas reported jobless rates of at least 10.0 percent, down from 132 areas a year earlier, while 62 areas posted rates below 7.0 percent, down from 68 areas in August 2009. El Centro, Calif., and Yuma, Ariz., again recorded the highest unemployment rates, 30.4 and 30.2 percent, respectively. These two adjacent areas are highly agricultural and experience extreme heat during summer months. Among the 12 areas with jobless rates of at least 15.0 percent, 9 were located in California. Bismarck, N.D., again registered the lowest unemployment rate in August, 3.1 percent, followed by Fargo, N.D.-Minn., 3.7 percent, and Lincoln, Neb., 3.9 percent. Of the nine areas with jobless rates under 5.0 percent, seven were located in the West North Central division. Overall, 231 areas recorded unemployment rates below the U.S. figure of 9.5 percent, 139 areas reported rates above it, and 2 areas had rates equal to that of the nation.
The largest over-the-year jobless rate decrease in August was recorded in Elkhart-Goshen, Ind. (-3.5 percentage points). Three additional areas reported rate decreases of at least 2.0 percentage points: Florence-Muscle Shoals, Ala., and Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, N.C. (-2.3 points each), and Janesville, Wis. (-2.2 points). Yuma, Ariz., registered the largest over-the-year unemployment rate increase (+4.3 percentage points).
Of the 49 metropolitan areas with a Census 2000 population of 1 million or more, Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif., and Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev., registered the highest unemployment rates in August, 14.8 and 14.7 percent, respectively. Fifteen additional large areas posted rates of 10.0 percent or more. The lowest jobless rates among the large areas were recorded by Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va., 6.2 percent, and Oklahoma City, Okla., 6.3 percent. Twenty-five of the large areas reported over-the-year unemployment rate increases, while 21 areas recorded rate decreases and 3 areas had no rate change. Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev., and Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, Fla., experienced the largest unemployment rate increases from August 2009 (+1.7 percentage points each). The large areas with the next largest rate increases were Jacksonville, Fla. (+1.2 percentage points), and Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Fla. (+1.0 point). Birmingham-Hoover, Ala., and Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich., posted the largest jobless rate decreases over the year (-1.6 and -1.5 percentage points, respectively), followed by Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, N.C.-S.C. (-1.0 point).
Metropolitan Division Unemployment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
Eleven of the most populous metropolitan areas are made up of 34 metropolitan divisions, which are essentially separately identifiable employment centers. In August, Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, Mich., registered the highest jobless rate among divisions, 15.7 percent. Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, Fla., had the next highest rate, 14.4 percent. Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, Md., reported the lowest unemployment rate among the divisions, 5.7 percent, followed by Nashua, N.H.-Mass., 6.2 percent, and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va., 6.3 percent.
In August, 21 metropolitan divisions recorded over-the-year jobless rate decreases, 10 divisions reported rate increases, and 3 divisions had rates that were unchanged. Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, Mich., and Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, Mich., posted the largest rate decreases from last August (-1.5 percentage points each). Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, Fla., experienced the largest unemployment rate increase among divisions (+2.8 percentage points).
In 6 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 August. Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass.-N.H., recorded the largest rate difference among its divisions, 5.9 percentage points (Lawrence-Methuen-Salem, Mass.-N.H., 12.1 percent, compared with Nashua, N.H.-Mass., 6.2 percent).
Metropolitan Area Nonfarm Employment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
In August, 193 metropolitan areas reported over-the-year decreases in nonfarm payroll employment, 165 reported increases, and 14 had no change. The largest over-the-year employment decrease was recorded in Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, Ill.-Ind.-Wis. (-71,600), followed by San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, Calif. (-42,000), Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich. (-31,700), and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif. (-27,400). The largest over-the-year percentage decreases in employment were reported in Chico, Calif., and Great Falls, Mont. (-5.6 percent each), Pascagoula, Miss. (-3.9 percent), and Cumberland, Md.-W.Va. (-3.6 percent).
The largest over-the-year employment increase occurred in Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass.-N.H. (+36,600), followed by Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas (+28,700), Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va. (+20,500), and Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, Texas (+18,700). The largest over-the-year percentage gain in employment occurred in Manhattan, Kan. (+7.0 percent), followed by Missoula, Mont. (+6.6 percent), St. Joseph, Mo.-Kan. (+5.9 percent), and Ocean City, N.J. (+5.4 percent).
Over the year, nonfarm employment decreased in 22 of the 36 metropolitan areas with annual average employment levels above 750,000 in 2009. The largest over-the-year percentage decreases in employment in these large metropolitan areas were posted in Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville, Calif. (-3.0 percent), San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, Calif. (-2.2 percent), Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev., and Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif. (-2.0 percent each), and Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich. (-1.8 percent). The large area that reported the biggest over-the-year percentage increase in employment was Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, Texas (+2.5 percent), followed by Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass.-N.H. (+1.5 percent), and Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas (+1.0 percent).
Metropolitan Division Nonfarm Employment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
Nonfarm payroll employment data were available in August for 32 metropolitan divisions, which are essentially separately identifiable employment centers within a metropolitan area. Eighteen of the 32 metropolitan divisions reported over-the-year employment losses, while 14 reported gains.
The largest over-the-year decrease among the metropolitan divisions occurred in Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, Ill. (-55,700), followed by Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif. (-39,400), and Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, Calif. (-23,700). The largest over-the-year employment increases among the metropolitan divisions were registered in Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas (+24,300), Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass. (+22,900), Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va. (+14,800), and Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, Calif. (+12,000).
The largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment among the metropolitan divisions was reported in Lake County-Kenosha County, Ill.-Wis. (-3.5 percent), followed by Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, Calif. (-2.5 percent), San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, Calif., and Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, Mich. (-2.0 percent each), and Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, Mich. (-1.6 percent). The largest over-the-year percentage increases in employment among the metropolitan divisions were posted in Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton, Mass. (+3.3 percent), Haverhill-North Andover-Amesbury, Mass.-N.H. (+2.4 percent), and Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass. (+1.4 percent).
