Higher in 133 areas and unchanged in 21 areas

Durrant Pate/Contributor

The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is reporting that the unemployment rates were lower in November than a year earlier in 235 of the 389 metropolitan areas.

The unemployment rates were higher in 133 areas and unchanged in 21 areas. A total of 150 areas had jobless rates of less than 3.0 per cent while two areas had rates of at least 10.0 per cent.

The BLS says non-farm payroll employment increased over the year in 95 metropolitan areas and was essentially unchanged in 294 areas. The national unemployment rate in November was 3.4 per cent, down from 3.9 per cent a year earlier.

Metropolitan area unemployment

In November, Fargo, North Dakota had the lowest unemployment rate of 1.5 per cent. The next lowest rates were in Mankato-North Mankato, Minnesota. and Rochester, Minnesota with 1.6 per cent each.

El Centro, California, had the highest rate, 16.7 per cent, followed by Yuma, AZ, 16.3 per cent. A total of 215 areas had November jobless rates below the US rate of 3.4 per cent, 153 areas had rates above it, and 21 areas had rates equal to that of the nation.

The largest over-the-year unemployment rate decrease in November occurred in Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ (-2.6 percentage points). Three other areas had rate declines of at least 2.0 percentage points, and an additional 55 areas had rate declines between 1.0 point and 1.9 points.

Yuma, AZ, had the largest over-the-year rate increase in November (+5.0 percentage points). Of the 51 metropolitan areas with a 2010 Census population of one million or more, Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI, had the lowest jobless rate in November, 1.9 per cent.

Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV, had the highest rate, 5.6 per cent. Thirty-eight large areas had over-the-year unemployment rate decreases, nine had increase and four had no change.

The largest rate declines occurred in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA and New Orleans-Metairie, LA (-1.6 percentage points each). The largest jobless rate increase was in Oklahoma City, OK (+0.6 percentage point).

Metropolitan division unemployment

Eleven of the most populous metropolitan areas are made up of 38 metropolitan divisions, which are essentially separately identifiable employment centers. In November, Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, FL had the lowest division unemployment rate, 1.5 per cent.

Tacoma-Lakewood, WA, had the highest rate among the divisions, 5.3 per cent. In November, 33 metropolitan divisions had over-the-year unemployment rate decreases, three had increase, and two had no change.

The largest rate decline occurred in Philadelphia (-2.0 percentage points). The largest over-the-year jobless rate increase occurred in Gary, IN (+0.8 percentage point).

Metropolitan area non-farm employment

In November, nonfarm payroll employment increased over the year in 95 metropolitan areas and was essentially unchanged in 294 areas. The largest over-the-year employment increases occurred in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA (+371,100), Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (+266,900), and Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX (+242,200).

The largest over-the-year percentage gains in employment occurred in Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ (+7.3%), Charleston-North Charleston, SC (+6.6%), and Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL (+6.4%).

Over the year, nonfarm employment increased in 44 metropolitan areas with a 2010 Census population of one million or more, while employment was essentially unchanged in seven areas. The largest over-the-year percentage increase in employment in these large metropolitan areas occurred in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX (+6.1%), followed by Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX, and Raleigh, NC (+5.6% each).