In September, 126 metropolitan areas reported unemployment rates below 4.0 percent, down from 151 areas a year earlier, while 18 areas posted rates of at least 7.0 percent, up from 13 areas in September 2006. Idaho Falls, Idaho, again had the lowest jobless rate, 1.3 percent, followed by three additional Idaho areas: Boise City-Nampa, Coeur d’Alene, and Pocatello at 1.7 percent each. The highest rates in September continued to be registered by two adjacent, heavily agricultural areas with extreme weather: El Centro, Calif., 20.8 percent, and Yuma, Ariz., 15.7 percent. Overall, 208 areas recorded unemployment rates below the U.S. figure of 4.5 percent, 150 areas had higher rates, and 11 areas had the same rate.
El Centro, Calif., again registered the largest over-the-year unemployment rate increase (+2.7 percentage points) in September. Two Florida areas, Cape Coral-Fort Myers and Punta Gorda, posted the next largest rate increases (+2.1 percentage points each). Twenty-seven additional areas, 18 of which were in California or Florida, recorded jobless rate increases of at least 1.0 percentage point from a year earlier. Two Mississippi areas severely affected by Hurricane Katrina continued to report the largest over-the-year jobless rate decreases in September: Gulfport-Biloxi and Pascagoula (-2.3 and -1.6 percentage points, respectively). Eight additional areas had rate decreases of 1.0 percentage point or more.
Of the 49 metropolitan areas with a Census 2000 population of 1 million or more, Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz., recorded the lowest unemployment rate in September, 2.9 percent, followed closely by Richmond, Va., Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, Va.-N.C., and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va., at 3.0 percent each. Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich., again posted the highest rate among the large areas, 7.7 percent. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif., and Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, Ohio, continued to register the next highest rates, 6.1 and 5.9 percent, respectively. Twenty-four large areas recorded higher unemployment rates than in September 2006, 21 registered lower rates, and 4 had no changes. Among the large areas, two in California, Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario and Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville, reported the largest jobless rate increases (+1.2 and +1.1 percentage points, respectively), followed by Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev. (+1.0 point). Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz., had the largest unemployment rate decrease from a year earlier (-0.7 percentage point).
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. The two divisions that compose the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va., metropolitan area, Bethesda-Gaithersburg-Frederick, Md., and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va., continued to report the lowest division unemployment rates in September, 2.8 and 3.0 percent, respectively. Six additional divisions registered rates below 4.0 percent. The divisions with the highest unemployment rates again were Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, Mich., 8.9 percent; Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, Mich., 6.9 percent; and Lawrence-Methuen-Salem, Mass.-N.H., 6.6 percent.
Twenty of the 34 metropolitan divisions recorded over-the-year unemployment rate decreases in September, 13 had rate increases, and 1 had a rate that was unchanged from that of September 2006. Among the divisions, Peabody, Mass., registered the largest jobless rate decline from a year earlier (-0.8 percentage point), while Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, Calif., and West Palm Beach-Boca Raton-Boynton Beach, Fla., reported the largest increases (+0.9 point each).
In 6 of the 11 metropolitan areas that contain divisions, the ranges between the highest and lowest division jobless rates were 1.0 percentage point or more in September. The metropolitan area that had the largest rate difference among its divisions, 3.3 percentage points, was Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass.-N.H. (Lawrence-Methuen-Salem, Mass.-N.H., 6.6 percent, compared with Nashua, N.H.-Mass., 3.3 percent).
Metropolitan Area Nonfarm Employment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
In September, 311 metropolitan areas reported over-the-year increases in nonfarm payroll employment, 43 reported decreases, and 13 had no change. The largest over-the-year employment gain was reported in New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, N.Y.-N.J-Pa. (+69,600), followed by Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas (+67,900) and Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas (+64,500). The largest over-the-year percentage increases in employment were reported in Provo-Orem, Utah (+5.5 percent), Jacksonville, N.C., and Warner Robins, Ga. (+5.2 percent each), Grand Junction, Colo. (+5.0 percent), and McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas (+4.9 percent).
The largest over-the-year decreases in employment happened in Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich. (-34,800), Flint, Mich. (-2,400), Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, Ohio-Pa. (-2,300), Saginaw-Saginaw Township North, Mich. (-2,200), and Atlantic City, N.J. (-2,100). The largest over-the-year percentage decreases in employment were reported in Bay City, Mich. (-4.3 percent) and Saginaw-Saginaw Township North, Mich. (-2.4 percent).
Nonfarm employment rose over the year in 35 of the 37 metropolitan areas with annual average employment levels above 750,000 in 2006; 1 area reported an employment decrease and 1 remained unchanged over the year. The largest over-the-year percentage increases in employment in these areas were posted in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif. (+3.7 percent), Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz. (+2.9 percent), Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, N.C.-S.C. (+2.8 percent), Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas (+2.6 percent), and Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas (+2.4 percent). Among the largest areas, only the Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich., area reported a decrease (-1.7 percent).
Metropolitan Division Nonfarm Employment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
Nonfarm payroll employment data were available in September 2007 for 32 metropolitan divisions, which are essentially separately identifiable employment centers within a metropolitan area. Twenty-seven of the 32 metropolitan divisions reported over-the-year employment gains, 4 reported losses, and 1 was unchanged. The largest over-the-year level increases occurred in New York-White Plains-Wayne, N.Y.-N.J. (+52,700) and Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas (+52,400). The largest over-the-year employment declines occurred in Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, Mich. (-17,900) and Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, Mich. (-16,900).
The largest over-the-year percentage increases in employment among the metropolitan divisions were reported in Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas (+2.6 percent), Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, Wash. (+2.5 percent), and Camden, N.J., and Wilmington, Del.-Md.-N.J. (+2.1 percent each). Percentage declines in employment were largest in Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, Mich. (-2.1 percent) and Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, Mich. (-1.5 percent).
