For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Wednesday, July 28, 2021 			      USDL-21-1388

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 -- JUNE 2021


Unemployment rates were lower in June than a year earlier in 386 of the 389
metropolitan areas and higher in 3 areas, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
reported today. A total of 9 areas had jobless rates of less than 3.0 percent
and 10 areas had rates of at least 10.0 percent. Nonfarm payroll employment
increased over the year in 164 metropolitan areas and was essentially unchanged
in 225 areas. The national unemployment rate in June was 6.1 percent, not
seasonally adjusted, down from 11.2 percent a year earlier.

This news release presents statistics from two monthly programs. The civilian
labor force and unemployment data are based on the same concepts and definitions
as those used for the national household survey estimates. These data pertain
to individuals by where they reside. The employment data are from an establishment
survey that measures nonfarm employment, hours, and earnings by industry. These
data pertain to jobs on payrolls defined by where the establishments are located.
For more information about the concepts and statistical methodologies used by
these two programs, see the Technical Note.

Metropolitan Area Unemployment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

In June, Logan, UT-ID, had the lowest unemployment rate, 2.4 percent. Yuma, AZ,
had the highest rate, 20.4 percent. A total of 261 areas had June jobless rates
below the U.S. rate of 6.1 percent, 124 areas had rates above it, and 4 areas
had rates equal to that of the nation. (See table 1.)

The largest over-the-year unemployment rate decrease in June occurred in Atlantic
City-Hammonton, NJ (-23.5 percentage points). Rates fell over the year by at
least 10.0 percentage points in an additional seven areas. No area had an
unemployment rate increase greater than 0.3 percentage point.

Of the 51 metropolitan areas with a 2010 Census population of 1 million or more,
Salt Lake City, UT, and Birmingham-Hoover, AL, had the lowest jobless rates in
June, 3.2 percent and 3.4 percent, respectively. Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise,
NV, and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, had the highest rates, 9.6 percent
and 9.5 percent, respectively. All 51 large areas had over-the-year unemployment
rate decreases. The largest jobless rate declines were in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn,
MI (-13.9 percentage points), and Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL (-12.5 points).
The smallest over-the-year rate decrease occurred in Louisville/Jefferson County,
KY-IN (-1.7 percentage points).

Metropolitan Division Unemployment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

Eleven of the most populous metropolitan areas are made up of 38 metropolitan
divisions, which are essentially separately identifiable employment centers. In
June, Nashua, NH-MA, had the lowest division unemployment rate, 3.2 percent. Los
Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA, had the highest rate among the divisions, 10.5
percent. (See table 2.)

In June, all 38 metropolitan divisions had over-the-year unemployment rate decreases.
Detroit-Dearborn-Livonia, MI, had the largest rate decline (-15.3 percentage points),
followed by Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, MI (-13.0 points). The smallest rate
decrease occurred in Silver Spring-Frederick-Rockville, MD (-2.0 percentage points).

Metropolitan Area Nonfarm Employment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

In June, 164 metropolitan areas had over-the-year increases in nonfarm payroll
employment and 225 were essentially unchanged. The largest over-the-year employment
increases occurred in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA (+748,900), Los Angeles-
Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (+324,600), and Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI (+225,700).
The largest over-the-year percentage gains in employment occurred in Ocean City, NJ
(+38.9 percent), Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ (+36.8 percent), and Barnstable Town,
MA (+17.8 percent). (See table 3.)

Over the year, nonfarm employment increased in all 51 metropolitan areas with a
2010 Census population of 1 million or more. The largest over-the-year percentage
increases in employment in these large metropolitan areas occurred in Las Vegas-
Henderson-Paradise, NV (+12.8 percent), Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY 
(+11.5 percent), and Providence-Warwick, RI-MA (+9.5 percent). 

Metropolitan Division Nonfarm Employment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

In June, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 36 metropolitan divisions and
was essentially unchanged in 2 divisions over the year. The largest over-the-year
increase in employment among the metropolitan divisions occurred in New York-Jersey
City-White Plains, NY-NJ (+550,400), followed by Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale,
CA (+209,700), and Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL (+181,600). (See table 4.)

The largest over-the-year percentage increases in employment occurred in Lynn-Saugus-
Marblehead, MA (+12.7 percent), Haverhill-Newburyport-Amesbury Town, MA-NH (+12.0
percent), and Taunton-Middleborough-Norton, MA (+11.2 percent). 

_____________
The State Employment and Unemployment news release for July is scheduled to be
released on Friday, August 20, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. (ET). The Metropolitan Area
Employment and Unemployment news release for July is scheduled to be released 
on Wednesday, September 1, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).
 

  ________________________________________________________________________________________
 |       										  |
 |                  Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Impact on June 2021                   |
 |                        Establishment and Household Survey Data			  |
 |											  |
 | Data collection for both surveys was affected by the pandemic. In the establishment	  |
 | survey, more data continued to be collected by web than in months prior to the	  |
 | pandemic. In the household survey, for the safety of both interviewers and 		  |
 | respondents, in-person interviews were conducted only when telephone interviews	  |
 | could not be done.									  |
 |											  |
 | For information on the modifications made to the Current Employment Statistics (CES)	  |
 | estimation and methodological procedures due to the impact of COVID-19, see		  |
 | www.bls.gov/web/empsit/cesbd.htm.							  |
 |											  |
 | For the June 2021 estimates of household employment and unemployment from the Local	  |
 | Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program, BLS continued to implement level-shift	  |
 | outliers in the employment and/or unemployment inputs to the state models, based on	  |
 | statistical evaluation of movements in each area's inputs. These level shifts 	  |
 | preserved movements in the published estimates that the models otherwise would have	  |
 | discounted, without requiring changes to how the models create estimates at other	  |
 | points in the time series.								  |
 |											  |
 | The "Frequently asked questions" document at 					  |
 | www.bls.gov/covid19/employment-situation-covid19-faq-june-2021.htm extensively	  |
 | discusses the impact of a misclassification in the household survey on the national	  |
 | estimates for June 2021. Despite the considerable decline in its degree relative to	  |
 | prior months, this misclassification continued to be widespread geographically, with	  |
 | BLS analysis indicating that most states again were affected to at least some extent,  |
 | which in turn affected the official LAUS estimates for June 2021. 			  |
 |											  |
 | Household data for substate areas are controlled to the employment and unemployment	  |
 | totals for their respective model-based areas. Hence, the preliminary June and 	  |
 | revised May estimates for substate areas reflect the use of level-shift outliers,	  |
 | where implemented, in the inputs for their model-based control areas. The substate	  |
 | area estimates also were impacted by misclassification in the household survey, in	  |
 | proportion to the impacts of the misclassifications on the data for their model-based  |
 | control areas.									  |
 |											  |
 | Household data for Puerto Rico are not modeled, but rather are derived from a monthly  |
 | household survey similar to the Current Population Survey. The Puerto Rico Department  |
 | of Labor has reported a misclassification in its household survey since May 2020 	  |
 | similar in nature to the misclassification in the Current Population Survey, which	  |
 | has affected the local area data proportionally.					  |
 |________________________________________________________________________________________|