Unemployment rates decreased in 333 metropolitan areas for year ending May 2016
July 05, 2016
Unemployment rates were lower in May 2016 than a year earlier in 333 of the 387 metropolitan areas, higher in 49 areas, and unchanged in 5 areas. Twenty-four areas had May 2016 jobless rates of less than 3.0 percent and 2 areas had rates of at least 10.0 percent. The lowest unemployment rates were in Ames, Iowa; Burlington-South Burlington, Vermont; and Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 2.1 percent each. Yuma, Arizona, had the highest unemployment rate, 20.9 percent.
Bubble size indicates size of change. Green means increase in rate; red means decrease in rate; and gray means rate unchanged.
Hover over a bubble to see data.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Over-the-year change in unemployment rates for metropolitan areas, not seasonally adjusted, May 2015–May 2016
Metropolitan area
Percentage point(s) change (p)
El Centro, CA
-4.1
Yuma, AZ
-3.4
Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ
-2.4
Morristown, TN
-2.4
Jackson, TN
-2.2
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
-2.1
Johnson City, TN
-2.1
Memphis, TN-MS-AR
-2.1
Cleveland, TN
-2.0
Knoxville, TN
-2.0
Pine Bluff, AR
-1.9
Madera, CA
-1.8
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
-1.8
Fayetteville, NC
-1.8
Rocky Mount, NC
-1.8
Hot Springs, AR
-1.7
Jonesboro, AR
-1.7
Homosassa Springs, FL
-1.7
Sebring, FL
-1.7
New Bedford, MA NECTA
-1.7
Grants Pass, OR
-1.7
Chattanooga, TN-GA
-1.7
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN
-1.7
Yuba City, CA
-1.6
Albany, GA
-1.6
Brunswick, GA
-1.6
Clarksville, TN-KY
-1.6
Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA
-1.6
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR
-1.5
Merced, CA
-1.5
Modesto, CA
-1.5
The Villages, FL
-1.5
Macon, GA
-1.5
Rome, GA
-1.5
Bay City, MI
-1.5
Muskegon, MI
-1.5
Saginaw, MI
-1.5
Ocean City, NJ
-1.5
New Bern, NC
-1.5
Albany, OR
-1.5
Bend-Redmond, OR
-1.5
Medford, OR
-1.5
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC
-1.5
Fresno, CA
-1.4
Hanford-Corcoran, CA
-1.4
Redding, CA
-1.4
Stockton-Lodi, CA
-1.4
Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL
-1.4
Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL
-1.4
Ocala, FL
-1.4
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL
-1.4
Sebastian-Vero Beach, FL
-1.4
Athens-Clarke County, GA
-1.4
Columbus, GA-AL
-1.4
Valdosta, GA
-1.4
Warner Robins, GA
-1.4
Flint, MI
-1.4
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC
-1.4
Salem, OR
-1.4
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO
-1.3
Visalia-Porterville, CA
-1.3
Jacksonville, FL
-1.3
Port St. Lucie, FL
-1.3
Dalton, GA
-1.3
Hinesville, GA
-1.3
Savannah, GA
-1.3
Barnstable Town, MA NECTA
-1.3
Leominster-Gardner, MA NECTA
-1.3
Battle Creek, MI
-1.3
Kalamazoo-Portage, MI
-1.3
Niles-Benton Harbor, MI
-1.3
Springfield, MO
-1.3
Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ
-1.3
Greensboro-High Point, NC
-1.3
Florence, SC
-1.3
Spartanburg, SC
-1.3
Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL
-1.2
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
-1.2
Panama City, FL
-1.2
Punta Gorda, FL
-1.2
Tallahassee, FL
-1.2
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
-1.2
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
-1.2
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC
-1.2
Gainesville, GA
-1.2
Cumberland, MD-WV
-1.2
Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV
-1.2
Midland, MI
-1.2
Monroe, MI
-1.2
Jefferson City, MO
-1.2
St. Joseph, MO-KS
-1.2
Syracuse, NY
-1.2
Burlington, NC
-1.2
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
-1.2
Goldsboro, NC
-1.2
Greenville, NC
-1.2
Winston-Salem, NC
-1.2
Eugene, OR
-1.2
Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, SC
-1.2
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC
-1.2
Harrisonburg, VA
-1.2
Lynchburg, VA
-1.2
Richmond, VA
-1.2
Winchester, VA-WV
-1.2
Janesville-Beloit, WI
-1.2
Fort Smith, AR-OK
-1.1
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
-1.1
Salinas, CA
-1.1
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA
-1.1
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
-1.1
Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL
-1.1
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
-1.1
Worcester, MA-CT NECTA
-1.1
Jackson, MI
-1.1
Columbia, MO
-1.1
Joplin, MO
-1.1
Binghamton, NY
-1.1
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY
-1.1
Rochester, NY
-1.1
Utica-Rome, NY
-1.1
Watertown-Fort Drum, NY
-1.1
Asheville, NC
-1.1
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
-1.1
Jacksonville, NC
-1.1
Wilmington, NC
-1.1
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
-1.1
Charleston-North Charleston, SC
-1.1
Columbia, SC
-1.1
Sumter, SC
-1.1
Charlottesville, VA
-1.1
Roanoke, VA
-1.1
Charleston, WV
-1.1
Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL
-1.0
Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ
-1.0
Chico, CA
-1.0
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA
-1.0
Salisbury, MD-DE
-1.0
Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, FL
-1.0
North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL
-1.0
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH NECTA
-1.0
Pittsfield, MA NECTA
-1.0
Springfield, MA-CT NECTA
-1.0
Ann Arbor, MI
-1.0
Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI
-1.0
Cape Girardeau, MO-IL
-1.0
St. Louis, MO-IL
-1.0
Kingston, NY
-1.0
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
-1.0
Texarkana, TX-AR
-1.0
Staunton-Waynesboro, VA
-1.0
Parkersburg-Vienna, WV
-1.0
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA
-0.9
Dover, DE
-0.9
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
-0.9
Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL
-0.9
Gainesville, FL
-0.9
Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY
-0.9
California-Lexington Park, MD
-0.9
Kansas City, MO-KS
-0.9
Raleigh, NC
-0.9
Providence-Warwick, RI-MA NECTA
-0.9
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC
-0.9
Morgantown, WV
-0.9
Fond du Lac, WI
-0.9
Racine, WI
-0.9
Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ
-0.8
Napa, CA
-0.8
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA
-0.8
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA
-0.8
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
-0.8
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA
-0.8
Santa Rosa, CA
-0.8
South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI
-0.8
Lewiston-Auburn, ME NECTA
-0.8
Portland-South Portland, ME NECTA
-0.8
Dover-Durham, NH-ME NECTA
-0.8
Manchester, NH NECTA
-0.8
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY
-0.8
Elmira, NY
-0.8
Glens Falls, NY
-0.8
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA
-0.8
Longview, WA
-0.8
Beckley, WV
-0.8
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI
-0.8
Oshkosh-Neenah, WI
-0.8
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA
-0.7
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
-0.7
Pocatello, ID
-0.7
Muncie, IN
-0.7
Manhattan, KS
-0.7
Wichita, KS
-0.7
Bowling Green, KY
-0.7
Reno, NV
-0.7
Trenton, NJ
-0.7
Ithaca, NY
-0.7
Walla Walla, WA
-0.7
Appleton, WI
-0.7
Green Bay, WI
-0.7
Wausau, WI
-0.7
Colorado Springs, CO
-0.6
Pueblo, CO
-0.6
Waterbury, CT NECTA
-0.6
Boise City, ID
-0.6
Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN
-0.6
Terre Haute, IN
-0.6
Lawrence, KS
-0.6
Topeka, KS
-0.6
Lexington-Fayette, KY
-0.6
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN
-0.6
Hammond, LA
-0.6
Lake Charles, LA
-0.6
Monroe, LA
-0.6
New Orleans-Metairie, LA
-0.6
Bangor, ME NECTA
-0.6
Hattiesburg, MS
-0.6
Portsmouth, NH-ME NECTA
-0.6
Albuquerque, NM
-0.6
Las Cruces, NM
-0.6
Corvallis, OR
-0.6
Rapid City, SD
-0.6
Sioux Falls, SD
-0.6
El Paso, TX
-0.6
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
-0.6
Burlington-South Burlington, VT NECTA
-0.6
Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA
-0.6
Eau Claire, WI
-0.6
Madison, WI
-0.6
Sheboygan, WI
-0.6
Anniston-Oxford-Jacksonville, AL
-0.5
Huntsville, AL
-0.5
Mobile, AL
-0.5
Montgomery, AL
-0.5
Bakersfield, CA
-0.5
Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI NECTA
-0.5
Urban Honolulu, HI
-0.5
Bloomington, IN
-0.5
Fort Wayne, IN
-0.5
Kokomo, IN
-0.5
Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN
-0.5
Shreveport-Bossier City, LA
-0.5
Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS
-0.5
Jackson, MS
-0.5
Carson City, NV
-0.5
Santa Fe, NM
-0.5
Toledo, OH
-0.5
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
-0.5
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
-0.5
Kennewick-Richland, WA
-0.5
Yakima, WA
-0.5
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH
-0.5
La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN
-0.5
Decatur, AL
-0.4
Dothan, AL
-0.4
Gadsden, AL
-0.4
Flagstaff, AZ
-0.4
Prescott, AZ
-0.4
Boulder, CO
-0.4
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO
-0.4
Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI
-0.4
Idaho Falls, ID
-0.4
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI
-0.4
Elkhart-Goshen, IN
-0.4
Michigan City-La Porte, IN
-0.4
Alexandria, LA
-0.4
Baton Rouge, LA
-0.4
Rochester, MN
-0.4
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN
-0.4
Dayton, OH
-0.4
Lima, OH
-0.4
Mansfield, OH
-0.4
Gettysburg, PA
-0.4
York-Hanover, PA
-0.4
Austin-Round Rock, TX
-0.4
Killeen-Temple, TX
-0.4
Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA
-0.4
Olympia-Tumwater, WA
-0.4
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ
-0.3
Tucson, AZ
-0.3
Fort Collins, CO
-0.3
Greeley, CO
-0.3
Coeur d'Alene, ID
-0.3
Lewiston, ID-WA
-0.3
Columbus, IN
-0.3
Sioux City, IA-NE-SD
-0.3
Owensboro, KY
-0.3
Lansing-East Lansing, MI
-0.3
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
-0.3
Grand Forks, ND-MN
-0.3
Columbus, OH
-0.3
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ
-0.3
East Stroudsburg, PA
-0.3
Abilene, TX
-0.3
Amarillo, TX
-0.3
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX
-0.3
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
-0.3
Lubbock, TX
-0.3
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
-0.3
Sherman-Denison, TX
-0.3
Tyler, TX
-0.3
Waco, TX
-0.3
Birmingham-Hoover, AL
-0.2
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL
-0.2
Tuscaloosa, AL
-0.2
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT NECTA
-0.2
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT NECTA
-0.2
New Haven, CT NECTA
-0.2
Ames, IA
-0.2
Mankato-North Mankato, MN
-0.2
St. Cloud, MN
-0.2
Missoula, MT
-0.2
Grand Island, NE
-0.2
Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA
-0.2
Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV
-0.2
Cleveland-Elyria, OH
-0.2
Springfield, OH
-0.2
Lancaster, PA
-0.2
Lebanon, PA
-0.2
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre--Hazleton, PA
-0.2
College Station-Bryan, TX
-0.2
Bellingham, WA
-0.2
Auburn-Opelika, AL
-0.1
Evansville, IN-KY
-0.1
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
-0.1
Lincoln, NE
-0.1
Fargo, ND-MN
-0.1
Akron, OH
-0.1
Altoona, PA
-0.1
Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA
-0.1
Reading, PA
-0.1
State College, PA
-0.1
Laredo, TX
-0.1
Wichita Falls, TX
-0.1
Bremerton-Silverdale, WA
-0.1
Danbury, CT NECTA
0.0
Springfield, IL
0.0
Iowa City, IA
0.0
Great Falls, MT
0.0
San Angelo, TX
0.0
Cedar Rapids, IA
0.1
Dubuque, IA
0.1
Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
0.1
Canton-Massillon, OH
0.1
Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA
0.1
Chambersburg-Waynesboro, PA
0.1
Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA
0.1
Johnstown, PA
0.1
Ogden-Clearfield, UT
0.1
St. George, UT
0.1
Grand Junction, CO
0.2
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL
0.2
Kankakee, IL
0.2
Billings, MT
0.2
Bismarck, ND
0.2
Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH
0.2
Provo-Orem, UT
0.2
Salt Lake City, UT
0.2
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
0.2
Wheeling, WV-OH
0.2
Champaign-Urbana, IL
0.3
Decatur, IL
0.3
Rockford, IL
0.3
Lawton, OK
0.3
Oklahoma City, OK
0.3
Pittsburgh, PA
0.3
Corpus Christi, TX
0.3
Anchorage, AK
0.4
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
0.4
Logan, UT-ID
0.4
Wenatchee, WA
0.4
Cheyenne, WY
0.4
Fairbanks, AK
0.5
Carbondale-Marion, IL
0.5
Duluth, MN-WI
0.5
Tulsa, OK
0.5
Longview, TX
0.6
Bloomington, IL
0.7
Peoria, IL
0.7
Lafayette, LA
0.7
Danville, IL
0.8
Houma-Thibodaux, LA
0.8
Williamsport, PA
0.8
Midland, TX
0.8
Victoria, TX
0.8
Erie, PA
1.0
Farmington, NM
1.4
Odessa, TX
1.6
Casper, WY
2.7
For the year ended May 2016, El Centro, California, had the largest unemployment rate decrease (−4.1 percentage points). Nine other areas had rate declines of at least 2.0 percentage points. The largest rate increase occurred in Casper, Wyoming (2.7 percentage points).
A total of 187 areas had jobless rates above the U.S. rate of 4.5 percent, 185 areas had rates below it, and 15 areas had rates equal to that of the nation.
These 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 — May 2016” (HTML ) (PDF ).
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