May 31, 2012 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)
Metropolitan area employment and unemployment, April 2012
Unemployment rates were lower in April than a year earlier in 342 of the 372 metropolitan areas, higher in 25 areas, and unchanged in 5 areas.
![Metropolitan area unemployment rate comparisons, versus prior year and U.S. unemployment rate, April 2012, not seasonally adjusted](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20120925030714im_/http://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/images/2012/ted_20120531.png)
[Chart data]
Ten areas recorded jobless rates of at least 15.0 percent in April, while 32 areas registered rates of less than 5.0 percent. The national unemployment rate in April was 7.7 percent, not seasonally adjusted, down from 8.7 percent a year earlier.
In April, 246 metropolitan areas reported over-the-year increases in nonfarm payroll employment, 115 reported decreases, and 11 had no change.
These metropolitan area data are not seasonally adjusted and are from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics and Current Employment Statistics (State and Area) programs. April 2012 data from both programs are preliminary and subject to revision. Find out more in "Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment — April 2012" (HTML) (PDF), news release USDL-12-1068.
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