For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Tuesday, May 19, 2026 USDL-26-0761
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 -- MARCH 2026
Unemployment rates were higher in March than a year earlier in 174 of the 387 metropolitan
areas, lower in 172 areas, and unchanged in 41 areas, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
reported today. A total of 25 areas had jobless rates of less than 3.0 percent and 10 areas
had rates of at least 8.0 percent. Nonfarm payroll employment increased over the year in 8
metropolitan areas, decreased in 8 areas, and was essentially unchanged in 371 areas. The
national unemployment rate in March was 4.3 percent, not seasonally adjusted, little changed
from 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 people 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.
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| Metropolitan Area Unemployment Data Changes |
| |
| In accordance with standard practices, historical data in tables 1 and 2 of this news |
| release have been revised. For detailed information on the revisions, see the box note at |
| the end of the news release. |
|_____________________________________________________________________________________________|
Metropolitan Area Unemployment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
In March, Rapid City, SD, had the lowest unemployment rate, 2.0 percent. The next lowest rates
were in Burlington-South Burlington, VT, and Urban Honolulu, HI, 2.2 percent each. El Centro,
CA, had the highest rate, 16.9 percent. A total of 219 areas had March jobless rates below the
U.S. rate of 4.3 percent, 150 areas had rates above it, and 18 areas had rates equal to that
of the nation. (See table 1.)
The largest over-the-year unemployment rate increase in March occurred in Wildwood-The
Villages, FL (+2.2 percentage points). Thirty-four other areas had rate increases of at least
1.0 percentage point. Sandusky, OH, had the largest over-the-year rate decrease in March (-2.0
percentage points). Fifteen other areas had rate declines of at least 1.0 percentage point.
Of the 56 metropolitan areas with a 2020 Census population of 1 million or more, Urban
Honolulu, HI, had the lowest jobless rate in March, 2.2 percent. Fresno, CA, had the highest
rate, 8.9 percent. Twenty-nine large areas had over-the-year unemployment rate increases, 19
had decreases, and 8 had no change. The largest rate increases occurred in Hartford-West
Hartford-East Hartford, CT (+1.2 percentage points); Jacksonville, FL (+1.1 points); and
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL, and Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL (+1.0 point each). The
largest jobless rate decline occurred in Columbus, OH (-1.3 percentage points), followed by
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN (-1.1 points).
Metropolitan Division Unemployment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
Thirteen of the most populous metropolitan areas are made up of 37 metropolitan divisions,
which are essentially separately identifiable employment centers. In March, Miami-Miami Beach-
Kendall, FL, had the lowest division unemployment rate, 2.9 percent. Detroit-Dearborn-Livonia,
MI, had the highest rate among the divisions, 6.3 percent. (See table 2.)
In March, 22 metropolitan divisions had over-the-year unemployment rate increases, 11 had
decreases, and 4 had no change. The largest increase occurred in Tampa, FL (+1.1 percentage
points). The largest unemployment rate declines from March 2025 occurred in Lakewood-New
Brunswick, NJ, and Newark, NJ (-0.5 percentage point each).
Metropolitan Area Nonfarm Employment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
In March 2026, nonfarm payroll employment increased over the year in 8 metropolitan areas,
decreased in 8 areas, and was essentially unchanged in 371 areas. The largest over-the-year
employment increases occurred in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA (+17,900), Raleigh-Cary,
NC (+15,400), and Fresno, CA (+9,300). The largest over-the-year percentage gains in
employment occurred in Barnstable Town, MA (+5.1 percent), and Traverse City, MI (+4.7
percent), followed by Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ, and Merced, CA (+3.5 percent each). The
largest over-the-year employment decreases occurred in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria,
DC-VA-MD-WV (-107,900), Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA (-32,600), and Toledo, OH
(-7,800). The largest over-the-year percentage decreases occurred in Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ
(-5.1 percent), Yuma, AZ (-4.1 percent), and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
(-3.2 percent). (See table 3.)
Over the year, nonfarm employment increased in 3 metropolitan areas with a 2020 Census
population of 1 million or more, decreased in 2 areas, and was essentially unchanged in 51
areas. The over-the-year increases in employment occurred in Fresno, CA (+2.1 percent),
Raleigh-Cary, NC (+2.0 percent), and San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA (+1.6 percent). Over
the year, employment decreased in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV (-3.2 percent),
and Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA (-2.6 percent).
Metropolitan Division Nonfarm Employment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
In March, nonfarm payroll employment decreased over the year in 4 metropolitan divisions and
was essentially unchanged in 33 divisions. The over-the-year decreases in employment occurred
in New York-Jersey City-White Plains, NY-NJ (-64,100, or -1.0 percent), Washington, DC-MD
(-57,900, or -5.1 percent), Arlington-Alexandria-Reston, VA-WV (-27,800, or -1.7 percent), and
Frederick-Gaithersburg-Bethesda, MD (-22,200, or -3.6 percent). (See table 4.)
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The State Employment and Unemployment news release for April is scheduled to be released on
Friday, May 22, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. (ET). The Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment
news release for April is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at 10:00 a.m.
(ET).
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| |
| Changes to Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) Data |
| |
| Effective with this release, the civilian labor force and unemployment data for the |
| non-modeled metropolitan areas and divisions presented in tables 1 and 2 have been revised |
| for 2025 to incorporate updated inputs and adjustment to new state control totals. Revised |
| estimates for 2016 through 2025 were loaded into the BLS time-series database for all |
| non-modeled substate areas. For more information, see www.bls.gov/lau/launews1.htm. |
| |
| Due to the lapse in federal appropriations, October 2025 data collection did not occur for |
| the Current Population Survey (CPS), which provides the primary inputs to LAUS estimation. |
| Along with the annual processing revisions, averages for 2025 based on the 11 months for |
| which CPS data collection occurred were published for all non-modeled substate areas in |
| the BLS time-series database. These 11-month averages are not strictly comparable to |
| annual averages for prior years. |
| |
| Additional information about the impact of the shutdown on the household survey is |
| available online at |
| www.bls.gov/cps/methods/2025-federal-government-shutdown-impact-cps.htm. |
|_____________________________________________________________________________________________|
United States Department of Labor
