For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Wednesday, April 3, 2019              USDL-19-0564

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 -- FEBRUARY 2019 


Unemployment rates were lower in February than a year earlier in 283
of the 389 metropolitan areas, higher in 67 areas, and unchanged in
39 areas, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Forty-
one areas had jobless rates of less than 3.0 percent and six areas
had rates of at least 10.0 percent. Nonfarm payroll employment
increased over the year in 39 metropolitan areas and was essentially
unchanged in 350 areas. The national unemployment rate in February
was 4.1 percent, not seasonally adjusted, down from 4.4 percent a
year earlier.

Metropolitan Area Unemployment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

In February, Ames, IA, had the lowest unemployment rate, 1.4 percent.
El Centro, CA, had the highest unemployment rate, 17.4 percent. A
total of 203 areas had February jobless rates below the U.S. rate 
of 4.1 percent, 172 areas had rates above it, and 14 areas had rates
equal to that of the nation. (See table 1.)

Ocean City, NJ, had the largest over-the-year unemployment rate
decrease in February (-1.9 percentage points). An additional 30
areas had rate declines of at least 1.0 percentage point. The largest
over-the-year rate increase occurred in Yakima, WA (+1.5 percentage
points).

Of the 51 metropolitan areas with a 2010 Census population of 1
million or more, Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN, had
the lowest unemployment rate in February, 2.4 percent. Cleveland-
Elyria, OH, had the highest jobless rate among the large areas, 4.8
percent. Forty-four large areas had over-the-year unemployment rate
decreases, 3 had increases, and 4 had no change. The largest rate
decrease occurred in Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY (-1.4
percentage points). No large area had an unemployment rate increase
of more than 0.3 percentage point.

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 February, San Francisco-Redwood City-South San
Francisco, CA, had the lowest unemployment rate among the divisions,
2.3 percent. Tacoma-Lakewood, WA, had the highest division rate, 6.0
percent. (See table 2.)

In February, 33 metropolitan divisions had over-the-year unemployment
rate decreases, 3 had increases, and 2 had no change. The largest
rate declines occurred in Nassau County-Suffolk County, NY, and
Philadelphia, PA (-1.1 percentage points each). The largest over-
the-year jobless rate increase occurred in Elgin, IL (+0.6 percentage
point).

Metropolitan Area Nonfarm Employment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

In February, 39 metropolitan areas had over-the-year increases in
nonfarm payroll employment and 350 were essentially unchanged. The
largest over-the-year employment increases occurred in New York-
Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA (+107,800), Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington,
TX (+102,500), and Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX (+72,600).
The largest over-the-year percentage gains in employment occurred in
Wheeling, WV-OH (+6.0 percent), Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ, and Reno,
NV (+5.8 percent each), and Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL (+4.5
percent). (See table 3.)

Over the year, nonfarm employment rose in 25 of the 51 metropolitan
areas with a 2010 Census population of 1 million or more, while
employment was essentially unchanged in 26 areas. The largest over-
the-year percentage increases in employment in these large metropolitan
areas occurred in Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL (+3.9 percent), Phoenix-
Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ (+3.1 percent), and Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--
Franklin, TN (+3.0 percent).

Metropolitan Division Nonfarm Employment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

In February, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 8 of the 38
metropolitan divisions over the year and was essentially unchanged in
30 divisions. The largest over-the-year increase in employment among
the metropolitan divisions occurred in New York-Jersey City-White
Plains, NY-NJ (+93,000), followed by Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX (+84,900),
and Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL (+51,600). (See table 4.)

The largest over-the-year percentage increases in employment occurred
in San Francisco-Redwood City-South San Francisco, CA (+3.6 percent),
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX (+3.3 percent), and Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall,
FL (+2.2 percent).

_____________
The State Employment and Unemployment news release for March is
scheduled to be released on Friday, April 19, 2019, at 10:00 a.m.
(EDT). The Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment news
release for March is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, May 1,
2019, at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).


 ________________________________________________________________________
|                                                                        |
|           Changes to Local Area Unemployment Statistics Data           |
|                                                                        |
| Effective with the release of Regional and State Unemployment 2018     |
| Annual Averages on Thursday, February 28, 2019, civilian labor force   |
| and unemployment data for all states, the District of Columbia, and    |
| the modeled substate areas presented in tables 1 and 2 of this news    |
| release were revised from 2014 through 2018 to incorporate updated     |
| inputs, new population controls, re-estimation of models, and          |
| adjustment to new census division and national control totals.         |
| Revisions to estimates for all model-based areas were loaded into      |
| the BLS time series database at that time.                             |
|                                                                        |
| Civilian labor force and unemployment data for the non-modeled         |
| metropolitan areas and divisions presented in tables 1 and 2 of this   |
| news release have been revised for 2018 to incorporate updated inputs  |
| and adjustment to new state control totals. Revised estimates for      |
| these areas and divisions have not been loaded into the BLS time       |
| series database; therefore, the database does not match the data for   |
| 2018 in this news release. Revisions for all non-modeled metropolitan  |
| areas and divisions from 2014 through 2018 will be loaded into the     |
| database on April 19, 2019. For more information, see                  |
| www.bls.gov/lau/launews1.htm.                                          |
|________________________________________________________________________|