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Unemployment rate 1.9 percent in Ames, Iowa, in February 2024
April 08, 2024
In February 2024, Ames, Iowa, had the lowest unemployment rate, 1.9 percent, among metropolitan areas. The next lowest rate was in Burlington-South Burlington, Vermont, 2.0 percent. El Centro, California, had the highest rate, 17.2 percent.
Metropolitan area unemployment rates, February 2024, not seasonally adjusted
Metropolitan area
Unemployment rate (in percent)
Over-the-year percentage point change
United States
4.2
0.3
Anniston-Oxford-Jacksonville, AL
3.9
1.1
Auburn-Opelika, AL
3.1
0.8
Birmingham-Hoover, AL
3.1
0.8
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL
3.2
0.8
Decatur, AL
2.7
0.6
Dothan, AL
3.5
0.9
Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL
3.5
0.8
Gadsden, AL
3.9
1.0
Huntsville, AL
2.8
0.7
Mobile, AL
4.4
1.3
Montgomery, AL
3.4
0.6
Tuscaloosa, AL
3.3
0.9
Anchorage, AK
4.9
0.8
Fairbanks, AK
4.9
0.7
Flagstaff, AZ
4.1
-0.1
Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ
4.5
0.0
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ
3.3
0.1
Prescott, AZ
3.5
0.1
Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ
4.3
-0.1
Tucson, AZ
3.6
0.1
Yuma, AZ
9.7
-0.1
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO
2.6
0.2
Fort Smith, AR-OK
3.9
0.6
Hot Springs, AR
3.8
0.0
Jonesboro, AR
3.1
0.3
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR
3.3
0.2
Pine Bluff, AR
4.6
0.0
Bakersfield, CA
10.2
1.2
Chico, CA
6.8
1.2
El Centro, CA
17.2
1.4
Fresno, CA
9.5
1.3
Hanford-Corcoran, CA
10.5
1.2
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
4.8
0.1
Madera, CA
9.0
0.6
Merced, CA
11.9
1.2
Modesto, CA
7.8
1.1
Napa, CA
4.5
0.7
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA
5.1
1.0
Redding, CA
6.9
1.1
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
5.5
1.1
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA
5.2
0.9
Salinas, CA
11.4
1.1
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA
4.7
1.0
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA
4.4
1.0
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
4.4
1.2
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA
4.3
0.9
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA
8.0
1.1
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
5.7
0.9
Santa Rosa, CA
4.4
0.8
Stockton-Lodi, CA
7.6
1.1
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA
5.7
1.0
Visalia-Porterville, CA
12.3
1.6
Yuba City, CA
9.6
1.0
Boulder, CO
3.6
0.7
Colorado Springs, CO
4.3
0.7
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO
4.2
0.9
Fort Collins, CO
3.7
0.7
Grand Junction, CO
4.6
0.6
Greeley, CO
4.3
0.7
Pueblo, CO
5.6
0.8
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT
5.6
1.3
Danbury, CT
5.0
1.2
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT
5.2
1.2
New Haven, CT
5.0
1.2
Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI
5.2
1.2
Waterbury, CT
6.8
1.6
Dover, DE
4.4
-0.3
Salisbury, MD-DE
4.2
-0.1
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
3.0
0.2
Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL
3.3
0.2
Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL
3.0
0.4
Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL
3.7
0.6
Gainesville, FL
3.4
0.6
Homosassa Springs, FL
5.2
1.1
Jacksonville, FL
3.3
0.5
Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL
3.9
0.6
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
2.5
0.2
Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, FL
3.0
0.4
North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL
3.4
0.6
Ocala, FL
4.1
0.7
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
3.2
0.5
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL
3.3
0.5
Panama City, FL
3.2
0.5
Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL
3.4
0.6
Port St. Lucie, FL
3.7
0.6
Punta Gorda, FL
3.9
0.5
Sebastian-Vero Beach, FL
3.8
0.6
Sebring, FL
4.8
0.9
Tallahassee, FL
3.3
0.4
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
3.3
0.5
The Villages, FL
5.1
1.1
Albany, GA
3.6
-0.6
Athens-Clarke County, GA
2.9
-0.3
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
3.0
-0.3
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC
3.8
-0.1
Brunswick, GA
2.9
-0.4
Columbus, GA-AL
3.7
-0.3
Dalton, GA
3.6
-0.5
Gainesville, GA
2.3
-0.3
Hinesville, GA
3.1
-0.4
Macon-Bibb County, GA
3.6
-0.2
Rome, GA
2.9
-0.4
Savannah, GA
2.7
-0.3
Valdosta, GA
3.4
-0.4
Warner Robins, GA
2.9
-0.4
Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI
5.6
2.7
Urban Honolulu, HI
2.7
-0.2
Boise City, ID
3.7
0.5
Coeur d'Alene, ID
5.2
0.7
Idaho Falls, ID
3.5
0.4
Lewiston, ID-WA
4.0
0.4
Pocatello, ID
3.9
0.6
Twin Falls, ID
4.0
0.4
Bloomington, IL
4.3
0.3
Carbondale-Marion, IL
4.9
0.4
Champaign-Urbana, IL
4.4
0.3
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI
5.3
0.8
Danville, IL
6.1
0.1
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL
4.8
0.1
Decatur, IL
6.4
0.5
Kankakee, IL
6.8
0.2
Peoria, IL
5.8
0.3
Rockford, IL
6.8
0.4
Springfield, IL
4.8
0.3
Bloomington, IN
4.4
0.8
Columbus, IN
3.7
0.6
Elkhart-Goshen, IN
4.4
0.2
Evansville, IN-KY
4.0
0.4
Fort Wayne, IN
3.9
0.5
Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN
3.7
0.3
Kokomo, IN
5.8
0.2
Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN
3.9
0.6
Michigan City-La Porte, IN
5.2
0.2
Muncie, IN
5.1
0.8
South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI
4.7
0.2
Terre Haute, IN
4.9
0.4
Ames, IA
1.9
0.0
Cedar Rapids, IA
4.3
0.7
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
3.1
0.1
Dubuque, IA
3.4
-0.1
Iowa City, IA
2.4
0.0
Sioux City, IA-NE-SD
3.0
0.1
Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
3.2
-0.1
Lawrence, KS
3.1
0.1
Manhattan, KS
3.0
0.2
Topeka, KS
3.2
-0.1
Wichita, KS
3.5
0.2
Bowling Green, KY
4.9
0.4
Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY
5.2
0.2
Lexington-Fayette, KY
4.2
0.6
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN
4.4
0.1
Owensboro, KY
5.2
0.1
Alexandria, LA
4.3
1.0
Baton Rouge, LA
3.8
0.7
Hammond, LA
5.0
0.9
Houma-Thibodaux, LA
4.1
0.9
Lafayette, LA
4.3
1.0
Lake Charles, LA
4.1
0.8
Monroe, LA
4.7
1.1
New Orleans-Metairie, LA
4.5
1.0
Shreveport-Bossier City, LA
4.6
1.0
Bangor, ME
3.7
0.8
Lewiston-Auburn, ME
3.7
0.5
Portland-South Portland, ME
3.0
0.6
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
2.8
0.3
California-Lexington Park, MD
2.6
0.3
Cumberland, MD-WV
4.2
0.6
Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV
3.6
0.6
Barnstable Town, MA
5.3
-1.1
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH
3.3
-0.2
Leominster-Gardner, MA
4.3
-0.7
New Bedford, MA
5.4
-1.0
Pittsfield, MA
4.1
-1.0
Springfield, MA-CT
4.3
-0.3
Worcester, MA-CT
3.9
-0.4
Ann Arbor, MI
3.0
-0.4
Battle Creek, MI
4.5
-0.4
Bay City, MI
5.4
-0.9
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
4.0
0.3
Flint, MI
5.3
-0.5
Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI
3.2
-0.3
Jackson, MI
4.2
-0.5
Kalamazoo-Portage, MI
4.0
-0.4
Lansing-East Lansing, MI
3.8
-0.3
Midland, MI
4.3
-0.6
Monroe, MI
4.3
-0.6
Muskegon, MI
4.5
-0.5
Niles-Benton Harbor, MI
4.5
-0.5
Saginaw, MI
5.5
-0.9
Duluth, MN-WI
4.4
0.1
Mankato-North Mankato, MN
3.1
0.3
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
3.3
0.2
Rochester, MN
3.0
0.0
St. Cloud, MN
3.8
-0.1
Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS
2.7
-0.6
Hattiesburg, MS
2.4
-0.5
Jackson, MS
2.4
-0.5
Cape Girardeau, MO-IL
3.4
0.6
Columbia, MO
2.8
0.4
Jefferson City, MO
3.2
0.5
Joplin, MO
3.7
0.8
Kansas City, MO-KS
3.6
0.4
St. Joseph, MO-KS
3.5
0.4
St. Louis, MO-IL
4.0
0.7
Springfield, MO
3.3
0.7
Billings, MT
3.4
0.7
Great Falls, MT
3.9
0.9
Missoula, MT
4.0
0.9
Grand Island, NE
2.9
0.5
Lincoln, NE
2.6
0.5
Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA
3.2
0.6
Carson City, NV
4.8
-0.1
Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV
5.2
-0.4
Reno, NV
4.2
0.0
Dover-Durham, NH-ME
2.7
0.7
Manchester, NH
2.8
0.7
Portsmouth, NH-ME
2.8
0.7
Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ
7.2
0.7
Ocean City, NJ
11.8
-1.1
Trenton, NJ
4.3
0.5
Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ
7.9
0.8
Albuquerque, NM
3.5
0.1
Farmington, NM
4.3
-0.1
Las Cruces, NM
4.6
0.1
Santa Fe, NM
3.2
-0.1
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY
4.0
0.5
Binghamton, NY
4.8
0.4
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY
4.8
0.5
Elmira, NY
4.6
0.1
Glens Falls, NY
5.1
0.7
Ithaca, NY
3.5
0.4
Kingston, NY
4.3
0.6
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
4.7
0.1
Rochester, NY
4.4
0.5
Syracuse, NY
4.5
0.4
Utica-Rome, NY
4.8
0.5
Watertown-Fort Drum, NY
6.1
0.7
Asheville, NC
3.1
0.0
Burlington, NC
3.5
0.0
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
3.6
0.0
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
3.2
0.0
Fayetteville, NC
4.9
-0.2
Goldsboro, NC
3.8
-0.1
Greensboro-High Point, NC
4.1
0.0
Greenville, NC
4.0
0.0
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC
3.6
0.1
Jacksonville, NC
4.3
0.0
New Bern, NC
3.6
-0.2
Raleigh, NC
3.3
0.1
Rocky Mount, NC
5.1
-0.3
Wilmington, NC
3.3
-0.1
Winston-Salem, NC
3.6
0.0
Bismarck, ND
2.7
0.1
Fargo, ND-MN
2.6
0.3
Grand Forks, ND-MN
2.6
-0.1
Akron, OH
4.5
0.2
Canton-Massillon, OH
4.7
0.2
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN
4.1
0.4
Cleveland-Elyria, OH
4.6
-0.2
Columbus, OH
3.8
0.3
Dayton, OH
4.3
0.3
Lima, OH
4.3
0.0
Mansfield, OH
5.3
0.2
Springfield, OH
5.6
1.5
Toledo, OH
4.7
0.3
Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH
6.2
0.3
Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA
5.2
0.1
Enid, OK
4.3
1.1
Lawton, OK
4.4
0.6
Oklahoma City, OK
3.6
0.5
Tulsa, OK
4.0
0.7
Albany, OR
5.4
1.0
Bend-Redmond, OR
5.0
0.6
Corvallis, OR
3.8
0.6
Eugene, OR
5.0
0.6
Grants Pass, OR
6.4
0.6
Medford, OR
5.7
0.7
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
4.8
0.9
Salem, OR
4.9
0.7
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ
3.9
-0.3
Altoona, PA
3.4
-0.8
Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA
3.8
-0.5
Chambersburg-Waynesboro, PA
3.0
-0.4
East Stroudsburg, PA
4.6
-0.9
Erie, PA
4.1
-0.8
Gettysburg, PA
2.8
-0.2
Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA
3.0
-0.4
Johnstown, PA
4.3
-0.9
Lancaster, PA
2.8
-0.3
Lebanon, PA
2.9
-0.3
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
3.8
-0.1
Pittsburgh, PA
3.6
-0.8
Reading, PA
3.7
-0.3
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre--Hazleton, PA
4.5
-0.5
State College, PA
2.6
-0.6
Williamsport, PA
4.0
-0.6
York-Hanover, PA
3.1
-0.3
Providence-Warwick, RI-MA
5.2
1.2
Charleston-North Charleston, SC
3.1
0.0
Columbia, SC
3.4
0.1
Florence, SC
3.7
0.2
Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, SC
3.4
0.2
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC
3.6
0.1
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC
4.6
-0.1
Spartanburg, SC
3.6
0.2
Sumter, SC
4.5
0.0
Rapid City, SD
2.6
0.3
Sioux Falls, SD
2.5
0.3
Chattanooga, TN-GA
2.7
-0.5
Clarksville, TN-KY
3.8
-0.4
Cleveland, TN
2.9
-0.9
Jackson, TN
2.8
-0.7
Johnson City, TN
2.8
-0.8
Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA
3.1
-0.5
Knoxville, TN
2.6
-0.5
Memphis, TN-MS-AR
3.5
-0.6
Morristown, TN
3.3
-0.8
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN
2.2
-0.5
Abilene, TX
3.9
-0.1
Amarillo, TX
3.4
0.0
Austin-Round Rock, TX
3.7
0.2
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX
5.9
-0.5
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
5.8
-0.3
College Station-Bryan, TX
3.5
-0.1
Corpus Christi, TX
4.6
-0.3
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
4.2
0.2
El Paso, TX
4.8
-0.1
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
4.6
0.0
Killeen-Temple, TX
4.9
-0.3
Laredo, TX
4.8
0.1
Longview, TX
4.9
0.3
Lubbock, TX
3.7
-0.1
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
6.2
-0.4
Midland, TX
2.9
0.0
Odessa, TX
3.8
0.0
San Angelo, TX
3.9
0.0
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
4.1
0.0
Sherman-Denison, TX
4.1
-0.1
Texarkana, TX-AR
4.4
-0.1
Tyler, TX
4.2
0.1
Victoria, TX
4.5
-0.1
Waco, TX
4.1
-0.3
Wichita Falls, TX
4.4
0.0
Logan, UT-ID
2.7
0.2
Ogden-Clearfield, UT
3.2
0.5
Provo-Orem, UT
3.2
0.6
St. George, UT
3.4
0.4
Salt Lake City, UT
3.3
0.5
Burlington-South Burlington, VT
2.0
0.2
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA
2.8
0.1
Charlottesville, VA
2.6
0.0
Harrisonburg, VA
2.9
0.2
Lynchburg, VA
3.4
0.0
Richmond, VA
3.1
0.0
Roanoke, VA
2.9
0.0
Staunton-Waynesboro, VA
2.7
0.1
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC
3.0
-0.2
Winchester, VA-WV
2.7
0.0
Bellingham, WA
6.5
1.3
Bremerton-Silverdale, WA
6.0
1.1
Kennewick-Richland, WA
7.2
0.8
Longview, WA
7.3
1.1
Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA
6.9
1.2
Olympia-Tumwater, WA
6.1
1.1
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
4.7
1.3
Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA
6.8
1.1
Walla Walla, WA
6.5
1.1
Wenatchee, WA
7.0
0.8
Yakima, WA
9.0
1.0
Beckley, WV
4.9
0.7
Charleston, WV
4.7
0.9
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH
5.3
0.7
Morgantown, WV
3.8
0.5
Parkersburg-Vienna, WV
5.8
0.8
Wheeling, WV-OH
5.6
0.1
Appleton, WI
2.7
0.2
Eau Claire, WI
3.4
-0.2
Fond du Lac, WI
2.7
-0.1
Green Bay, WI
3.0
0.0
Janesville-Beloit, WI
3.6
-0.1
La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN
2.8
-0.1
Madison, WI
2.3
0.0
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI
3.4
0.2
Oshkosh-Neenah, WI
2.8
0.3
Racine, WI
3.9
-0.1
Sheboygan, WI
2.5
0.0
Wausau, WI
3.0
0.2
Casper, WY
3.8
-0.3
Cheyenne, WY
3.7
-0.1
A total of 216 areas had February jobless rates below the U.S. rate of 4.2 percent, 165 areas had rates above it, and 8 areas had rates equal to that of the nation.
The largest over-the-year unemployment rate increase in February 2024 occurred in Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, Hawaii (+2.7 percentage points). Forty-eight other areas had rate increases of at least 1.0 percentage point. Barnstable Town, Massachusetts, and Ocean City, New Jersey, had the largest over-the-year rate decreases in February (–1.1 percentage points each).
United States Department of Labor
