For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Wednesday, August 29, 2012 USDL-12-1761
Technical information:
Employment: (202) 691-6559 * sminfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/sae
Unemployment: (202) 691-6392 * lausinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/lau
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov
METROPOLITAN AREA EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT -- JULY 2012
Unemployment rates were lower in July than a year earlier in 305 of the 372
metropolitan areas, higher in 52 areas, and unchanged in 15 areas, the U.S. Bureau
of Labor Statistics reported today. Seven areas recorded jobless rates of at least
15.0 percent, while 18 areas registered rates of less than 5.0 percent. Two hundred
seventy-six metropolitan areas reported over-the-year increases in nonfarm payroll
employment, 93 reported decreases, and 3 had no change. The national unemployment
rate in July was 8.6 percent, not seasonally adjusted, down from 9.3 percent a year
earlier.
Metropolitan Area Unemployment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
In July, 67 metropolitan areas reported jobless rates of at least 10.0 percent, down
from 112 areas a year earlier, while 94 areas posted rates below 7.0 percent, up from
68 areas in July of last year. Yuma, Ariz., and El Centro, Calif., recorded the
highest unemployment rates in July 2012, 31.2 and 29.9 percent, respectively. Bismarck,
N.D., registered the lowest unemployment rate, 2.5 percent. A total of 216 areas
recorded July unemployment rates below the U.S. figure of 8.6 percent, 151 areas
reported rates above it, and 5 areas had rates equal to that of the nation.
(See table 1.)
The largest over-the-year unemployment rate decrease in July was registered in El
Centro, Calif. (-2.7 percentage points). Nine additional areas had decreases of 2.0
percentage points or more. Elmira, N.Y., reported the largest over-the-year jobless
rate increase (+1.5 percentage points). Two other areas had increases of at least 1.0
percentage point from a year earlier.
Among the 49 metropolitan areas with a Census 2000 population of 1 million or more,
the highest unemployment rates in July were registered in Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev.,
and Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif., 12.9 and 12.7 percent, respectively.
Five additional large areas posted rates of 10.0 percent or more. The lowest jobless
rate among the large areas was recorded in Oklahoma City, Okla., 4.8 percent. Forty-
two large areas reported over-the-year unemployment rate decreases, six registered
increases, and one had no change. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Fla., experienced
the largest unemployment rate decline from July 2011 (-1.9 percentage points).
Twenty-one other large areas reported rate decreases of at least 1.0 percentage
point. No large area recorded an over-the-year rate increase as large as 1.0
percentage point.
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 July
2012, Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, Mich., registered the highest jobless rate among the
divisions, 13.4 percent. The next highest rate was recorded in Los Angeles-Long
Beach-Glendale, Calif., 11.9 percent. Framingham, Mass., reported the lowest division
rate, 5.0 percent. (See table 2.)
Twenty-seven of the metropolitan divisions recorded over-the-year jobless rate
decreases in July, while seven registered increases. West Palm Beach-Boca Raton-
Boynton Beach, Fla., posted the largest rate decline from a year earlier (-1.7
percentage points). Thirteen other divisions had decreases of 1.0 percentage point or
more. No division reported an unemployment rate increase over the year greater than
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 July.
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass.-N.H., recorded the largest rate difference among its
divisions, 5.8 percentage points (Lawrence-Methuen-Salem, Mass.-N.H., 10.8 percent,
compared with Framingham, Mass., 5.0 percent).
Metropolitan Area Nonfarm Employment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
In July, 276 metropolitan areas reported over-the-year increases in nonfarm payroll
employment, 93 reported decreases, and 3 had no change. The largest over-the-year
employment increase occurred in New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, N.Y.-N.J.-
Pa. (+90,400), followed by Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif. (+86,300), and
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas (+83,700). The largest over-the-year percentage
gain in employment was reported in Lafayette, La. (+10.3 percent), followed by
Columbus, Ind. (+8.3 percent), and Texarkana, Texas-Texarkana, Ark. (+7.0 percent).
(See table 3.)
The largest over-the-year decrease in employment occurred in Milwaukee-Waukesha-West
Allis, Wis. (-6,000), followed by Brownsville-Harlingen, Texas (-4,700), and
Providence-Fall River-Warwick, R.I.-Mass. (-4,100). The largest over-the-year
percentage decrease in employment was reported in Dalton, Ga. (-6.0 percent),
followed by Great Falls, Mont. (-4.8 percent), Hot Springs, Ark. (-4.7 percent), and
Danville, Ill. (-4.5 percent).
Over the year, nonfarm employment rose in 35 of the 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 San Francisco-
Oakland-Fremont, Calif., and San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif. (+3.5 percent
each), and Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas (+3.2 percent). Only one of these large
areas reported a percent decrease: Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, Wis. (-0.7 percent).
Metropolitan Division Nonfarm Employment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
Nonfarm payroll employment data were available in July 2012 for 32 metropolitan
divisions, which are essentially separately identifiable employment centers within a
metropolitan area. Thirty of the 32 metropolitan divisions reported over-the-year
employment gains, while 2 reported losses. The largest over-the-year increases in the
metropolitan divisions occurred in New York-White Plains-Wayne, N.Y.-N.J. (+78,600),
and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif. (+58,900). The largest over-the-year
decrease in the metropolitan divisions was in Edison-New Brunswick, N.J. (-4,300).
(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. (+4.4 percent),
followed by Peabody, Mass., and Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, Wash. (+3.1 percent each).
The largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment occurred in Nashua, N.H.-
Mass. (-2.7 percent).
_____________________
The Regional and State Employment and Unemployment news release for August is
scheduled to be released on Friday, September 21, 2012, at 10:00 a.m. (EDT). The
Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment news release for August is scheduled to
be released on Wednesday, October 3, 2012, at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).
