Metropolitan Unemployment Down in Most Regions Says BLS Report

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that unemployment rates were lower in July than most metro areas
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that unemployment rates were lower in July than most metro areas

RISMEDIA, September 5, 2006?This past July, nineteen metropolitan areas registered jobless rates below 3.0%, while four areas recorded rates of 10.0% or more, according to a recent report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The national unemployment rate was 5.0%, not seasonally adjusted, down from 5.2% a year earlier.

In July of this year, 93 metropolitan areas reported unemployment rates below 4.0%, up from 71 areas a year earlier, while 38 areas posted rates of at least 7.0%, down slightly from 40 areas in July 2005. Fargo, North Dakota, had the lowest unemployment rate, 2.1%.

The largest over-the-year jobless rate decreases in July were reported in seven Louisiana areas: Monroe (-3.2 percentage points), Alexandria and Shreveport-Bossier City (-3.1 points each), Baton Rouge and Lake Charles (-2.9 points each), Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux (-2.5 points), and Lafayette (-2.3 points). The largest unemployment rate increase from last July (+5.6 percentage points) was recorded in Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi.

Of the 49 metropolitan areas with a Census 2000 population of 1 million or more, Orlando-Kissimmee, Florida, reported the lowest jobless rate in July (3.2%).

The large areas with the highest unemployment rates again were Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Michigan, 8.1%, and Memphis, Tennessee-Mississippi-Arkansas, 6.6%. New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, Louisiana, posted the largest over-the-year jobless rate decrease (-1.8 percentage points).

Eleven of the most populous metropolitan areas are composed of 34 metropolitan divisions, which are essentially separately identifiable employment centers. Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach, Florida, again posted the lowest division unemployment rate, 3.3% in July. The divisions reporting the highest unemployment rates were Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, Michigan, 9.7%, Lawrence-Methuen-Salem, Massachusetts-New Hampshire, 7.1%, and Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, Michigan, 6.9%.

Fifteen of the 34 metropolitan divisions recorded over-the-year jobless rate decreases in July, 13 had rate increases, and 6 had rates that were unchanged from those of July 2005. Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Illinois, again registered the largest unemployment rate decline among divisions (-1.8 percentage points).

In July, 298 metropolitan areas reported over-the-year increases in non-farm payroll employment, 56 recorded decreases, and 13 had no change. The largest over-the-year employment gain was posted in Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Arizona (+90,300). The largest over-the-year percentage increases in employment were reported in St. George, Utah (+9.3%).

The largest over-the-year decreases in employment occurred in New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, Louisiana (-173,000). The declines reflect the impact of Hurricane Katrina.

Over the year, non-farm employment rose in 34 of the 36 metropolitan areas with annual average employment levels above 750,000 in 2005. The largest over the-year percentage increase in employment in these large metropolitan areas were posted in Las Vegas-Paradise, Nevada (+5.6%). Among the largest areas, the only reported percentage decreases in employment were in Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Michigan (-0.7%) and Indianapolis-Carmel, Indiana (-0.4%).

Non-farm payroll employment data were available in July 2006 for 32 metropolitan divisions. Twenty-nine of the 32 metropolitan divisions reported over-the-year employment gains while three reported losses. The largest over-the-year increase in the metropolitan divisions occurred in New York-White Plains-Wayne, New York-New Jersey (+73,800). Over-the-year employment losses were reported in Newark-Union, New Jersey-Pennsylvania (-7,900), Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, Michigan (-7,500), and Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, Michigan (-5,600).

The largest over-the-year percentage increases in employment among the metropolitan divisions were reported in Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach, Florida (+4.0%). Over-the-year percentage decreases in employment were reported in Newark-Union, New Jersey-Pennsylvania (-0.8%).

Estimates of labor force and unemployment for all states, metropolitan areas, labor market areas, counties, cities with a population of 25,000 or more, and other areas used in the administration of various federal economic assistance programs are available on the BLS Web site at www.bls.gov/lau/. Employment data from the CES program are available at www.bls.gov/sae/.