National

Nov. Jobless Rates Down Over the Year in 322 of 372 Metro Areas; Payroll Jobs Up in 288


Washington, DC—(ENEWSPF)—January 8, 2013.  Unemployment rates were lower in November than a year earlier in 322 of the 372 metropolitan areas, higher in 36 areas, and unchanged in 14 areas, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Four areas recorded jobless rates of at least 15.0 percent, while 52 areas registered rates of less than 5.0 percent. Two hundred eighty-eight metropolitan areas reported over-the-year increases in nonfarm payroll employment, 77 reported decreases, and 7 had no change. The national unemployment rate in November was 7.4 percent, not seasonally adjusted, down from 8.2 percent a year earlier.

Metropolitan Area Unemployment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

In November, 29 metropolitan areas reported jobless rates of at least 10.0 percent, down from 68 areas a year earlier, while 192 areas posted rates below 7.0 percent, up from 129 areas in November 2011. Yuma, Ariz., and El Centro, Calif., recorded the highest unemployment rates in November 2012, at 27.5 and 26.6 percent, respectively. Bismarck, N.D., registered the lowest unemployment rate, 2.6 percent. A total of 217 areas recorded November unemployment rates below the U.S. figure of 7.4 percent, 146 areas reported rates above it, and 9 areas had rates equal to that of the nation. (See table 1.)

The largest over-the-year unemployment rate decline in November was registered in Pascagoula, Miss. (-3.2 percentage points). Twenty-four additional areas had decreases of 2.0 percentage points or more. Atlantic City-Hammonton, N.J., reported the largest over-the-year jobless rate increase (+2.2 percentage points). The only other increase larger than 1.0 percentage point was recorded in Yuma, Ariz. (+1.2 points).

Among the 49 metropolitan areas with a Census 2000 population of 1 million or more, the highest unemployment rate in November was registered in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif., 11.3 percent. The lowest jobless rates among the large areas were recorded in Oklahoma City, Okla., and New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, La., 4.5 and 4.7 percent, respectively. Forty-one large areas reported over-the-year unemployment rate decreases, six registered increases, and two had no change. Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev., experienced the largest unemployment rate decline from November 2011 (-2.6 percentage points). The next largest decreases were reported in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Fla. (-2.2 percentage points), and Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Fla. (-2.1 points). Buffalo-Niagara Falls, N.Y., and Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, Conn., recorded the largest unemployment rate increases (+0.4 percentage point each).

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 2012, Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, Mich., registered the highest jobless rate among the divisions, 11.0 percent. Framingham, Mass., and Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, Md., reported the lowest division rates, 4.6 and 4.8 percent, respectively. (See table 2.)

Twenty-five of the metropolitan divisions recorded over-the-year jobless rate decreases in November, while eight registered increases and one had no change. West Palm Beach-Boca Raton-Boynton Beach, Fla., posted the largest rate decline from a year earlier (-1.9 percentage points), followed by Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach, Fla., and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif. (-1.8 points each). Eight additional divisions had decreases of more than 1.0 percentage point. Edison-New Brunswick, N.J., reported the largest over-the-year unemployment rate increase (+0.8 percentage point). 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 November. Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass.-N.H., recorded the largest rate difference among its divisions, 5.8 percentage points (Lawrence-Methuen-Salem, Mass.-N.H., 10.4 percent, compared with Framingham, Mass., 4.6 percent).

Metropolitan Area Nonfarm Employment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

In November, 288 metropolitan areas reported over-the-year increases in nonfarm payroll employment, 77 reported decreases, and 7 had no change. The largest over-the-year employment increase occurred in Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas (+85,300), followed by Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif. (+84,800), and Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas (+72,600). The largest over-the-year percentage gain in employment was reported in Lafayette, La. (+10.1 percent), followed by Sandusky, Ohio (+7.6 percent), and Pascagoula, Miss. (+6.9 percent). (See table 3.)

The largest over-the-year decrease in employment occurred in Albuquerque, N.M. (-3,900), followed by Brownsville-Harlingen, Texas (-3,200), and Colorado Springs, Colo. (-2,700).

The largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment was reported in Yuba City, Calif. (-4.5 percent), followed by Las Cruces, N.M. (-3.5 percent), and Dalton, Ga., and Lawton, Okla. (-3.2 percent each).

Over the year, nonfarm employment rose in all 37 metropolitan areas with annual average employment levels above 750,000 in 2011. The largest over-the-year percentage increases in employment in these large metropolitan areas were posted in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, Texas (+4.4 percent), San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif. (+3.7 percent), and Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas (+3.2 percent).

Metropolitan Division Nonfarm Employment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

Nonfarm payroll employment data were available in November 2012 for 32 metropolitan divisions, which are essentially separately identifiable employment centers within a metropolitan area. Twenty-eight of the 32 metropolitan divisions reported over-the-year employment gains, and 4 reported losses. The largest over-the-year increases in employment within the metropolitan divisions occurred in New York-White Plains-Wayne, N.Y.-N.J. (+70,500), Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif. (+68,100), and Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass. (+51,100). The over-the-year decreases in employment within the metropolitan divisions were in Nassau-Suffolk, N.Y. (-8,100), Nashua, N.H.-Mass. (-1,100), Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, Mich. (-1,000), and Gary, Ind. (-600). (See table 4.)

The largest over-the-year percentage increase in employment among the metropolitan divisions was reported in San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, Calif. (+3.4 percent), followed by Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas (+3.1 percent), and Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass. (+3.0 percent). The largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment occurred in Nashua, N.H.-Mass. (-0.9 percent).

Source: bls.gov


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