In September, 104 metropolitan areas reported jobless rates of at least 10.0 percent, down from 120 areas a year earlier, while 74 areas posted rates below 7.0 percent, up from 71 areas in September 2009. El Centro, Calif., again recorded the highest unemployment rate, 30.4 percent, followed by Yuma, Ariz., 27.2 percent. These two adjacent areas are highly agricultural and experience extreme heat during summer months. Among the 13 areas with jobless rates of at least 15.0 percent, 9 were located in California. Bismarck, N.D., registered the lowest unemployment rate in September 2010, 2.8 percent. The areas with the next lowest rates were Fargo, N.D.-Minn., 3.3 percent, and Grand Forks, N.D.-Minn., 3.5 percent. Of the 10 areas with jobless rates under 5.0 percent, 8 were located in the West North Central census division. Overall, 238 areas recorded unemployment rates below the U.S.figure of 9.2 percent, 133 areas reported rates above it, and 1 area had a rate equal to that of the nation.
The largest over-the-year jobless rate decrease in September was recorded in Elkhart-Goshen, Ind. (-3.1 percentage points). Nine additional areas reported rate decreases of at least 2.0 percentage points, the largest of which were in Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich., and Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, N.C. (-2.4 points each), and Anderson, S.C. (-2.3 points). Yuma, Ariz., registered the largest over-the-year unemployment rate increase (+3.3 percentage points). Yuba City, Calif., experienced the next largest increase (+2.4 percentage points).
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 September, 15.0 and 14.8 percent, respectively. Thirteen additional large areas posted rates of 10.0 percent or more. The lowest jobless rate among the large areas was recorded by Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va., 5.9 percent, followed closely by Oklahoma City, Okla., 6.0 percent. Twenty-eight of the large areas reported over-the-year unemployment rate decreases, while 17 areas recorded rate increases and 4 had no rate change. Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich., posted the largest jobless rate decrease over the year (-2.4 percentage points). Five other large areas recorded decreases of 1.0 percentage point or more, the largest of which were in Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, N.C.-S.C. (-1.5 points), and Birmingham-Hoover, Ala. (-1.4 points). Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev., experienced the largest unemployment rate increase from September 2009 (+1.5 percentage points). The only other over-the-year increase of more than 1.0 percentage point among the large areas occurred in Miami-Fort Lauder-dale-Pompano Beach, Fla. (+1.1 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 September 2010, Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, Mich., registered the highest jobless rate among divisions, 14.4 percent. Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, Fla., had the next highest rate, 13.1 percent. Nashua, N.H.-Mass., and Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, Md., reported the lowest unemployment rates among the divisions, 5.4 and 5.7 percent, respectively.
In September, 24 metropolitan divisions recorded over-the-year jobless rate decreases, 8 divisions reported rate increases, and 2 divisions had rates that were unchanged. Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, Mich., and Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, Mich., posted the largest rate decreases from September 2009 (-2.5 percentage points each). Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, Fla., experienced the largest unemployment rate increase among the metropolitan divisions (+1.7 percentage points).
In 5 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 September 2010. Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass.-N.H., recorded the largest rate difference among its divisions, 6.1 percentage points (Lawrence-Methuen-Salem, Mass.-N.H., 11.5 percent, compared with Nashua, N.H.-Mass., 5.4 percent).
Metropolitan Area Nonfarm Employment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
In September, 193 metropolitan areas reported over-the-year decreases in nonfarm payroll employment, 168 reported increases, and 11 had no change. The largest over-the-year employment decrease was recorded in Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, Ill.-Ind.-Wis. (-69,300), followed by Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich. (-36,400), New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa. (-35,300), and San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, Calif. (-33,900). The largest over-the-year percentage decreases in employment were reported in Yuba City, Calif. (-4.7 percent), Cumberland, Md.-W.Va. (-4.3 percent), Bend, Ore., and Holland-Grand Haven, Mich. (-3.7 percent each), and Reno-Sparks, Nev. (-3.6 percent).
The largest over-the-year employment increase occurred in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va. (+56,100), followed by Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas (+28,000), Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass.-N.H. (+23,300), and Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, Texas (+17,300). The largest over-the-year percentage gain in employment occurred in Manhattan, Kan. (+7.1 percent), followed by Kennewick-Pasco-Richland, Wash. (+5.7 percent), and St. Joseph, Mo.-Kan. (+5.3 percent).
Over the year, nonfarm employment decreased in 19 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. (-2.7 percent), Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev. (-2.4 percent), Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich. (-2.1 percent), and San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, Calif. (-1.8 percent). The large area that reported the biggest over-the-year percentage increase in employment was Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, Texas (+2.3 percent); followed by Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va. (+1.9 percent); and Baltimore-Towson, Md., Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass.-N.H., and Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas (+1.0 percent each).
Metropolitan Division Nonfarm Employment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
Nonfarm payroll employment data were available in September 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 15 reported gains.
The largest over-the-year decrease in the metropolitan divisions occurred in Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, Ill. (-51,900), followed by Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif. (-37,100), and Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, Mich. (-26,800). The largest over-the-year employment increases in the metropolitan divisions were registered in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va. (+47,800), Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas (+20,200), and Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, Calif(+13,400).
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 Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, Mich. (-2.6 percent), Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, Calif. (-2.2 percent), Camden, N.J. (-2.0 percent), and Edison-New Brunswick, N.J. (-1.8 percent). The largest over-the-year percentage increases in employment among the metropolitan divisions were posted in Nashua, N.H.-Mass. (+2.7 percent), Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va. (+2.0 percent), and Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, Md. (+1.5 percent).
