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Unemployment rate 1.5 percent in Ames, Iowa, and Charleston-North Charleston, South Carolina
November 15, 2019
In September 2019, Ames, Iowa, and Charleston-North Charleston, South Carolina, had the lowest unemployment rates among U.S. metropolitan areas, 1.5 percent each. Four other metropolitan areas in South Carolina and one other area in Iowa had unemployment rates below 2.0 percent.
Unemployment rates and over-the-year change in unemployment rates for metropolitan areas, September 2019, not seasonally adjusted
Metropolitan area
Unemployment rate, September 2019
Over-the-year change, September 2018–September 2019
Ames, IA
1.5%
0.1 percentage point(s)
Charleston-North Charleston, SC
1.5
-1.2
Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, SC
1.6
-1.3
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC
1.6
-1.3
Spartanburg, SC
1.6
-1.4
Columbia, MO
1.7
-0.2
Columbia, SC
1.7
-1.4
Logan, UT-ID
1.7
-0.7
Iowa City, IA
1.8
0.1
Jefferson City, MO
1.8
-0.4
Burlington-South Burlington, VT
1.9
-0.3
Fargo, ND-MN
1.9
0.0
Fort Collins, CO
1.9
-0.9
Portland-South Portland, ME
1.9
-0.5
Provo-Orem, UT
1.9
-0.8
Bismarck, ND
2.0
-0.1
Boulder, CO
2.0
-0.9
Columbus, IN
2.0
-0.2
Dubuque, IA
2.0
0.1
Florence, SC
2.0
-1.7
Grand Forks, ND-MN
2.0
-0.1
Greeley, CO
2.0
-1.0
Idaho Falls, ID
2.0
0.1
Midland, TX
2.0
0.0
Ogden-Clearfield, UT
2.0
-1.0
Portsmouth, NH-ME
2.0
0.0
Salt Lake City, UT
2.0
-0.9
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
2.1
0.1
Huntsville, AL
2.1
-1.2
Rochester, MN
2.1
0.2
St. Joseph, MO-KS
2.1
-0.3
Sumter, SC
2.1
-1.6
Twin Falls, ID
2.1
0.0
Auburn-Opelika, AL
2.2
-1.2
Charlottesville, VA
2.2
-0.3
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL
2.2
-1.1
Decatur, AL
2.2
-1.1
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO
2.2
-1.0
Dover-Durham, NH-ME
2.2
0.2
Joplin, MO
2.2
-0.2
Mankato-North Mankato, MN
2.2
0.2
Napa, CA
2.2
-0.3
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA
2.2
-0.3
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
2.2
-0.3
Santa Rosa, CA
2.2
-0.2
Springfield, MO
2.2
-0.1
Staunton-Waynesboro, VA
2.2
-0.3
Bangor, ME
2.3
-0.6
Birmingham-Hoover, AL
2.3
-1.0
Boise City, ID
2.3
0.1
Harrisonburg, VA
2.3
-0.4
Madison, WI
2.3
0.5
Manchester, NH
2.3
0.2
Pocatello, ID
2.3
0.1
Sioux City, IA-NE-SD
2.3
0.2
Sioux Falls, SD
2.3
0.1
St. George, UT
2.3
-0.9
Tuscaloosa, AL
2.3
-1.1
Winchester, VA-WV
2.3
-0.3
Cape Girardeau, MO-IL
2.4
-0.1
Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL
2.4
-0.3
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO
2.4
-0.2
Gainesville, GA
2.4
-0.5
La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN
2.4
0.5
Lewiston-Auburn, ME
2.4
-0.5
Manhattan, KS
2.4
0.0
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
2.4
0.1
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN
2.4
-0.3
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA
2.4
-0.3
Sheboygan, WI
2.4
0.4
St. Cloud, MN
2.4
0.1
Amarillo, TX
2.5
-0.2
Cedar Rapids, IA
2.5
0.2
Dothan, AL
2.5
-1.3
Grand Junction, CO
2.5
-1.2
Kansas City, MO-KS
2.5
-0.3
Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN
2.5
-0.2
Lawrence, KS
2.5
-0.2
Montgomery, AL
2.5
-1.2
Roanoke, VA
2.5
-0.2
Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
2.5
0.3
Wausau, WI
2.5
0.4
Appleton, WI
2.6
0.4
Austin-Round Rock, TX
2.6
-0.3
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA
2.6
-0.2
Bloomington, IN
2.6
-0.5
Coeur d'Alene, ID
2.6
0.0
College Station-Bryan, TX
2.6
-0.2
Colorado Springs, CO
2.6
-1.3
Fort Wayne, IN
2.6
-0.2
Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN
2.6
-0.4
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC
2.6
-1.5
Odessa, TX
2.6
0.1
Richmond, VA
2.6
-0.3
St. Louis, MO-IL
2.6
-0.4
Urban Honolulu, HI
2.6
0.0
Asheville, NC
2.7
0.0
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH
2.7
-0.1
Eau Claire, WI
2.7
0.6
Elkhart-Goshen, IN
2.7
0.2
Evansville, IN-KY
2.7
-0.2
Fond du Lac, WI
2.7
0.8
Jonesboro, AR
2.7
-0.2
Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI
2.7
0.0
Lincoln, NE
2.7
0.4
Lubbock, TX
2.7
-0.3
Missoula, MT
2.7
-0.1
Oshkosh-Neenah, WI
2.7
0.5
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA
2.7
-0.4
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC
2.7
-0.4
Athens-Clarke County, GA
2.8
-0.6
Danbury, CT
2.8
-0.2
Gadsden, AL
2.8
-1.0
Gainesville, FL
2.8
-0.1
Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI
2.8
0.2
Green Bay, WI
2.8
0.6
Lewiston, ID-WA
2.8
0.1
Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA
2.8
0.2
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
2.8
-0.2
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
2.8
-0.4
Topeka, KS
2.8
-0.3
Anniston-Oxford-Jacksonville, AL
2.9
-1.5
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
2.9
-0.5
Barnstable Town, MA
2.9
-0.1
Billings, MT
2.9
-0.1
Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL
2.9
-0.3
Enid, OK
2.9
0.2
Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL
2.9
-1.1
Gettysburg, PA
2.9
-0.2
Grand Island, NE
2.9
0.4
Jacksonville, FL
2.9
-0.2
Knoxville, TN
2.9
-0.2
Lynchburg, VA
2.9
-0.2
North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL
2.9
-0.3
Oklahoma City, OK
2.9
0.2
Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL
2.9
-0.2
Rapid City, SD
2.9
0.1
Reno, NV
2.9
-0.5
San Angelo, TX
2.9
-0.2
Tallahassee, FL
2.9
-0.3
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
2.9
-0.3
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
2.9
-0.2
Abilene, TX
3.0
-0.2
Ann Arbor, MI
3.0
0.2
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC
3.0
-0.9
Chattanooga, TN-GA
3.0
-0.3
Duluth, MN-WI
3.0
0.2
Lexington-Fayette, KY
3.0
-0.2
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
3.0
-0.5
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL
3.0
-0.2
Panama City, FL
3.0
0.0
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA
3.0
-0.4
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
3.0
-0.2
Savannah, GA
3.0
-0.3
Sherman-Denison, TX
3.0
-0.1
State College, PA
3.0
0.0
Trenton, NJ
3.0
-0.4
Warner Robins, GA
3.0
-0.7
Wichita Falls, TX
3.0
-0.2
California-Lexington Park, MD
3.1
-0.3
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
3.1
-0.1
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
3.1
-0.3
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
3.1
0.1
Great Falls, MT
3.1
-0.2
Lancaster, PA
3.1
0.0
Lansing-East Lansing, MI
3.1
0.2
Mobile, AL
3.1
-1.3
Raleigh, NC
3.1
0.1
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA
3.1
-0.4
Tulsa, OK
3.1
0.1
Valdosta, GA
3.1
-0.6
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA
3.1
-0.4
Wichita, KS
3.1
-0.3
Wilmington, NC
3.1
-0.8
Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL
3.2
-0.3
Kokomo, IN
3.2
-0.1
Leominster-Gardner, MA
3.2
-0.2
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR
3.2
0.0
Muncie, IN
3.2
-0.2
Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, FL
3.2
-0.3
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA
3.2
-0.5
Tyler, TX
3.2
-0.3
Waco, TX
3.2
-0.2
Worcester, MA-CT
3.2
-0.1
Bowling Green, KY
3.3
-0.1
Chambersburg-Waynesboro, PA
3.3
-0.1
Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV
3.3
-0.6
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC
3.3
0.2
Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA
3.3
-0.1
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN
3.3
-0.7
Macon-Bibb County, GA
3.3
-0.6
Monroe, MI
3.3
-0.2
Morgantown, WV
3.3
-0.7
Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI
3.3
-0.2
Providence-Warwick, RI-MA
3.3
-0.3
Rome, GA
3.3
-0.7
Salinas, CA
3.3
-0.5
South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI
3.3
0.0
Victoria, TX
3.3
-0.3
Winston-Salem, NC
3.3
0.0
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY
3.4
0.1
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
3.4
-0.2
Brunswick, GA
3.4
0.0
Burlington, NC
3.4
0.2
Cheyenne, WY
3.4
-0.3
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI
3.4
-0.2
Cleveland, TN
3.4
-0.1
Jackson, MI
3.4
0.1
Jackson, TN
3.4
-0.2
Johnson City, TN
3.4
-0.3
Kalamazoo-Portage, MI
3.4
0.3
Kingston, NY
3.4
0.0
Laredo, TX
3.4
-0.2
Midland, MI
3.4
0.3
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI
3.4
0.6
New Haven, CT
3.4
-0.2
Owensboro, KY
3.4
-0.2
Pittsfield, MA
3.4
-0.1
Pueblo, CO
3.4
-1.5
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT
3.5
-0.2
Champaign-Urbana, IL
3.5
-0.6
Fort Smith, AR-OK
3.5
-0.1
Glens Falls, NY
3.5
0.2
Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA
3.5
0.1
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT
3.5
-0.2
Ithaca, NY
3.5
0.2
Janesville-Beloit, WI
3.5
0.9
Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL
3.5
-0.3
Lebanon, PA
3.5
0.1
Morristown, TN
3.5
-0.1
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
3.5
-0.2
Niles-Benton Harbor, MI
3.5
0.0
Ocala, FL
3.5
-0.4
Port St. Lucie, FL
3.5
-0.3
Punta Gorda, FL
3.5
-0.4
Redding, CA
3.5
-0.8
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
3.5
-0.2
Springfield, IL
3.5
-0.5
Terre Haute, IN
3.5
-0.6
York-Hanover, PA
3.5
-0.1
Bend-Redmond, OR
3.6
0.1
Bloomington, IL
3.6
-0.4
Carson City, NV
3.6
-0.6
Columbus, GA-AL
3.6
-0.6
Corvallis, OR
3.6
0.5
Hinesville, GA
3.6
-0.2
Hot Springs, AR
3.6
-0.3
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
3.6
-0.5
Killeen-Temple, TX
3.6
-0.5
Lawton, OK
3.6
0.1
Michigan City-La Porte, IN
3.6
-0.2
New Bern, NC
3.6
-0.4
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
3.6
-0.5
Springfield, MA-CT
3.6
-0.1
Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA
3.7
-0.1
Carbondale-Marion, IL
3.7
-0.8
Casper, WY
3.7
-0.7
Chico, CA
3.7
-0.4
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN
3.7
0.0
Columbus, OH
3.7
0.0
Dalton, GA
3.7
-0.7
El Paso, TX
3.7
-0.4
Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY
3.7
-0.4
Goldsboro, NC
3.7
-0.2
Greensboro-High Point, NC
3.7
0.1
Lake Charles, LA
3.7
-0.1
Longview, TX
3.7
-0.2
Ocean City, NJ
3.7
-1.0
Santa Fe, NM
3.7
-0.4
Sebastian-Vero Beach, FL
3.7
-0.5
Clarksville, TN-KY
3.8
-0.3
Erie, PA
3.8
-0.1
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
3.8
-0.1
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ
3.8
-0.5
Pittsburgh, PA
3.8
0.1
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
3.8
0.3
Racine, WI
3.8
0.8
Rochester, NY
3.8
0.2
Salisbury, MD-DE
3.8
-0.1
Albany, GA
3.9
-0.5
Battle Creek, MI
3.9
0.4
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL
3.9
0.0
Greenville, NC
3.9
0.2
Muskegon, MI
3.9
0.1
Reading, PA
3.9
0.0
Syracuse, NY
3.9
0.3
Utica-Rome, NY
3.9
0.2
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ
4.0
-0.2
Altoona, PA
4.0
0.3
Bay City, MI
4.0
0.4
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY
4.0
0.2
Cleveland-Elyria, OH
4.0
-0.5
Elmira, NY
4.0
0.0
Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV
4.0
-0.8
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
4.0
-0.2
Wenatchee, WA
4.0
0.7
Corpus Christi, TX
4.1
-0.6
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
4.1
0.1
Jacksonville, NC
4.1
-0.8
Lima, OH
4.1
0.1
Medford, OR
4.1
0.0
Memphis, TN-MS-AR
4.1
0.1
Prescott, AZ
4.1
-0.5
Saginaw, MI
4.1
0.2
Salem, OR
4.1
0.3
Texarkana, TX-AR
4.1
-1.1
The Villages, FL
4.1
-0.5
Tucson, AZ
4.1
-0.4
Baton Rouge, LA
4.2
-0.2
Binghamton, NY
4.2
0.3
Charleston, WV
4.2
-0.5
Dayton, OH
4.2
0.1
Dover, DE
4.2
0.3
Kankakee, IL
4.2
-0.6
New Bedford, MA
4.2
-0.3
New Orleans-Metairie, LA
4.2
-0.6
Springfield, OH
4.2
0.0
Williamsport, PA
4.2
0.0
Akron, OH
4.3
0.1
Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ
4.3
-0.5
Beckley, WV
4.3
-0.4
Eugene, OR
4.3
0.2
Flint, MI
4.3
0.3
Homosassa Springs, FL
4.3
-0.5
Peoria, IL
4.3
-0.3
Sebring, FL
4.3
-0.3
Toledo, OH
4.3
-0.3
Waterbury, CT
4.3
-0.2
Albuquerque, NM
4.4
-0.4
Canton-Massillon, OH
4.4
0.0
Houma-Thibodaux, LA
4.4
-0.5
Johnstown, PA
4.4
0.0
Mansfield, OH
4.4
0.2
Parkersburg-Vienna, WV
4.4
-0.2
Albany, OR
4.5
0.2
Bremerton-Silverdale, WA
4.5
0.4
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH
4.5
-0.4
Lafayette, LA
4.5
-0.4
Fayetteville, NC
4.6
-0.1
Modesto, CA
4.6
-0.6
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre--Hazleton, PA
4.6
0.0
Walla Walla, WA
4.6
0.8
Grants Pass, OR
4.7
0.0
Kennewick-Richland, WA
4.7
0.5
Stockton-Lodi, CA
4.7
-0.3
Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ
4.7
-0.8
Watertown-Fort Drum, NY
4.7
0.6
Wheeling, WV-OH
4.7
0.4
Flagstaff, AZ
4.8
-0.3
Hattiesburg, MS
4.8
1.0
Olympia-Tumwater, WA
4.8
0.7
Rocky Mount, NC
4.8
-0.2
Yuba City, CA
4.8
-0.6
Decatur, IL
4.9
-0.2
East Stroudsburg, PA
4.9
0.0
Fairbanks, AK
4.9
-0.2
Jackson, MS
4.9
1.1
Pine Bluff, AR
4.9
0.1
Shreveport-Bossier City, LA
4.9
-0.3
Alexandria, LA
5.0
-0.4
Bellingham, WA
5.0
0.9
Danville, IL
5.0
-0.6
Las Cruces, NM
5.0
-0.3
Madera, CA
5.0
-0.3
Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA
5.0
0.5
Hammond, LA
5.1
-0.4
Monroe, LA
5.1
-0.2
Yakima, WA
5.1
0.9
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
5.2
-0.5
Cumberland, MD-WV
5.2
0.5
Anchorage, AK
5.3
-0.3
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX
5.3
-0.3
Farmington, NM
5.3
-0.3
Fresno, CA
5.3
-0.6
Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ
5.3
-0.5
Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA
5.3
0.9
Rockford, IL
5.3
0.4
Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ
5.3
-0.4
Merced, CA
5.5
-0.5
Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH
5.5
0.1
Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA
5.5
0.3
Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS
5.6
1.0
Hanford-Corcoran, CA
5.7
-0.2
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
5.9
-0.2
Bakersfield, CA
6.0
-0.5
Longview, WA
6.0
1.0
Visalia-Porterville, CA
7.6
-0.3
Yuma, AZ
18.6
-0.2
El Centro, CA
20.7
0.7
Footnotes
Note: Data for the most recent month are prelimnary.
El Centro, California, and Yuma, Arizona, had the highest unemployment rates, 20.7 percent and 18.6 percent, respectively. The jobless rate in Visalia-Porterville, California, was 7.6 percent, while Bakersfield, California, and Longview, Washington, each had unemployment rates of 6.0 percent.
Florence, South Carolina, had the largest over-the-year unemployment rate decrease in September, −1.7 percentage points. There were 27 other areas that had over-the-year rate declines of at least 1.0 percentage point, including Sumter, South Carolina (−1.6 percentage points) and Anniston-Oxford-Jacksonville, Alabama; Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina-North Carolina; and Pueblo, Colorado (each −1.5 percentage points).
The largest over-the-year unemployment rate increase occurred in Jackson, Mississippi (1.1 percentage points), followed by Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, Mississippi; Hattiesburg, Mississippi; and Longview, Washington (each 1.0 percentage point).
Among the 51 metropolitan areas with a population of 1 million or more (in the 2010 Census), Salt Lake City, Utah, had the lowest unemployment rate in September, 2.0 percent. The unemployment rate in New Orleans-Metairie, Louisiana, 4.2 percent, was the highest among these large areas.
United States Department of Labor
