In November 114 metropolitan areas reported jobless rates of at least 10.0 percent, down from 127 areas a year earlier, while 63 areas posted rates below 7.0 percent, down from 74 areas in November 2009. El Centro, Calif., again recorded the highest unemployment rate, 29.1 percent, followed by Yuma, Ariz., 24.8 percent. Among the 13 areas with jobless rates of at least 15.0 percent, 11 were located in California. Bismarck, N.D., again registered the lowest unemployment rate, 3.3 percent in November. The areas with the next lowest rates were Fargo, N.D.-Minn., and Lincoln, Neb., 3.5 percent each, and Grand Forks, N.D.-Minn., 3.7 percent. Of the 11 areas with jobless rates under 5.0 percent, 9 were located in the West North Central census division. Two hundred thirty areas recorded unemployment rates below the U.S. figure of 9.3 percent, 137 areas reported rates above it, and 5 areas had rates equal to that of the nation.
Yuma, Ariz., registered the largest over-the-year unemployment rate increase in November (+4.3 percentage points). The only other area with a rate increase of 2.0 percentage points or more was Pueblo, Colo. (+2.4 points). Monroe, Mich., recorded the largest over-the-year jobless rate decrease (-3.5 percentage points), followed by Muskegon-Norton Shores, Mich. (-3.2 points), and Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich.(-3.0 points). Nine additional areas reported rate decreases of at least 2.0 percentage points, seven of which were also located in Michigan.
Of the 49 metropolitan areas with a Census 2000 population of 1 million or more, Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev., and Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif., registered the highest unemployment rates in November, 14.3 percent each. Fourteen additional large areas posted rates of 10.0 percent or more. The lowest jobless rate among the large areas was recorded in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va., 6.0 percent. Twenty-seven of the large areas reported over-the-year unemployment rate increases, while 18 areas recorded rate decreases and 4 had no rate change. Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev., and Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, Colo., posted the largest jobless rate increases over the year (+1.8 and +1.6 percentage points, respectively). The large areas with the next largest rate increases were Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, Fla. (+1.4 percentage points), and New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, La. (+1.1 points). Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich., experienced the largest unemployment rate decrease from November 2009 (-3.0 percentage points). Three other large areas recorded rate decreases of at least 1.0 percentage point, with the largest of these declines occurring in Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, Ill.-Ind.-Wis. (-1.3 points).
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 November Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, Mich., Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif., and Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, Fla., registered the highest jobless rates among the divisions, 13.0 percent each. Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, Md., and Nashua, N.H.-Mass., reported the lowest unemployment rates among the divisions, 5.6 percent each.
In November 21 metropolitan divisions recorded over-the-year jobless rate decreasesand 13 divisions reported rate increases. The two divisions that compose the Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich., metropolitan area posted the largest rate decreases from November 2009: Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn (-3.0 percentage points) and Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills (-2.8 points). Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, Fla., experienced the largest unemployment rate increase among divisions (+2.5 percentage points).
In 4 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 November. Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass.-N.H., recorded the largest rate difference among its divisions, 6.4 percentage points (Lawrence-Methuen-Salem, Mass.-N.H., 12.0 percent, compared with Nashua, N.H.-Mass., 5.6 percent).
Metropolitan Area Nonfarm Employment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
In November 180 metropolitan areas reported over-the-year increases in nonfarm payroll employment, 176 reported decreases, and 16 had no change. The largest over-the-year employment increase occurred in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va. (+49,200); followed by Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas (+40,600); Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass.-N.H. (+26,500); Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, Ariz. (+25,500); and Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minn.-Wis. (+22,900). The largest over-the-year percentage gain in employment occurred in Ocean City, N.J. (+17.6 percent); followed by Manhattan, Kan. (+5.4 percent); Kennewick-Pasco-Richland, Wash. (+5.0 percent); and St. Joseph, Mo.-Kan. (+3.9 percent).
The largest over-the-year employment decrease was recorded in Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, Ill.-Ind.-Wis. (-52,100); followed by San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, Calif. (-32,200); Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich. (-27,700); Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Roseville, Calif. (-21,500); and Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev. (-21,300). The largest over-the-year percentage decreases in employment were reported in Yuba City, Calif. (-3.7 percent), Great Falls, Mont. (-3.6 percent), and Holland-Grand Haven, Mich. (-3.4 percent).
Over the year, nonfarm employment increased in 24 of the 36 large metropolitan areas with annual average employment levels above 750,000 in 2009. The large area with the largest over-the-year percentage increase in employment was Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, Texas (+2.2 percent), followed by Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va. (+1.7 percent), and Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, Ariz. (+1.5 percent). The largest over-the-year percentage decreases in employment among the large metropolitan areas were posted in Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev., and Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Roseville, Calif. (-2.6 percent each), and Kansas City, Mo.-Kan. (-2.0 percent).
Metropolitan Division Nonfarm Employment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
Nonfarm payroll employment data were available in November for 32 metropolitan divisions, which are essentially separately identifiable employment centers within a metropolitan area. Sixteen of the 32 metropolitan divisions reported over-the-year employment gains and 16 reported losses. The largest over-the-year employment increases in the metropolitan divisions were registered in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va. (+37,600), Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas (+31,700), and Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, Calif. (+19,100). The largest over-the-year employment decrease in the metropolitan divisions occurred in Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, Ill. (-36,400); followed by Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, Mich. (-21,100); Edison-New Brunswick, N.J. (-19,400); and Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, Calif. (-17,300).
The largest over-the-year percentage increases in employment among the metropolitan divisions were posted in Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, Md. (+2.1 percent); Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas, and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va. (+1.6 percent each); and Framingham, Mass., and Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, Calif.(+1.4 percent each). The largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment among the metropolitan divisions was reported in Lake County-Kenosha County, Ill.-Wis. (-3.9 percent), followed by Peabody, Mass. (-2.3 percent), and Edison-New Brunswick, N.J., and Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, Mich. (-2.0 percent each).
