April 30, 2009 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Metro areas with highest unemployment rates in March

Of the 372 metropolitan areas in the United States, 18 recorded jobless rates of at least 15.0 percent in March 2009, and 109 areas reported jobless rates of at least 10.0 percent.

Metropolitan areas with the highest unemployment rates in March 2009
[Chart data—TXT]

El Centro, California, recorded the highest unemployment rate, 25.1 percent. The areas with the next highest rates were Merced, California, 20.4 percent; Yuba City, California, 19.5 percent; and Elkhart-Goshen, Indiana, 18.8 percent.

Among the 18 areas with jobless rates of at least 15.0 percent, 12 were located in California.

The national unemployment rate, not seasonally adjusted, was 9.0 percent in March.

The metropolitan area data are also not seasonally adjusted and are from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics program. March metropolitan area unemployment rates are preliminary and subject to revision. Find out more in "Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment: March 2009" (PDF) (HTML), news release USDL 09-0455.