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Top ten largest over-the-year employment gains and losses by metropolitan area, March 2019

May 10, 2019

In March, 41 metropolitan areas had over-the-year increases in nonfarm payroll employment and 348 were essentially unchanged. The largest over-the-year percentage gains in employment occurred in Atlantic City-Hammonton, New Jersey, and Reno, Nevada (+5.8 percent each).
Top ten largest over-the-year employment gains and losses by metropolitan area, March 2018–19, not seasonally adjusted
Metropolitan area March 2018 March 2019 (p) Employment change Percent change Significant?

Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ

 124,600 131,800 7,200 5.8% Yes

Reno, NV

 237,700 251,600 13,900 5.8 Yes

Ocean City, NJ

 35,000 37,000 2,000 5.7 No

Wheeling, WV-OH

 65,200 68,800 3,600 5.5 No

Midland, TX

 104,700 110,200 5,500 5.3 No

St. George, UT

 67,200 70,500 3,300 4.9 No

Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC

 167,300 174,800 7,500 4.5 Yes

Walla Walla, WA

 27,600 28,800 1,200 4.3 No

Odessa, TX

 78,900 82,100 3,200 4.1 No

Fresno, CA

 350,100 363,600 13,500 3.9 Yes

Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA

 42,900 42,400 -500 -1.2 No

Panama City, FL

 84,800 83,800 -1,000 -1.2 No

Iowa City, IA

 101,800 100,400 -1,400 -1.4 No

Morgantown, WV

 71,000 70,000 -1,000 -1.4 No

Rocky Mount, NC

 56,500 55,700 -800 -1.4 No

Michigan City-La Porte, IN

 41,200 40,600 -600 -1.5 No

Williamsport, PA

 53,600 52,800 -800 -1.5 No

Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA

 218,900 215,500 -3,400 -1.6 No

Bloomington, IL

 93,300 91,700 -1,600 -1.7 No

Grand Forks, ND-MN

 56,100 55,100 -1,000 -1.8 No

Houma-Thibodaux, LA

 86,800 84,300 -2,500 -2.9 No
Footnotes:

(p) Preliminary

The largest over-the-year percentage employment declines occurred in Houma-Thibodaux, Louisiana (–2.9 percent), Grand Forks, North Dakota-Minnesota (–1.8 percent), and Bloomington, Illinois (–1.7 percent).

These data are from the Current Employment Statistics (State and Metro Area) program and are not seasonally adjusted. Data for the most recent month are preliminary. To learn more, see "Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment — March 2019." Also see Charts related to the latest "Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment" news release.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Top ten largest over-the-year employment gains and losses by metropolitan area, March 2019 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2019/top-ten-largest-over-the-year-employment-gains-and-losses-by-metropolitan-area-march-2019.htm (visited July 12, 2025).

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