Changes in metro area employment, July 2015

From July 2014 to July 2015, the largest over-the-year percentage gain in employment occurred in Provo-Orem, Utah (7.2 percent), followed by San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California (6.2 percent), and Lake Charles, Louisiana (5.8 percent).

The largest over-the-year percentage decreases in employment occurred in Pine Bluff, Arkansas (−5.8 percent), Barnstable Town, Massachusetts (−2.6 percent), and Florence-Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and Lawton, Oklahoma. (−2.0 percent each).

Over the year, nonfarm employment rose in 50 of the 51 metropolitan areas with a 2010 Census population of 1 million or more. The largest over-the-year percentage increase in employment in these large metropolitan areas occurred in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California (6.2 percent, as mentioned above), followed by Salt Lake City, Utah (4.4 percent), and Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida (4.1 percent). The only large metropolitan area that had an over-the-year percentage decrease was New Orleans-Metairie, Louisiana (−0.7 percent).

In July, 322 metropolitan areas had over-the-year increases in nonfarm payroll employment, 54 had decreases, and 11 had no change. The largest over-the-year employment increases occurred in New York-Newark-Jersey City, New York-New Jersey-Pennsylvania (164,400, an increase of 1.8 percent), Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, California, and (157,500 or 2.8 percent), and Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas (121,700 or 3.7 percent).

These data are from the Current Employment Statistics (State and Metro Area) program. Data for the most recent month are preliminary and may be revised. The data are not seasonally adjusted. For more information, see “Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment — July 2015” (HTML) (PDF).