Metropolitan Area Unemployment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
In September, 84 metropolitan areas reported jobless rates of at least 7.0 percent, up from 17 areas a year earlier, while 46 areas posted rates below 4.0 percent, down from 133 areas in September 2007. El Centro, Calif., and neighboring Yuma, Ariz., continued to record the highest unemployment rates, 24.5 and 20.5 percent, respectively. Joblessness in these two areas is typically higher during summer months due to the effect of extreme heat on agricultural activity. Bismarck, N.D., Casper, Wyo., Logan, Utah-Idaho, and Sioux Falls, S.D., registered the lowest jobless rates, 2.5 percent each. Overall, 145 areas posted unemployment rates above the U.S. figure of 6.0 percent, 219 areas reported rates below it, and 5 areas had the same rate.
Elkhart-Goshen, Ind., recorded the largest jobless rate increase from September 2007 (+5.1 percentage points). This area has experienced layoffs in transportation equipment manufacturing for several months. Rocky Mount, N.C., had the next largest rate increase (+3.9 points), followed closely by El Centro, Calif., and Yuma, Ariz. (+3.8 points each). Seventy-eight additional areas registered over-the-year unemployment rate increases of 2.0 percentage points or more, and another 179 areas had rate increases of 1.0 to 1.9 points. Two Arkansas areas experienced the largest jobless rate decreases from September 2007: Jonesboro and Hot Springs (-1.0 and -0.8 percentage point, respectively).
Of the 49 metropolitan areas with a Census 2000 population of 1 million or more, Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif., reported the highest unemployment rate in September 2008, 9.1 percent, followed by Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich., at 8.3 percent. Seven additional large areas posted rates of 7.0 percent or more. Oklahoma City, Okla., registered the lowest jobless rate in September, 3.5 percent, and Washington Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va., had the next lowest rate, 4.0 percent. Forty-seven large areas recorded higher unemployment rates than in September 2007, one reported a lower rate, and one had no change. The areas with the largest jobless rate increases from a year earlier were Providence-Fall River-Warwick, R.I.-Mass. (+3.2 percentage points), Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif. (+2.8 points), and Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Fla. (+2.5 points). Twelve additional large areas posted over-the-year unemployment rate increases of 2.0 percentage points or more, and 28 other areas had rate increases of at least 1.0 point. The only large area to register a jobless rate decrease from a year earlier was Oklahoma City, Okla. (-0.5 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. In September 2008, Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, Mich., again registered the highest division jobless rate, 9.6 percent, fol-
lowed by Lawrence-Methuen-Salem, Mass.-N.H., at 8.5 percent. Bethesda- Frederick-Gaithersburg, Md., continued to report the lowest unemployment rate among the divisions, 3.4 percent. Nashua, N.H.-Mass., posted the next lowest rate, 3.9 percent.
In September, all 34 metropolitan divisions recorded over-the-year jobless rate increases. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif., experienced the largest unemployment rate increase (+2.6 percentage points). West Palm Beach-Boca Raton-Boynton Beach, Fla., registered the next largest increase (+2.3 percentage points). Two additional divisions reported over-the-year rate increases of 2.0 percentage points or more, and 21 others had increases of at least 1.0 point.
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. Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass.-N.H., posted the largest rate difference among its divisions, 4.6 percentage points (Lawrence-Methuen-Salem, Mass.-N.H., 8.5 percent, compared with Nashua, N.H.-Mass., 3.9 percent).
Metropolitan Area Nonfarm Employment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
Among the 310 metropolitan areas for which nonfarm payroll data were available in September 2008, 140 areas reported over-the-year employment gains, 164 reported losses, and 6 had no change. The largest over-the-year employment increase was recorded in Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas (+55,700), followed by Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas (+54,300), Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va (+40,700), and Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Wash. (+33,900). The largest over-the-year percentage gain in employment was reported in Grand Junction, Colo. (+4.2 percent), followed by Laredo, Texas (+3.7 percent), Morgantown, W.Va. (+3.5 percent), McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas (+3.3 percent), and Odessa, Texas (+3.0 percent).
The largest over-the-year decreases in employment occurred in Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich. (-57,800), Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif. (-53,200), Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz. (-43,200), Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Ga. (-33,600), Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, Fla. (-32,400), and Tampa-St. Petersburg Clearwater, Fla. (-22,700). The largest over-the-year percentage decreases in employment were reported in Flint, Mich. (-5.5 percent), Elkhart-Goshen, Ind. (-4.1 percent), Lake Havasu City-Kingman, Ariz. (-3.9 percent), Dalton, Ga. (-3.5 percent), Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Fla.(-3.4 percent), St. George, Utah (-3.3 percent), Hattiesburg, Miss. (-3.2 percent), and Janesville, Wis., and Naples-Marco Island, Fla.(-3.0 percent each).
Over the year, nonfarm employment rose in 17 of the 38 metropolitan areas with annual average employment levels above 750,000 in 2007. The largest over-the-year percentage increases in employment were posted in Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas, and Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, Va.-N.C. (+2.2 percent each), San Antonio, Texas (+2.1 percent), Austin-Round Rock, Texas, and Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Wash. (+1.9 percent each), Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas (+1.8 percent), and Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, N.C.-S.C. (+1.6 percent). Among these large areas, 21 reported over-the-year decreases in employment. The largest over-the-year percentage decreases in employment were recorded in Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich. (-2.9 percent), Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz. (-2.3 percent), Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Fla. (-1.8 percent), and Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif. (-1.6 percent).
Metropolitan Division Nonfarm Employment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
Nonfarm payroll employment data were available in September 2008 for 32 metropolitan divisions, which are essentially separately identifiable employment centers within a metropolitan area. Fifteen of the 32 metropolitan divisions reported over-the-year employment gains, while 17 reported losses. The largest over-the-year employment gain in the metropolitan divisions occurred in Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas (+39,200), followed by Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va. (+35,400), Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, Wash. (+29,700), and New York-White Plains-Wayne, N.Y.-N.J. (+23,700). Of the 17 metropolitan divisions that reported losses, the largest over-the-year employment decrease occurred in Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, Mich. (-33,800), followed by Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, Calif. (-29,600), Warren-Troy-Farm-ington Hills, Mich. (-24,000), Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif.(-23,600), and Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, Calif. (-21,400).
The largest over-the-year percentage increase in employment among the metropolitan divisions was reported in Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, Wash. (+2.0 percent), followed by Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas (+1.9 percent), Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas (+1.7 percent), and Tacoma, Wash., and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va. (+1.5 percent each). Of the metropolitan divisions that reported over-the-year declines in employment, the largest decreases were in Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, Mich. (-4.3 percent), and Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, Calif., Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, Calif., and Warren-Troy-Farmington
Hills, Mich. (-2.0 percent each).
