Unemployment rates in large metropolitan areas range from 4.2 to 9.8 percent, July 2014

In July 2014, of the 49 metropolitan areas with a Census 2000 population of 1 million or more, Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Michigan, had the highest unemployment rate, 9.8 percent. A year earlier, in July 2013, the unemployment rate in the Detroit area was 10.6 percent. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, California, and Memphis, Tennessee-Mississippi-Arkansas had unemployment rates of 9.2 and 8.9 percent, respectively, in July 2014. During July 2013, the unemployment rates in the Riverside and Memphis areas were 10.9 and 9.6 percent, respectively.

 

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minnesota-Wisconsin, had the lowest jobless rate among the large metro areas, 4.2 percent in July 2014. A year earlier, the Minneapolis area rate was 5.0 percent. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, Texas; and Columbus, Ohio also had unemployment rates below 5.0 percent in July 2014.

There were over-the-year unemployment rate decreases in 48 of the large metro areas, and an unemployment rate increase in 1 area. The largest unemployment rate declines occurred in Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, Illinois-Indiana-Wisconsin (from 9.4 percent to 6.8 percent, a change of -2.6 percentage points), and Las Vegas-Paradise, Nevada (from 10.4 percent to 8.2 percent, a change of -2.2 points). Birmingham-Hoover, Alabama, had the only jobless rate increase (from 5.8 percent to 6.6 percent, a change of +0.8 percentage point).

These metropolitan area unemployment rates are from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics program and are not seasonally adjusted. Data for the most recent month are preliminary. To learn more, see “Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment — July 2014” (HTML) (PDF), news release USDL-14-1606.