194 metropolitan areas had jobless rates below U.S. rate of 4.1 percent in March 2018
May 16, 2018
In March 2018, a total of 194 areas had jobless rates below the U.S. rate of 4.1 percent, 179 areas had rates above it, and 15 areas had rates equal to that of the nation. Ames, Iowa, had the lowest unemployment rate, 1.7 percent. El Centro, California, had the highest unemployment rate, 15.3 percent.
Unemployment rate by metropolitan area, not seasonally adjusted, March 2018
Metropolitan area
March 2018 unemployment rate(p)
El Centro, CA
15.3%
Yuma, AZ
13.6
Ocean City, NJ
13.2
Visalia-Porterville, CA
11.0
Merced, CA
10.2
Bakersfield, CA
9.6
Salinas, CA
9.4
Hanford-Corcoran, CA
9.2
Fresno, CA
8.7
Yuba City, CA
8.7
Madera, CA
8.2
Watertown-Fort Drum, NY
8.0
Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ
7.7
Yakima, WA
7.6
Anchorage, AK
7.2
Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ
7.2
Modesto, CA
7.1
Fairbanks, AK
6.9
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
6.9
Beckley, WV
6.7
Longview, WA
6.7
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX
6.6
Stockton-Lodi, CA
6.6
Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH
6.6
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
6.5
Cumberland, MD-WV
6.5
Kennewick-Richland, WA
6.5
Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA
6.5
Las Cruces, NM
6.4
Glens Falls, NY
6.3
Rocky Mount, NC
6.3
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA
6.3
Wenatchee, WA
6.3
Binghamton, NY
6.2
New Bedford, MA NECTA
6.2
Parkersburg-Vienna, WV
6.2
Bay City, MI
6.1
Elmira, NY
6.1
Salisbury, MD-DE
6.1
Wheeling, WV-OH
6.1
Grants Pass, OR
6.0
Utica-Rome, NY
6.0
Waterbury, CT NECTA
6.0
East Stroudsburg, PA
5.9
Barnstable Town, MA NECTA
5.8
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY
5.8
Charleston, WV
5.8
Danville, IL
5.8
Flint, MI
5.8
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH
5.8
Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA
5.8
Saginaw, MI
5.8
Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ
5.7
Redding, CA
5.7
Williamsport, PA
5.7
Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA
5.7
Carson City, NV
5.6
Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ
5.6
Syracuse, NY
5.6
Corpus Christi, TX
5.5
Farmington, NM
5.5
Flagstaff, AZ
5.5
Muskegon, MI
5.5
Erie, PA
5.4
Fayetteville, NC
5.4
Johnstown, PA
5.4
Rochester, NY
5.4
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre--Hazleton, PA
5.4
The Villages, FL
5.4
Walla Walla, WA
5.4
Chico, CA
5.3
Dalton, GA
5.3
Olympia-Tumwater, WA
5.3
Pine Bluff, AR
5.3
Bellingham, WA
5.2
Bremerton-Silverdale, WA
5.2
Decatur, IL
5.2
Homosassa Springs, FL
5.2
Kankakee, IL
5.2
Medford, OR
5.2
Midland, MI
5.2
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC
5.2
Niles-Benton Harbor, MI
5.2
Pittsfield, MA NECTA
5.2
Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA
5.1
Canton-Massillon, OH
5.1
Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV
5.1
Peoria, IL
5.1
Rockford, IL
5.1
Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV
5.0
Sumter, SC
5.0
Albany, OR
4.9
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ
4.9
Battle Creek, MI
4.9
Kingston, NY
4.9
Sebring, FL
4.9
Columbus, GA-AL
4.8
Duluth, MN-WI
4.8
Goldsboro, NC
4.8
Jacksonville, NC
4.8
Mansfield, OH
4.8
Providence-Warwick, RI-MA NECTA
4.8
Albany, GA
4.7
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY
4.7
Albuquerque, NM
4.7
Alexandria, LA
4.7
Casper, WY
4.7
Cleveland-Elyria, OH
4.7
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT NECTA
4.7
Monroe, LA
4.7
Pittsburgh, PA
4.7
Shreveport-Bossier City, LA
4.7
Texarkana, TX-AR
4.7
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
4.6
Bend-Redmond, OR
4.6
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT NECTA
4.6
Carbondale-Marion, IL
4.6
Eugene, OR
4.6
Greenville, NC
4.6
Hammond, LA
4.6
Hinesville, GA
4.6
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
4.6
Jackson, MI
4.6
Lafayette, LA
4.6
Michigan City-La Porte, IN
4.6
Mobile, AL
4.6
Morgantown, WV
4.6
New Haven, CT NECTA
4.6
Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI NECTA
4.6
Springfield, MA-CT NECTA
4.6
Akron, OH
4.5
Anniston-Oxford-Jacksonville, AL
4.5
California-Lexington Park, MD
4.5
Dover, DE
4.5
El Paso, TX
4.5
Florence, SC
4.5
Great Falls, MT
4.5
Greensboro-High Point, NC
4.5
Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS
4.5
Leominster-Gardner, MA NECTA
4.5
Longview, TX
4.5
Macon-Bibb County, GA
4.5
New Bern, NC
4.5
Salem, OR
4.5
Toledo, OH
4.5
Altoona, PA
4.4
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC
4.4
Houma-Thibodaux, LA
4.4
Kalamazoo-Portage, MI
4.4
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
4.4
Ocala, FL
4.4
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
4.4
Pueblo, CO
4.4
Reading, PA
4.4
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
4.4
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI
4.3
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
4.3
Hot Springs, AR
4.3
Prescott, AZ
4.3
Sebastian-Vero Beach, FL
4.3
Tucson, AZ
4.3
Victoria, TX
4.3
Coeur d'Alene, ID
4.2
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL
4.2
Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY
4.2
Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL
4.2
Fort Smith, AR-OK
4.2
Ithaca, NY
4.2
Lawton, OK
4.2
Lima, OH
4.2
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
4.2
Missoula, MT
4.2
Monroe, MI
4.2
Owensboro, KY
4.2
Port St. Lucie, FL
4.2
Rome, GA
4.2
Santa Fe, NM
4.2
Terre Haute, IN
4.2
Warner Robins, GA
4.2
Billings, MT
4.1
Brunswick, GA
4.1
Clarksville, TN-KY
4.1
Killeen-Temple, TX
4.1
Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL
4.1
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ
4.1
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
4.1
Reno, NV
4.1
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
4.1
St. Cloud, MN
4.1
Springfield, IL
4.1
Valdosta, GA
4.1
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA
4.1
Wilmington, NC
4.1
Winston-Salem, NC
4.1
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
4.0
Burlington, NC
4.0
Chambersburg-Waynesboro, PA
4.0
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
4.0
Dothan, AL
4.0
Gadsden, AL
4.0
Grand Junction, CO
4.0
Laredo, TX
4.0
New Orleans-Metairie, LA
4.0
Punta Gorda, FL
4.0
Springfield, OH
4.0
Trenton, NJ
4.0
Worcester, MA-CT NECTA
4.0
Bowling Green, KY
3.9
Columbia, SC
3.9
Danbury, CT NECTA
3.9
Dayton, OH
3.9
Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL
3.9
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC
3.9
Lansing-East Lansing, MI
3.9
Lebanon, PA
3.9
Memphis, TN-MS-AR
3.9
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA
3.9
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
3.9
Tulsa, OK
3.9
Wichita, KS
3.9
York-Hanover, PA
3.9
Athens-Clarke County, GA
3.8
Baton Rouge, LA
3.8
Bloomington, IL
3.8
Champaign-Urbana, IL
3.8
Cheyenne, WY
3.8
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
3.8
Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA
3.8
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC
3.8
Jackson, MS
3.8
Jackson, TN
3.8
Johnson City, TN
3.8
Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA
3.8
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
3.8
Lynchburg, VA
3.8
Montgomery, AL
3.8
Muncie, IN
3.8
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL
3.8
Raleigh, NC
3.8
Savannah, GA
3.8
Spartanburg, SC
3.8
Waco, TX
3.8
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN
3.7
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
3.7
Decatur, AL
3.7
Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, SC
3.7
Hattiesburg, MS
3.7
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN
3.7
Morristown, TN
3.7
Panama City, FL
3.7
Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL
3.7
Racine, WI
3.7
Rapid City, SD
3.7
St. Louis, MO-IL
3.7
Tuscaloosa, AL
3.7
Tyler, TX
3.7
Wichita Falls, TX
3.7
Auburn-Opelika, AL
3.6
Cape Girardeau, MO-IL
3.6
Cleveland, TN
3.6
Enid, OK
3.6
Kansas City, MO-KS
3.6
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR
3.6
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA
3.6
St. George, UT
3.6
South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI
3.6
Tallahassee, FL
3.6
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
3.6
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC
3.6
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
3.6
Abilene, TX
3.5
Asheville, NC
3.5
Birmingham-Hoover, AL
3.5
Bismarck, ND
3.5
Bloomington, IN
3.5
Charleston-North Charleston, SC
3.5
Chattanooga, TN-GA
3.5
Columbus, OH
3.5
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL
3.5
Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI
3.5
Jacksonville, FL
3.5
Lewiston, ID-WA
3.5
Lexington-Fayette, KY
3.5
Lubbock, TX
3.5
Oklahoma City, OK
3.5
Richmond, VA
3.5
St. Joseph, MO-KS
3.5
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
3.5
Sherman-Denison, TX
3.5
Topeka, KS
3.5
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA
3.4
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH NECTA
3.4
Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL
3.4
Colorado Springs, CO
3.4
Gainesville, FL
3.4
Huntsville, AL
3.4
Janesville-Beloit, WI
3.4
Lancaster, PA
3.4
Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, FL
3.4
North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL
3.4
Ogden-Clearfield, UT
3.4
Roanoke, VA
3.4
Rochester, MN
3.4
San Angelo, TX
3.4
Cedar Rapids, IA
3.3
Gainesville, GA
3.3
Gettysburg, PA
3.3
Grand Forks, ND-MN
3.3
Harrisonburg, VA
3.3
Jonesboro, AR
3.3
Lake Charles, LA
3.3
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
3.3
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
3.3
Salt Lake City, UT
3.3
Eau Claire, WI
3.2
Joplin, MO
3.2
Knoxville, TN
3.2
Kokomo, IN
3.2
Napa, CA
3.2
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA
3.2
Springfield, MO
3.2
State College, PA
3.2
Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
3.2
Winchester, VA-WV
3.2
Ann Arbor, MI
3.1
Austin-Round Rock, TX
3.1
Bangor, ME NECTA
3.1
Corvallis, OR
3.1
Dubuque, IA
3.1
Fargo, ND-MN
3.1
Jefferson City, MO
3.1
Lawrence, KS
3.1
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI
3.1
Odessa, TX
3.1
Sioux City, IA-NE-SD
3.1
Sioux Falls, SD
3.1
Staunton-Waynesboro, VA
3.1
Amarillo, TX
3.0
College Station-Bryan, TX
3.0
Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL
3.0
Evansville, IN-KY
3.0
Grand Island, NE
3.0
Green Bay, WI
3.0
Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN
3.0
Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN
3.0
Mankato-North Mankato, MN
3.0
Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA
3.0
Provo-Orem, UT
3.0
Boise City, ID
2.9
Charlottesville, VA
2.9
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
2.9
Fort Wayne, IN
2.9
La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN
2.9
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA
2.9
Wausau, WI
2.9
Appleton, WI
2.8
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO
2.8
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO
2.8
Idaho Falls, ID
2.8
Lewiston-Auburn, ME NECTA
2.8
Logan, UT-ID
2.8
Manchester, NH NECTA
2.8
Manhattan, KS
2.8
Santa Rosa, CA
2.8
Fond du Lac, WI
2.7
Greeley, CO
2.7
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN
2.7
Oshkosh-Neenah, WI
2.7
Pocatello, ID
2.7
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA
2.7
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
2.7
Columbia, MO
2.6
Dover-Durham, NH-ME NECTA
2.6
Lincoln, NE
2.6
Portsmouth, NH-ME NECTA
2.6
Sheboygan, WI
2.6
Boulder, CO
2.5
Columbus, IN
2.5
Fort Collins, CO
2.5
Madison, WI
2.4
Midland, TX
2.4
Portland-South Portland, ME NECTA
2.4
Burlington-South Burlington, VT NECTA
2.3
Elkhart-Goshen, IN
2.2
Iowa City, IA
2.1
Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI
1.9
Urban Honolulu, HI
1.9
Ames, IA
1.7
Unemployment rates were lower in March 2018 than a year earlier in 302 of the 388 metropolitan areas, higher in 64 areas, and unchanged in 22 areas. Forty areas had jobless rates of less than 3.0 percent and five areas had rates of at least 10.0 percent.
These data are from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics program and are not seasonally adjusted. Data for the most recent month are preliminary. Areas in the six New England states are Metropolitan New England City and Town Areas (NECTAs), while areas in other states are county-based. To learn more, see "Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment — March 2018" (HTML ) (PDF ). Also see Charts related to the latest "Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment" news release .
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