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Ames, Iowa, had lowest unemployment rate in October 2018
December 04, 2018
Ames, Iowa, had the lowest unemployment rate among the 388 metropolitan areas in October 2018, 1.1 percent. El Centro, California (19.2 percent), and Yuma, Arizona (17.7 percent), had the highest unemployment rates. A total of 194 areas had October jobless rates above the U.S. rate of 3.5 percent, 173 areas had rates below it, and 21 areas had rates equal to that of the nation.
Unemployment rates for metropolitan areas, October 2018, not seasonally adjusted
Metropolitan area
Unemployment rate
Ames, IA
1.1%
Iowa City, IA
1.4
Burlington-South Burlington, VT
1.6
Columbia, MO
1.6
Dubuque, IA
1.7
Mankato-North Mankato, MN
1.7
Fargo, ND-MN
1.8
Jefferson City, MO
1.8
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
1.9
Dover-Durham, NH-ME
1.9
Grand Forks, ND-MN
1.9
Idaho Falls, ID
1.9
Rochester, MN
1.9
Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
1.9
Manchester, NH
2.0
Portsmouth, NH-ME
2.0
Sioux City, IA-NE-SD
2.0
Springfield, MO
2.0
Bismarck, ND
2.1
Cedar Rapids, IA
2.1
Joplin, MO
2.1
Madison, WI
2.1
Midland, TX
2.1
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
2.1
St. Cloud, MN
2.1
St. Joseph, MO-KS
2.1
Boise City, ID
2.2
Cape Girardeau, MO-IL
2.2
Fond du Lac, WI
2.2
La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN
2.2
Pocatello, ID
2.2
Sheboygan, WI
2.2
Sioux Falls, SD
2.2
Appleton, WI
2.3
Logan, UT-ID
2.3
Urban Honolulu, HI
2.3
Wausau, WI
2.3
Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL
2.4
Eau Claire, WI
2.4
Green Bay, WI
2.4
Oshkosh-Neenah, WI
2.4
Amarillo, TX
2.5
Charlottesville, VA
2.5
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO
2.5
Lincoln, NE
2.5
Manhattan, KS
2.5
Odessa, TX
2.5
Provo-Orem, UT
2.5
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
2.5
Santa Rosa, CA
2.5
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH
2.6
Coeur d'Alene, ID
2.6
Columbus, IN
2.6
Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI
2.6
Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI
2.6
Lawrence, KS
2.6
Lewiston, ID-WA
2.6
Napa, CA
2.6
Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA
2.6
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA
2.6
Staunton-Waynesboro, VA
2.6
Winchester, VA-WV
2.6
Austin-Round Rock, TX
2.7
College Station-Bryan, TX
2.7
Duluth, MN-WI
2.7
Enid, OK
2.7
Fort Collins, CO
2.7
Grand Island, NE
2.7
Harrisonburg, VA
2.7
Kansas City, MO-KS
2.7
Lubbock, TX
2.7
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
2.7
Panama City, FL
2.7
Portland-South Portland, ME
2.7
Roanoke, VA
2.7
Salt Lake City, UT
2.7
Asheville, NC
2.8
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA
2.8
Boulder, CO
2.8
Charleston-North Charleston, SC
2.8
Gainesville, FL
2.8
Greeley, CO
2.8
Janesville-Beloit, WI
2.8
Jonesboro, AR
2.8
Ogden-Clearfield, UT
2.8
Oklahoma City, OK
2.8
Rapid City, SD
2.8
St. Louis, MO-IL
2.8
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA
2.8
Ann Arbor, MI
2.9
Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL
2.9
Elkhart-Goshen, IN
2.9
Gainesville, GA
2.9
Jacksonville, FL
2.9
Missoula, MT
2.9
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN
2.9
North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL
2.9
Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL
2.9
Raleigh, NC
2.9
Richmond, VA
2.9
Tallahassee, FL
2.9
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
2.9
Barnstable Town, MA
3.0
Billings, MT
3.0
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO
3.0
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
3.0
Gettysburg, PA
3.0
Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, SC
3.0
Ithaca, NY
3.0
Lansing-East Lansing, MI
3.0
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR
3.0
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI
3.0
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL
3.0
St. George, UT
3.0
San Angelo, TX
3.0
Sherman-Denison, TX
3.0
State College, PA
3.0
Abilene, TX
3.1
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY
3.1
Danbury, CT
3.1
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC
3.1
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC
3.1
Lancaster, PA
3.1
Lynchburg, VA
3.1
Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, FL
3.1
Providence-Warwick, RI-MA
3.1
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
3.1
Spartanburg, SC
3.1
Tulsa, OK
3.1
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC
3.1
Wichita Falls, TX
3.1
Worcester, MA-CT
3.1
Burlington, NC
3.2
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
3.2
Columbia, SC
3.2
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
3.2
Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL
3.2
Fort Wayne, IN
3.2
Kalamazoo-Portage, MI
3.2
Kingston, NY
3.2
Leominster-Gardner, MA
3.2
Lewiston-Auburn, ME
3.2
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
3.2
Racine, WI
3.2
Topeka, KS
3.2
Trenton, NJ
3.2
Waco, TX
3.2
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
3.2
Winston-Salem, NC
3.2
Bangor, ME
3.3
Corvallis, OR
3.3
Glens Falls, NY
3.3
Great Falls, MT
3.3
Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN
3.3
Midland, MI
3.3
Pittsfield, MA
3.3
Reno, NV
3.3
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA
3.3
Wichita, KS
3.3
Athens-Clarke County, GA
3.4
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
3.4
Auburn-Opelika, AL
3.4
Chambersburg-Waynesboro, PA
3.4
Evansville, IN-KY
3.4
Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA
3.4
Huntsville, AL
3.4
Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN
3.4
Jackson, MI
3.4
Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL
3.4
Lexington-Fayette, KY
3.4
Punta Gorda, FL
3.4
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
3.4
Tyler, TX
3.4
Birmingham-Hoover, AL
3.5
California-Lexington Park, MD
3.5
Cheyenne, WY
3.5
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL
3.5
Decatur, AL
3.5
Fort Smith, AR-OK
3.5
Greensboro-High Point, NC
3.5
Knoxville, TN
3.5
Lake Charles, LA
3.5
Laredo, TX
3.5
Lebanon, PA
3.5
Port St. Lucie, FL
3.5
Rochester, NY
3.5
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA
3.5
Savannah, GA
3.5
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
3.5
Springfield, MA-CT
3.5
Syracuse, NY
3.5
Tuscaloosa, AL
3.5
Victoria, TX
3.5
York-Hanover, PA
3.5
Battle Creek, MI
3.6
Brunswick, GA
3.6
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY
3.6
Colorado Springs, CO
3.6
Grand Junction, CO
3.6
Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA
3.6
Lawton, OK
3.6
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
3.6
Niles-Benton Harbor, MI
3.6
Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI
3.6
Ocala, FL
3.6
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA
3.6
Utica-Rome, NY
3.6
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA
3.6
Bay City, MI
3.7
Chattanooga, TN-GA
3.7
Columbus, OH
3.7
Greenville, NC
3.7
Hattiesburg, MS
3.7
Jackson, MS
3.7
Kokomo, IN
3.7
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA
3.7
Sebastian-Vero Beach, FL
3.7
South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI
3.7
Wilmington, NC
3.7
Altoona, PA
3.8
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC
3.8
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
3.8
Binghamton, NY
3.8
Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA
3.8
Bowling Green, KY
3.8
Cleveland, TN
3.8
Dover, DE
3.8
Florence, SC
3.8
Goldsboro, NC
3.8
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT
3.8
Hot Springs, AR
3.8
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
3.8
Killeen-Temple, TX
3.8
Longview, TX
3.8
Montgomery, AL
3.8
Morristown, TN
3.8
New Haven, CT
3.8
Pittsburgh, PA
3.8
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
3.8
Valdosta, GA
3.8
Wenatchee, WA
3.8
Bend-Redmond, OR
3.9
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT
3.9
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN
3.9
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL
3.9
El Paso, TX
3.9
Elmira, NY
3.9
Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV
3.9
Hinesville, GA
3.9
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN
3.9
Morgantown, WV
3.9
Owensboro, KY
3.9
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
3.9
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ
3.9
Reading, PA
3.9
Saginaw, MI
3.9
Santa Fe, NM
3.9
Sumter, SC
3.9
Walla Walla, WA
3.9
Carson City, NV
4.0
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI
4.0
Gadsden, AL
4.0
Jackson, TN
4.0
Johnson City, TN
4.0
Monroe, MI
4.0
Muskegon, MI
4.0
Rome, GA
4.0
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ
4.1
Bloomington, IL
4.1
Bloomington, IN
4.1
Dothan, AL
4.1
Erie, PA
4.1
Flint, MI
4.1
Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL
4.1
Macon-Bibb County, GA
4.1
Muncie, IN
4.1
New Bern, NC
4.1
Prescott, AZ
4.1
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
4.1
Springfield, IL
4.1
Tucson, AZ
4.1
Watertown-Fort Drum, NY
4.1
Baton Rouge, LA
4.2
Bellingham, WA
4.2
Casper, WY
4.2
Chico, CA
4.2
Dayton, OH
4.2
Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY
4.2
Lima, OH
4.2
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
4.2
Memphis, TN-MS-AR
4.2
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC
4.2
New Bedford, MA
4.2
Olympia-Tumwater, WA
4.2
Salem, OR
4.2
Salinas, CA
4.2
Sebring, FL
4.2
Williamsport, PA
4.2
Akron, OH
4.3
Albuquerque, NM
4.3
Bremerton-Silverdale, WA
4.3
Champaign-Urbana, IL
4.3
Clarksville, TN-KY
4.3
Columbus, GA-AL
4.3
Corpus Christi, TX
4.3
Homosassa Springs, FL
4.3
Michigan City-La Porte, IN
4.3
Redding, CA
4.3
The Villages, FL
4.3
Albany, GA
4.4
Dalton, GA
4.4
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
4.4
Eugene, OR
4.4
Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS
4.4
Jacksonville, NC
4.4
Johnstown, PA
4.4
Kennewick-Richland, WA
4.4
Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV
4.4
New Orleans-Metairie, LA
4.4
Salisbury, MD-DE
4.4
Springfield, OH
4.4
Warner Robins, GA
4.4
Anniston-Oxford-Jacksonville, AL
4.5
Cleveland-Elyria, OH
4.5
Fayetteville, NC
4.5
Mansfield, OH
4.5
Medford, OR
4.5
Mobile, AL
4.5
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre--Hazleton, PA
4.5
Wheeling, WV-OH
4.5
Albany, OR
4.6
Canton-Massillon, OH
4.6
Carbondale-Marion, IL
4.6
Kankakee, IL
4.6
Pueblo, CO
4.6
Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA
4.6
Terre Haute, IN
4.6
Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ
4.7
Charleston, WV
4.7
Lafayette, LA
4.7
Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA
4.7
Pine Bluff, AR
4.7
Toledo, OH
4.7
Yakima, WA
4.7
Cumberland, MD-WV
4.8
Farmington, NM
4.8
Houma-Thibodaux, LA
4.8
Parkersburg-Vienna, WV
4.8
Peoria, IL
4.8
Rocky Mount, NC
4.8
Texarkana, TX-AR
4.8
East Stroudsburg, PA
4.9
Flagstaff, AZ
4.9
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH
4.9
Waterbury, CT
4.9
Beckley, WV
5.0
Fairbanks, AK
5.0
Hammond, LA
5.0
Alexandria, LA
5.1
Las Cruces, NM
5.1
Monroe, LA
5.1
Shreveport-Bossier City, LA
5.1
Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ
5.1
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX
5.2
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
5.2
Grants Pass, OR
5.2
Longview, WA
5.2
Rockford, IL
5.2
Stockton-Lodi, CA
5.2
Anchorage, AK
5.3
Decatur, IL
5.3
Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ
5.3
Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ
5.3
Danville, IL
5.5
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
5.5
Modesto, CA
5.5
Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH
5.5
Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA
5.5
Ocean City, NJ
5.6
Yuba City, CA
5.7
Madera, CA
5.9
Merced, CA
6.1
Fresno, CA
6.3
Hanford-Corcoran, CA
6.4
Bakersfield, CA
6.6
Visalia-Porterville, CA
8.3
Yuma, AZ
17.7
El Centro, CA
19.2
Of the 51 metropolitan areas with a 2010 Census population of 1 million or more, Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minnesota-Wisconsin, had the lowest unemployment rate in October, 2.1 percent. Cleveland-Elyria, Ohio, had the highest jobless rate among the large areas, 4.5 percent.
United States Department of Labor
