In July, 127 metropolitan areas reported jobless rates of at least 10.0 percent, down from 140 areas a year earlier, while 61 areas posted rates below 7.0 percent, little changed from 62 areas in July 2009. El Centro, Calif., and Yuma, Ariz., again recorded the highest unemployment rates, 30.3 and 28.7 percent, respectively. These two adjacent areas are highly agricultural and experience extreme heat during summer months. Among the 17 areas with jobless rates of at least 15.0 percent, 12 were located in California. Bismarck, N.D., registered the lowest unemployment rate in July, 3.1 percent, followed by Fargo, N.D.-Minn., 3.7 percent. All six areas with jobless rates of less than 5.0 percent were located in the West North Central division. Overall, 228 areas recorded unemployment rates below the U.S. figure of 9.7 percent, 138 areas reported rates above it, and 6 areas had rates equal to that of the nation.
The largest over-the-year jobless rate increases in July were recorded in Yuba City, Calif., and Yuma, Ariz. (+2.6 percentage points each). Elkhart-Goshen, Ind., registered the largest over-the-year jobless rate decrease (-3.2 percentage points). Eight additional areas reported rate decreases of at least 2.0 percentage points.
Of the 49 metropolitan areas with a Census 2000 population of 1 million or more, Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich., and Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif., registered the highest unemployment rates in July, 15.2 and 15.1 percent, respectively. Seventeen additional large areas posted rates of 10.0 percent or more. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va., and Oklahoma City, Okla., recorded the lowest jobless rates among the large areas, 6.3 and 6.4 percent, respectively. The next lowest rate was registered in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minn.-Wis., 6.8 percent. Twenty-six of the large areas reported over-the-year unemployment rate increases, while 20 areas recorded rate decreases and 3 had no rate change. Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev., experienced the largest rate increase from July 2009 (+1.8 percentage points). The large areas with the next largest rate increases were Jacksonville, Fla., and Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, Fla. (+1.2 percentage points each), and Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville, Calif. (+1.1 points). Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich., and Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minn.-Wis., posted the largest jobless rate decreases over the year (-1.5 and -1.3 percentage points, respectively), followed by Birmingham-Hoover, Ala., and Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, N.C.-S.C. (-1.2 points each).
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 July, the two divisions that compose the Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich., metropolitan area registered the highest jobless rates: Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, 16.5 percent, and Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, 14.2 percent. Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, Md., reported the lowest unemployment rate among the divisions, 5.8 percent, followed by Nashua, N.H.-Mass., 6.3 percent, and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va., 6.4 percent. In July, 20 metropolitan divisions recorded over-the-year jobless rate increases, 9 divisions reported rate decreases, and 5 had rates that were unchanged. The divisions that experienced the largest unemployment rate increases were Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, Fla. (+1.8 percentage points), and Philadelphia, Pa. (+1.2 points). Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, Mich., and Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, Mich., posted the largest rate decreases from last July (-1.6 and -1.5 percentage points, respectively).
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 July. Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass.-N.H., recorded the largest rate difference among its divisions, 6.4 percentage points (Lawrence-Methuen-Salem, Mass.-N.H., 12.7 percent, compared with Nashua, N.H.-Mass., 6.3 percent).
Metropolitan Area Nonfarm Employment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
In July, 204 metropolitan areas reported over-the-year decreases in nonfarm payroll employment, 158 reported increases, and 10 had no change. The largest over-the-year employment decrease was recorded in Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, Ill.-Ind.-Wis. (-70,800), followed by San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, Calif. (-42,800), New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa. (-28,900), and Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif. (-22,800). The largest over-the-year percentage decreases in employment were reported in Mount Vernon-Anacortes, Wash. (-4.2 percent), Reno-Sparks, Nev. (-4.1 percent), and Yuba City, Calif. (-4.0 percent).
The largest over-the-year employment increase occurred in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va. (+41,800), followed by Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas (+31,300), Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass.-N.H. (+21,300), and Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, Texas (+18,600). The largest over-the-year percentage gain in employment occurred in Missoula, Mont. (+7.9 percent), followed by Ocean City, N.J. (+5.9 percent), Manhattan, Kan. (+4.5 percent), and Lawton, Okla. (+4.2 percent).
Over the year, nonfarm employment decreased in 25 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 Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev., and San Fran-cisco-Oakland-Fremont, Calif. (-2.3 percent each), and Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif., and Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville, Calif. (-2.1 percent each). 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va. (+1.4 percent), and Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas (+1.1 percent).
Metropolitan Division Nonfarm Employment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
Nonfarm payroll employment data were available in July for 32 metropolitan divisions, which are essentially separately identifiable employment centers within a metropolitan area. Seventeen of the 32 metropolitan divisions reported over-the-year employment losses, while 14 reported gains and 1 remained unchanged.
The largest over-the-year decrease in the metropolitan divisions occurred in Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, Ill. (-58,200), followed by Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif. (-23,500), Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, Calif. (-23,000), and San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, Calif. (-19,800). The largest over-the-year employment increases in the metropolitan divisions were registered in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va. (+39,100), Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas (+26,100), Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass. (+10,400), and Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, Calif. (+8,800).
The largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment among the metropolitan divisions was reported in Lake County-Kenosha County, Ill.-Wis. (-3.4 percent), followed by Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, Calif. (-2.4 percent), San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, Calif. (-2.1 percent), and Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, Mich. (-1.7 percent). The largest over-the-year percentage increases in employment among the metropolitan divisions were posted in Haverhill-North Andover-Amesbury, Mass.-N.H. (+3.4 percent), Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton, Mass. (+2.7 percent), Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va. (+1.6 percent), and Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas (+1.3 percent).
