Technical information:
Employment: (202) 691-6559 USDL 09-0873
http://www.bls.gov/sae/
Unemployment: (202) 691-6392
http://www.bls.gov/lau/ For release: 10:00 A.M. (EDT)
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Wednesday, July 29, 2009
METROPOLITAN AREA EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT: JUNE 2009
Unemployment rates were higher in June than a year earlier in all
372 metropolitan areas, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S.
Department of Labor reported today. Eighteen areas recorded jobless
rates of at least 15.0 percent, while 9 areas registered rates below
5.0 percent. The national unemployment rate in June was 9.7 percent,
not seasonally adjusted, up from 5.7 percent a year earlier. Among
the 369 metropolitan areas for which nonfarm payroll data were avail-
able, 352 areas reported over-the-year declines in employment, 16 re-
ported increases, and 1 had no change.
Metropolitan Area Unemployment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
In June, 144 metropolitan areas reported jobless rates of at least
10.0 percent, up from 6 areas a year earlier, while 62 areas posted
rates below 7.0 percent, down from 312 areas in June 2008. El Centro,
Calif., recorded the highest unemployment rate, 27.5 percent, followed
by Yuma, Ariz., 23.1 percent. Among the 18 areas with jobless rates
of at least 15.0 percent, 8 were located in California and 5 were in
Michigan. Bismarck, N.D., registered the lowest jobless rate in June,
3.8 percent, followed by Manhattan, Kan., and Rapid City, S.D., 4.6
percent each. Overall, 152 areas posted unemployment rates above the
U.S. figure of 9.7 percent, 216 areas reported rates below it, and 4
areas had the same rate. (See table 1.)
For the sixth consecutive month, all 372 metropolitan areas had
over-the-year unemployment rate increases. Two areas in Indiana that
experienced layoffs in transportation equipment manufacturing recorded
the largest jobless rate increases from June 2008: Kokomo (+11.8 per-
centage points) and Elkhart-Goshen (+10.0 points). The Michigan areas
of Monroe (+8.6 percentage points), Muskegon-Norton Shores (+8.2 points),
and Detroit-Warren-Livonia (+8.1 points) had the next largest over-the-
year rate increases. Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, N.C., also had a rate
increase of 8.1 percentage points, and Bend, Ore., and Janesville, Wis.,
had increases of 8.0 points each. An additional 22 areas registered un-
employment rate increases of 6.0 percentage points or more, and another
56 areas had rate increases of 5.0 to 5.9 points.
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| |
| Publication of Payroll Employment Series for Small |
| Metropolitan Areas Resumed |
| |
| Effective with the release of June 2009 data on July 17, |
|BLS resumed publication of payroll employment series for 65 |
|small metropolitan areas. See page 3 for additional infor- |
|mation. |
|____________________________________________________________|
- 2 -
Of the 49 metropolitan areas with a Census 2000 population of 1
million or more, Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich., reported the highest
unemployment rate in June, 17.1 percent. The large areas with the
next highest rates were Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif., 13.7
percent; Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, N.C.-S.C., 12.4 percent; Las
Vegas-Paradise, Nev., 12.3 percent; and Providence-Fall River-Warwick,
R.I., 12.1 percent. Eighteen additional large areas posted rates of
10.0 percent or more. The large areas with the lowest jobless rates
in June were Oklahoma City, Okla., 6.0 percent; Washington-Arlington-
Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va., 6.6 percent; and San Antonio, Texas,
6.9 percent. All 49 large areas registered over-the-year unemployment
rate increases of at least 2.0 percentage points. Detroit-Warren-
Livonia, Mich., had the largest jobless rate increase from a year
earlier (+8.1 percentage points). The areas with the next largest
rate increase were Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, Ore.-Wash., (+6.3
percentage points), Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, N.C.-S.C. (+6.1
points), and Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev. (+6.0 points). Four additional
large areas recorded rate increases of 5.0 percentage points or more.
Metropolitan Division Unemployment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
Eleven of the most populous metropolitan areas are composed of 34
metropolitan divisions, which are essentially separately identifiable
employment centers. In June, the two divisions that comprise the
Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich., metropolitan area registered the high-
est jobless rates: Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, 18.5 percent, and
Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, 16.2 percent. The division with the
next highest rate was Lawrence-Methuen-Salem, Mass.-N.H., 13.1 per-
cent. Bethesda-Frederick-Rockville, Md., reported the lowest unem-
ployment rate among the divisions, 5.9 percent. Washington-Arling-
ton-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va., posted the next lowest rate, 6.8
percent. (See table 2.)
In June, all 34 metropolitan divisions recorded over-the-year job-
less rate increases of at least 2.5 percentage points. Detroit-
Livonia-Dearborn, Mich., and Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, Mich.,
experienced the largest rate increases (+8.3 and +8.1 percentage
points, respectively). Three additional divisions reported over-the-
year rate increases of 5.0 percentage points or more.
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 June. Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass.-
N.H., posted the largest rate difference among its divisions, 6.0
percentage points (Lawrence-Methuen-Salem, Mass.-N.H., 13.1 percent,
compared with Framingham, Mass., and Nashua, N.H.-Mass., 7.1 percent
each).
Metropolitan Area Nonfarm Employment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
In June, 352 metropolitan areas reported over-the-year decreases
in nonfarm payroll employment, 16 reported increases, and 1 had no
change. The largest over-the-year decrease in employment occurred in
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif. (-259,100), followed by New
York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa. (-226,900),
Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Ill.-Ind.-Wis. (-207,600), Detroit-Warren-
Livonia, Mich. (-175,400), Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz. (-141,100),
and Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Ga. (-133,500). The largest over-
the-year percentage decreases in employment were reported in Kokomo,
Ind. (-14.5 percent), Elkhart-Goshen, Ind. (-12.3 percent), Lake
Havasu City-Kingman, Ariz. (-10.1 percent), Prescott, Ariz. (-10.0
percent), and Palm Coast, Fla. (-9.8 percent). (See table 3.)
The largest over-the-year employment increase was recorded in
Champaign-Urbana, Ill. (+1,400), followed by Fargo, N.D.-Minn.
(+1,100), Lewiston, Idaho-Wash. (+1,000), and Kennewick-Pasco-
Richland, Wash. (+900). The largest over-the-year percentage gain
in employment was recorded in Lewiston, Idaho-Wash. (+4.4 percent),
followed by Sandusky, Ohio (+1.7 percent), Grand Forks, N.D.-Minn.
(+1.5 percent), and Champaign-Urbana, Ill., and Odessa, Texas (+1.3
percent each).
- 3 -
Over the year, nonfarm employment fell in all of the 38 metropol-
itan areas with annual average employment levels above 750,000 in
2008. The largest over-the-year percentage decreases in employment
in these large metropolitan areas were posted in Detroit-Warren-
Livonia, Mich. (-9.0 percent), Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz. (-7.6
percent), Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev. (-6.5 percent), and Charlotte-
Gastonia-Concord, N.C.-S.C., and Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario,
Calif. (-6.2 percent each).
Metropolitan Division Nonfarm Employment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
Nonfarm payroll employment data were available in June for 32
metropolitan divisions, which are essentially separately identifi-
able employment centers within a metropolitan area. All 32 metropol-
itan divisions reported over-the-year employment declines. The larg-
est over-the-year employment decrease in the metropolitan divisions
occurred in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif. (-188,300), fol-
lowed by Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Ill. (-184,300), New York-White
Plains-Wayne, N.Y.-N.J. (-130,300), Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, Mich.
(-112,300), and Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, Calif. (-70,800). (See
table 4.)
The largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment among
the metropolitan divisions was reported in Warren-Troy-Farmington
Hills, Mich. (-9.6 percent), followed by Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn,
Mich. (-8.1 percent), San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, Calif.
(-5.0 percent), Wilmington, Del.-Md.-N.J. (-4.9 percent), and Chicago-
Naperville-Joliet, Ill., and Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, Calif. (-4.7
percent each).
______________________________
The Regional and State Employment and Unemployment release for July
is scheduled to be issued on Friday, August 21. The Metropolitan Area
Employment and Unemployment release for July is scheduled to be issued
on Tuesday, September 1.
____________________________________________________________
| |
| Publication of Payroll Employment Series for Small |
| Metropolitan Areas Resumed |
| |
| Effective with the release of June 2009 data on July 17, |
|BLS resumed publication of payroll employment series for 65 |
|small metropolitan areas that were discontinued from the |
|establishment survey in March 2008 due to a reduction in |
|funding that resulted from the 2008 Consolidated Appropri- |
|ations Act enacted on December 26, 2007. The funds to pro- |
|duce these series were restored with the 2009 Omnibus Appro-|
|priations Act enacted on March 11, 2009. Publication of |
|metropolitan area hours and earnings series will resume on |
|August 21, 2009, with the release of July 2009 data. The |
|65 metropolitan areas for which BLS resumed publication of |
|nonfarm employment data are listed on the BLS Web site at |
|http://www.bls.gov/sae/msarestoration.htm. |
|____________________________________________________________|
