For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Wednesday, September 2, 2020		            USDL-20-1648

Technical information:
 Employment:		sminfo@bls.gov  *  www.bls.gov/sae
 Unemployment:		lausinfo@bls.gov  *  www.bls.gov/lau
	
Media contact:		(202) 691-5902  *  PressOffice@bls.gov


(NOTE: On September 11, 2020, BLS corrected errors in estimates for not seasonally adjusted
all employees in state government educational services, state government, government,
service-providing, and total nonfarm for California and many of its metropolitan areas.
Seasonally adjusted estimates for all employees and 3-month average change were corrected
at aggregate levels. Tables 3 and 4 in this news release were corrected. In addition, estimates
in the LABSTAT database for April, May, June, and July 2020 were corrected. BLS also corrected
other supplemental materials as listed at www.bls.gov/bls/errata/sae_errata.htm.) 

		
		METROPOLITAN AREA EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT -- JULY 2020


Unemployment rates were higher in July than a year earlier in all 389 metropolitan areas, the
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. A total of seven areas had jobless rates of 
less than 5.0 percent and four areas had rates of at least 20.0 percent. Nonfarm payroll 
employment decreased over the year in 272 metropolitan areas, increased in 1 area, and was 
essentially unchanged in 116 areas. The national unemployment rate in July was 10.5 percent,
not seasonally adjusted, up from 4.0 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)

El Centro, CA, had the highest unemployment rate in July, 26.8 percent, followed by Yuma, 
AZ, 24.8 percent, and Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ, 24.0 percent. Logan, UT-ID, and Idaho 
Falls, ID, had the lowest unemployment rates, 2.7 percent and 3.1 percent, respectively. A 
total of 268 areas had July jobless rates below the U.S. rate of 10.5 percent, 116 areas
had rates above it, and 5 areas had rates equal to that of the nation. (See table 1.)

The largest over-the-year unemployment rate increases in July occurred in Atlantic City-
Hammonton, NJ (+19.0 percentage points), and Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI (+18.7 points). 
Rates rose over the year by at least 10.0 percentage points in an additional 15 areas. The 
smallest jobless rate increase from a year earlier occurred in Logan, UT-ID (+0.3 percentage
point).

Of the 51 metropolitan areas with a 2010 Census population of 1 million or more, Los 
Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, had the highest unemployment rate in July, 16.8 percent, 
followed by Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV, and New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA, 
16.4 percent each. Salt Lake City, UT, had the lowest jobless rate among the large areas,
5.3 percent. All 51 large areas had over-the-year unemployment rate increases, the largest
of which were in Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH (+12.6 percentage points), New York-Newark-
Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA (+12.4 points), and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (+12.3 points).
The smallest rate increase occurred in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN (+2.0 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 July, Lawrence-Methuen
Town-Salem, MA-NH, had the highest unemployment rate among the divisions, 21.4 percent. 
Silver Spring-Frederick-Rockville, MD, had the lowest division rate, 7.3 percent. (See 
table 2.)

In July, all 38 metropolitan divisions had over-the-year unemployment rate increases, the
largest of which was in Lawrence-Methuen Town-Salem, MA-NH (+17.3 percentage points). The
smallest rate increase occurred in Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX (+3.8 percentage points). 

Metropolitan Area Nonfarm Employment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

In July, 272 metropolitan areas had over-the-year decreases in nonfarm payroll employment, 1
had an increase, and 116 were essentially unchanged. The largest over-the-year employment
decreases occurred in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA (-1,354,700), Los Angeles-Long
Beach-Anaheim, CA (-625,100), and Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI (-396,000). The largest
over-the-year percentage losses in employment occurred in Ocean City, NJ (-29.7 percent),
Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI (-27.6 percent), and Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ, and Barnstable
Town, MA (-19.9 percent each). Employment increased in Idaho Falls, ID (+4,000, or +5.6 percent).
(See table 3.)

Over the year, nonfarm employment declined in all of the 51 metropolitan areas with a 2010
Census population of 1 million or more. The largest over-the-year percentage decreases in 
employment in these large metropolitan areas occurred in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
(-13.6 percent), Rochester, NY (-13.0 percent), and Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV (-12.6
percent). 

Metropolitan Division Nonfarm Employment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

In July, nonfarm payroll employment decreased in all of the 38 metropolitan divisions over the
year. The largest over-the-year decrease in employment among the metropolitan divisions occurred
in New York-Jersey City-White Plains, NY-NJ (-1,026,700), followed by Los Angeles-Long Beach-
Glendale, CA (-424,300), and Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL (-311,900). (See table 4.)

The largest over-the-year percentage decreases in employment occurred in Lynn-Saugus-Marblehead,
MA (-16.2 percent), Haverhill-Newburyport-Amesbury Town, MA-NH (-14.8 percent), and New York-Jersey
City-White Plains, NY-NJ (-14.2 percent). 

_____________
The State Employment and Unemployment news release for August is scheduled to be released on
Friday, September 18, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. (ET). The Metropolitan Area Employment and 
Unemployment news release for August is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, September 30,
2020, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).


 ____________________________________________________________________________________________
|											     |
|		      Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Impact on July 2020		     |
|			   Establishment and Household Survey Data			     |
|											     |
| BLS has continued to review all estimation and methodological procedures for the           |
| establishment survey, which included the review of data, estimation processes, the         |
| application of the birth-death model, and seasonal adjustment. Business births and deaths  |
| cannot be adequately captured by the establishment survey as they occur. Therefore, the    |
| Current Employment Statistics (CES) program uses a model to account for the relatively     |
| stable net employment change generated by business births and deaths. Due to the impact of |
| COVID-19, the relationship between business births and deaths is no longer stable.         |
| Typically, reports with zero employment are not included in estimation. For the June final |
| and July preliminary estimates, CES included a portion of these reports in the estimates   |
| and made modifications to the birth-death model. In addition for both months, the	     |
| establishment survey included a portion of the reports that returned to reporting positive |
| employment from reporting zero employment. For more information, see 			     |
| www.bls.gov/web/empsit/cesbd.htm.							     |
|											     |
| In the establishment survey, workers who are paid by their employer for all or any part of |
| the pay period including the 12th of the month are counted as employed, even if they were  |
| not actually at their jobs. Workers who are temporarily or permanently absent from their   |
| jobs and are not being paid are not counted as employed, even if they are continuing to    |
| receive benefits. The length of the reference period does vary across the respondents in   |
| the establishment survey; one-third of businesses have a weekly pay period, slightly over  |
| 40 percent a bi-weekly, about 20 percent semi-monthly, and a small amount monthly.	     |
|											     |
| For the July 2020 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. Both the Current Population Survey inputs,  |
| which serve as the primary inputs to the LAUS models, and the nonfarm payroll employment   |
| and unemployment insurance claims covariates were examined for outliers. The resulting     |
| implementation of 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-july-2020.htm extensively discusses   |
| the impact of a misclassification in the household survey on the national estimates for    |
| July 2020. 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. However, according to usual  |
| practice, the data from the household survey are accepted as recorded. To maintain data    |
| integrity, no ad hoc actions are taken to reclassify survey responses. Hence, the          |
| household survey estimates of employed and unemployed people that serve as the primary     |
| inputs to the state models were affected to varying degrees by the misclassification,      |
| which in turn affected the official LAUS estimates for July 2020. Similar 		     |
| misclassifications had occurred in the household survey from March through June (see       |
| www.bls.gov/covid19/effects-of-covid-19-pandemic-and-response-on-the-employment-situation- |
| news-release.htm#summaries).								     |
|											     |
| Household data for substate areas are controlled to the employment and unemployment totals |
| for their respective model-based areas. Hence, the preliminary July and revised June       |
| 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 for both    |
| months 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.							     |
|____________________________________________________________________________________________|