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Unemployment rates in August were lower than a year earlier in 311 of 372 metropolitan areas

October 25, 2013

In August 2013, unemployment rates were lower in August than a year earlier in 311 of the 372 metropolitan areas, higher in 47 areas, and unchanged in 14 areas. The national unemployment rate in August was 7.3 percent, not seasonally adjusted, down from 8.2 percent a year earlier.

Over-the-year change in unemployment rates for metropolitan areas, not seasonally adjusted, August 2012-August 2013
Over-the-year change in unemployment rates for metropolitan areas, not seasonally adjusted, August 2012 – August 2013
Metropolitan Statistical AreaOver-the-year change (in percentage point(s))

Alabama

 

Anniston-Oxford, AL

-0.7

Auburn-Opelika, AL

-1.2

Birmingham-Hoover, AL (1)

-0.9

Decatur, AL

-1.2

Dothan, AL

-1.3

Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL

-1.1

Gadsden, AL

-1.2

Huntsville, AL

-0.9

Mobile, AL

-1.4

Montgomery, AL

-1.2

Tuscaloosa, AL

-1.1

Alaska

 

Anchorage, AK

-0.5

Fairbanks, AK

-0.4

Arizona

 

Flagstaff, AZ

0.0

Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ

0.0

Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ (1)

-0.2

Prescott, AZ

-0.4

Tucson, AZ

0.0

Yuma, AZ

2.0

Arkansas

 

Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO

-0.1

Fort Smith, AR-OK

-0.7

Hot Springs, AR

0.2

Jonesboro, AR

-0.1

Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR

0.0

Pine Bluff, AR

0.6

California

 

Bakersfield-Delano, CA

-1.4

Chico, CA

-2.1

El Centro, CA

-5.6

Fresno, CA

-2.3

Hanford-Corcoran, CA

-2.3

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA (1)

-1.2

Madera-Chowchilla, CA

-2.2

Merced, CA

-2.5

Modesto, CA

-2.3

Napa, CA

-1.6

Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA

-1.7

Redding, CA

-2.7

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA (1)

-2.2

Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Roseville, CA (1)

-1.9

Salinas, CA

-1.5

San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA (1)

-1.8

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA (1)

-1.8

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA (1)

-1.9

San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA

-1.6

Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta, CA

-1.5

Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA

-1.9

Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA

-2.0

Stockton, CA

-2.4

Vallejo-Fairfield, CA

-1.9

Visalia-Porterville, CA

-2.2

Yuba City, CA

-3.2

Colorado

 

Boulder, CO

-1.0

Colorado Springs, CO

-1.1

Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO (1)

-1.3

Fort Collins-Loveland, CO

-1.0

Grand Junction, CO

-1.2

Greeley, CO

-1.4

Pueblo, CO

-1.2

Connecticut

 

Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT Metropolitan NECTA

-0.5

Danbury, CT Metropolitan NECTA

-0.7

Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT Metropolitan NECTA (1)

-0.7

New Haven, CT Metropolitan NECTA

-0.6

Norwich-New London, CT-RI Metropolitan NECTA

-0.7

Waterbury, CT Metropolitan NECTA

-0.6

Delaware

 

Dover, DE

-0.5

Washington D.C.

 

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV (1)

-0.3

Florida

 

Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL

-2.2

Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL

-1.4

Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL

-2.0

Gainesville, FL

-1.5

Jacksonville, FL (1)

-1.9

Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL

-2.0

Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL (1)

-1.6

Naples-Marco Island, FL

-2.4

North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL

-1.9

Ocala, FL

-2.2

Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL (1)

-2.0

Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL

-1.9

Palm Coast, FL

-1.7

Panama City-Lynn Haven-Panama City Beach, FL

-1.5

Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL

-1.7

Port St. Lucie, FL

-1.9

Punta Gorda, FL

-2.1

Sebastian-Vero Beach, FL

-2.7

Tallahassee, FL

-1.6

Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL (1)

-2.1

Georgia

 

Albany, GA

-0.6

Athens-Clarke County, GA

-0.7

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA (1)

-0.9

Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC

-0.7

Brunswick, GA

-0.8

Columbus, GA-AL

-0.7

Dalton, GA

-1.1

Gainesville, GA

-0.9

Hinesville-Fort Stewart, GA

0.0

Macon, GA

-1.0

Rome, GA

-1.1

Savannah, GA

-0.8

Valdosta, GA

-0.7

Warner Robins, GA

-0.3

Hawaii

 

Honolulu, HI

-1.3

Idaho

 

Boise City-Nampa, ID

-0.7

Coeur d'Alene, ID

-0.9

Idaho Falls, ID

-0.3

Lewiston, ID-WA

-0.9

Pocatello, ID

-0.5

Illinois

 

Bloomington-Normal, IL

-0.1

Champaign-Urbana, IL

-0.6

Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL-IN-WI (1)

0.2

Danville, IL

0.7

Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL

-0.5

Decatur, IL

0.6

Kankakee-Bradley, IL

-0.8

Peoria, IL

0.7

Rockford, IL

-0.9

Springfield, IL

-0.8

Indiana

 

Anderson, IN

-1.2

Bloomington, IN

-0.6

Columbus, IN

-0.9

Elkhart-Goshen, IN

-1.6

Evansville, IN-KY

-0.8

Fort Wayne, IN

-1.2

Indianapolis-Carmel, IN (1)

-0.9

Kokomo, IN

-1.3

Lafayette, IN

-1.1

Michigan City-La Porte, IN

-1.0

Muncie, IN

-1.1

South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI

-0.7

Terre Haute, IN

-1.2

Iowa

 

Ames, IA

-0.3

Cedar Rapids, IA

-0.5

Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA

-0.5

Dubuque, IA

-0.2

Iowa City, IA

-0.3

Sioux City, IA-NE-SD

-0.4

Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA

-0.5

Kansas

 

Lawrence, KS

0.3

Manhattan, KS

0.3

Topeka, KS

-0.2

Wichita, KS

-0.2

Kentucky

 

Bowling Green, KY

-0.3

Elizabethtown, KY

-0.6

Lexington-Fayette, KY

-0.6

Louisville-Jefferson County, KY-IN (1)

-0.9

Owensboro, KY

-0.6

Louisiana

 

Alexandria, LA

0.6

Baton Rouge, LA

0.2

Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA

0.3

Lafayette, LA

0.5

Lake Charles, LA

0.3

Monroe, LA

0.2

New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA (1)

0.3

Shreveport-Bossier City, LA

0.8

Maine

 

Bangor, ME Metropolitan NECTA

-0.2

Lewiston-Auburn, ME Metropolitan NECTA

-0.4

Portland-South Portland-Biddeford, ME Metropolitan NECTA

0.0

Maryland

 

Baltimore-Towson, MD (1)

-0.5

Cumberland, MD-WV

-0.7

Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV

-1.0

Salisbury, MD

-0.4

Massachusetts

 

Barnstable Town, MA Metropolitan NECTA

0.0

Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH Metropolitan NECTA (1)

0.1

Leominster-Fitchburg-Gardner, MA Metropolitan NECTA

0.1

New Bedford, MA Metropolitan NECTA

0.6

Pittsfield, MA Metropolitan NECTA

0.2

Springfield, MA-CT Metropolitan NECTA

0.3

Worcester, MA-CT Metropolitan NECTA

0.1

Michigan

 

Ann Arbor, MI

0.2

Battle Creek, MI

0.0

Bay City, MI

0.3

Detroit-Warren-Livonia, MI (1)

-1.2

Flint, MI

0.2

Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI

-0.4

Holland-Grand Haven, MI

-0.2

Jackson, MI

0.1

Kalamazoo-Portage, MI

-0.2

Lansing-East Lansing, MI

0.1

Monroe, MI

0.0

Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI

-0.3

Niles-Benton Harbor, MI

-0.1

Saginaw-Saginaw Township North, MI

0.2

Minnesota

 

Duluth, MN-WI

-0.5

Mankato-North Mankato, MN

-1.0

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI (1)

-0.9

Rochester, MN

-0.5

St. Cloud, MN

-0.8

Mississippi

 

Gulfport-Biloxi, MS

-0.6

Hattiesburg, MS

-0.8

Jackson, MS

-0.6

Pascagoula, MS

-0.8

Missouri

 

Cape Girardeau-Jackson, MO-IL

0.3

Columbia, MO

0.1

Jefferson City, MO

0.1

Joplin, MO

0.1

Kansas City, MO-KS (1)

0.3

St. Joseph, MO-KS

0.1

St. Louis, MO-IL (1)

-0.4

Springfield, MO

-0.1

Montana

 

Billings, MT

-0.4

Great Falls, MT

-0.8

Missoula, MT

-0.9

Nebraska

 

Lincoln, NE

-0.1

Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA

-0.2

Nevada

 

Carson City, NV

-1.2

Las Vegas-Paradise, NV (1)

-1.8

Reno-Sparks, NV

-1.5

New Hampshire

 

Manchester, NH Metropolitan NECTA

-1.0

Portsmouth, NH-ME Metropolitan NECTA

-0.5

Rochester-Dover, NH-ME Metropolitan NECTA

-0.8

New Jersey

 

Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ

-1.5

Ocean City, NJ

-1.1

Trenton-Ewing, NJ

-1.2

Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton, NJ

-2.0

New Mexico

 

Albuquerque, NM

-0.8

Farmington, NM

-0.6

Las Cruces, NM

-0.3

Santa Fe, NM

-0.4

New York

 

Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY

-1.2

Binghamton, NY

-1.2

Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY (1)

-1.1

Elmira, NY

-1.0

Glens Falls, NY

-1.1

Ithaca, NY

-0.8

Kingston, NY

-1.4

New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA (1)

-1.0

Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown, NY

-1.2

Rochester, NY (1)

-1.1

Syracuse, NY

-1.0

Utica-Rome, NY

-0.9

North Carolina

 

Asheville, NC

-1.5

Burlington, NC

-1.6

Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC (1)

-1.5

Durham-Chapel Hill, NC

-1.2

Fayetteville, NC

-1.8

Goldsboro, NC

-0.9

Greensboro-High Point, NC

-1.6

Greenville, NC

-1.2

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC

-1.9

Jacksonville, NC

-1.1

Raleigh-Cary, NC

-1.1

Rocky Mount, NC

-1.5

Wilmington, NC

-1.4

Winston-Salem, NC

-1.6

North Dakota

 

Bismarck, ND

-0.4

Fargo, ND-MN

-0.4

Grand Forks, ND-MN

0.0

Ohio

 

Akron, OH

0.2

Canton-Massillon, OH

0.0

Cincinnati-Middletown, OH-KY-IN (1)

-0.2

Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, OH (1)

-0.2

Columbus, OH (1)

0.0

Dayton, OH

-0.1

Lima, OH

0.3

Mansfield, OH

-0.2

Sandusky, OH

0.3

Springfield, OH

-0.5

Steubenville-Weirton, OH-WV

-1.0

Toledo, OH

0.4

Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA

-0.2

Oklahoma

 

Lawton, OK

-0.6

Oklahoma City, OK (1)

-0.1

Tulsa, OK

-0.4

Oregon

 

Bend, OR

-1.4

Corvallis, OR

-0.4

Eugene-Springfield, OR

-0.8

Medford, OR

-1.3

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA (1)

-1.2

Salem, OR

-1.0

Pennsylvania

 

Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ

-1.0

Altoona, PA

-0.5

Erie, PA

-0.3

Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA

-0.5

Johnstown, PA

-0.3

Lancaster, PA

-0.4

Lebanon, PA

-0.6

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD (1)

-0.7

Pittsburgh, PA (1)

-0.4

Reading, PA

-0.5

Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA

-0.4

State College, PA

0.2

Williamsport, PA

-0.3

York-Hanover, PA

-0.6

Rhode Island

 

Providence-Fall River-Warwick, RI-MA Metropolitan NECTA (1)

-0.8

South Carolina

 

Anderson, SC

-1.1

Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville, SC

-0.8

Columbia, SC

-0.9

Florence, SC

-0.7

Greenville-Mauldin-Easley, SC

-0.7

Myrtle Beach-North Myrtle Beach-Conway, SC

-1.0

Spartanburg, SC

-1.2

Sumter, SC

-1.2

South Dakota

 

Rapid City, SD

-0.9

Sioux Falls, SD

-1.0

Tennessee

 

Chattanooga, TN-GA

0.2

Clarksville, TN-KY

0.1

Cleveland, TN

0.1

Jackson, TN

0.1

Johnson City, TN

0.3

Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA

0.0

Knoxville, TN

0.0

Memphis, TN-MS-AR (1)

0.3

Morristown, TN

-0.4

Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN (1)

-0.2

Texas

 

Abilene, TX

-0.5

Amarillo, TX

-0.4

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX (1)

-0.7

Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX

-0.8

Brownsville-Harlingen, TX

-0.7

College Station-Bryan, TX

-0.5

Corpus Christi, TX

-0.6

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX (1)

-0.8

El Paso, TX

-0.8

Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX (1)

-0.8

Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood, TX

-0.5

Laredo, TX

-0.5

Longview, TX

-0.4

Lubbock, TX

-0.6

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX

-0.7

Midland, TX

-0.3

Odessa, TX

-0.5

San Angelo, TX

-0.3

San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX (1)

-0.6

Sherman-Denison, TX

-0.8

Texarkana, TX-Texarkana, AR

0.3

Tyler, TX

-0.4

Victoria, TX

-0.3

Waco, TX

-0.6

Wichita Falls, TX

-0.6

Utah

 

Logan, UT-ID

-0.6

Ogden-Clearfield, UT

-1.1

Provo-Orem, UT

-1.0

St. George, UT

-1.5

Salt Lake City, UT

-1.2

Vermont

 

Burlington-South Burlington, VT Metropolitan NECTA

-0.7

Virginia

 

Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA

-1.0

Charlottesville, VA

-0.4

Danville, VA

-1.0

Harrisonburg, VA

-0.9

Lynchburg, VA

-0.5

Richmond, VA (1)

-0.5

Roanoke, VA

-0.3

Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC (1)

-0.8

Winchester, VA-WV

-0.9

Washington

 

Bellingham, WA

-1.2

Bremerton-Silverdale, WA

-1.1

Kennewick-Pasco-Richland, WA

-0.9

Longview, WA

-1.5

Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA

-1.3

Olympia, WA

-1.3

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA (1)

-1.3

Spokane, WA

-1.4

Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA

-0.7

Yakima, WA

-0.8

West Virginia

 

Charleston, WV

-1.6

Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH

-0.6

Morgantown, WV

-1.1

Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna, WV-OH

-1.0

Wheeling, WV-OH

-1.0

Wisconsin

 

Appleton, WI

-0.6

Eau Claire, WI

-0.6

Fond du Lac, WI

-0.5

Green Bay, WI

-0.7

Janesville, WI

-0.8

La Crosse, WI-MN

-0.4

Madison, WI

-0.5

Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI (1)

-0.7

Oshkosh-Neenah, WI

-0.5

Racine, WI

-0.5

Sheboygan, WI

-0.8

Wausau, WI

-0.8

Wyoming

 

Casper, WY

-0.8

Cheyenne, WY

-1.4

Footnotes:
(1) Metropolitan areas with a Census population of 1 million or more
 

From August 2012 to August 2013, El Centro, California, had the largest over-the-year unemployment rate decrease (-5.6 percentage points). Twenty-two other areas had rate declines of at least 2.0 percentage points, and an additional 113 areas had declines between 1.0 and 1.9 points. Yuma, Arizona, had the largest over-the-year jobless rate increase (+2.0 percentage points). No other area had an increase larger than 0.8 percentage point.

In August 2013, 43 of the 49 metropolitan areas with a Census 2000 population of 1 million or more had over-the-year unemployment rate decreases, 5 had increases, and 1 had no change. The largest rate decline occurred in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, California (-2.2 percentage points). No large area had a jobless rate increase greater than 0.3 percentage point.

Yuma, Arizona, and El Centro, California, had the highest unemployment rates in August 2013, 32.6 percent and 26.3 percent, respectively. Bismarck, North Dakota, had the lowest rate, 2.4 percent. A total of 207 areas had unemployment rates below the U.S. figure of 7.3 percent, 158 areas had rates above it, and 7 areas had rates equal to that of the nation.

These metropolitan area data are from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics program and are not seasonally adjusted. Data for the most recent month are preliminary and subject to revision. To learn more, see "Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment — August 2013" (HTML) (PDF), news release USDL−13−2005.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Unemployment rates in August were lower than a year earlier in 311 of 372 metropolitan areas at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2013/ted_20131025.htm (visited October 31, 2024).

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