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Unemployment rates up 1.0 percentage point or more over the year in 118 metro areas in March 2020
May 04, 2020
In March 2020, unemployment rates were higher than a year earlier in 253 of the nation's 389 metropolitan areas, lower in 123 areas, and unchanged in 13 areas. Among the metropolitan areas where unemployment increased over the year, there were 118 increases of at least 1.0 percentage point.
Over-the-year change in unemployment rates, metropolitan areas, March 2020, not seasonally adjusted
Metropolitan area
Percentage point(s) change
Unemployment rate, March 2020
Yakima, WA
-2.5 percentage points
6.8%
Danville, IL
-1.9
3.8
Kankakee, IL
-1.8
4.2
Kennewick-Richland, WA
-1.8
5.3
Walla Walla, WA
-1.8
4.3
Champaign-Urbana, IL
-1.7
2.6
Bloomington, IL
-1.6
2.8
Peoria, IL
-1.6
3.9
Springfield, IL
-1.6
3.1
Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA
-1.5
5.2
Carbondale-Marion, IL
-1.4
3.2
Decatur, IL
-1.4
4.4
Rockford, IL
-1.4
4.6
Bend-Redmond, OR
-1.3
3.9
Wenatchee, WA
-1.3
5.4
Coeur d'Alene, ID
-1.1
3.9
Flint, MI
-1.1
4.3
Bremerton-Silverdale, WA
-1.0
4.1
Fairbanks, AK
-1.0
5.0
Grants Pass, OR
-1.0
5.1
Battle Creek, MI
-0.9
3.7
Kalamazoo-Portage, MI
-0.9
3.2
Lewiston, ID-WA
-0.9
3.2
Longview, WA
-0.9
5.6
Monroe, MI
-0.9
3.4
Niles-Benton Harbor, MI
-0.9
3.8
Saginaw, MI
-0.9
4.5
Anchorage, AK
-0.8
5.2
Bay City, MI
-0.8
4.7
Eugene, OR
-0.8
4.0
Jackson, MI
-0.8
3.5
Lawton, OK
-0.8
2.8
Medford, OR
-0.8
4.6
Michigan City-La Porte, IN
-0.8
4.5
Olympia-Tumwater, WA
-0.8
4.5
Ann Arbor, MI
-0.7
2.4
Lansing-East Lansing, MI
-0.7
3.0
Muskegon, MI
-0.7
4.1
Salem, OR
-0.7
4.0
Terre Haute, IN
-0.7
4.2
Bellingham, WA
-0.6
4.6
Bismarck, ND
-0.6
2.9
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL
-0.6
4.2
Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI
-0.6
2.7
La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN
-0.6
2.9
Midland, MI
-0.6
3.9
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
-0.6
3.5
Albany, OR
-0.5
4.5
Appleton, WI
-0.5
2.8
Boise City, ID
-0.5
2.5
Columbia, SC
-0.5
2.7
Corvallis, OR
-0.5
2.9
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC
-0.5
2.7
Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI
-0.5
2.1
Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA
-0.5
5.2
Oklahoma City, OK
-0.5
2.5
Urban Honolulu, HI
-0.5
2.1
Wausau, WI
-0.5
2.8
Bloomington, IN
-0.4
3.3
California-Lexington Park, MD
-0.4
3.1
Charleston-North Charleston, SC
-0.4
2.5
Florence, SC
-0.4
3.2
Idaho Falls, ID
-0.4
2.4
Lewiston-Auburn, ME NECTA
-0.4
3.3
Madison, WI
-0.4
2.4
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI
-0.4
3.3
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC
-0.4
4.3
Topeka, KS
-0.4
3.3
Tulsa, OK
-0.4
2.8
Twin Falls, ID
-0.4
2.8
Auburn-Opelika, AL
-0.3
3.0
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
-0.3
3.5
Columbus, IN
-0.3
2.5
Dover-Durham, NH-ME NECTA
-0.3
2.5
Elkhart-Goshen, IN
-0.3
2.8
Fargo, ND-MN
-0.3
2.7
Fond du Lac, WI
-0.3
3.0
Great Falls, MT
-0.3
3.7
Green Bay, WI
-0.3
3.2
Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, SC
-0.3
2.7
Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV
-0.3
3.9
Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN
-0.3
3.0
Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN
-0.3
2.9
Manhattan, KS
-0.3
2.6
Oshkosh-Neenah, WI
-0.3
2.8
Pocatello, ID
-0.3
2.8
Portland-South Portland, ME NECTA
-0.3
2.8
Racine, WI
-0.3
4.3
Rapid City, SD
-0.3
3.6
Billings, MT
-0.2
3.6
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL
-0.2
3.0
Decatur, AL
-0.2
2.9
Dothan, AL
-0.2
3.3
Eau Claire, WI
-0.2
3.7
Enid, OK
-0.2
2.9
Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL
-0.2
3.6
Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS
-0.2
5.1
Hattiesburg, MS
-0.2
4.4
Huntsville, AL
-0.2
2.8
Kokomo, IN
-0.2
4.1
Muncie, IN
-0.2
4.0
Sheboygan, WI
-0.2
2.8
South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI
-0.2
3.8
Spartanburg, SC
-0.2
2.8
Sumter, SC
-0.2
3.7
Anniston-Oxford-Jacksonville, AL
-0.1
3.9
Bangor, ME NECTA
-0.1
3.7
Birmingham-Hoover, AL
-0.1
3.0
Fort Wayne, IN
-0.1
3.2
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT NECTA
-0.1
3.9
Jackson, MS
-0.1
4.5
Janesville-Beloit, WI
-0.1
4.0
Lawrence, KS
-0.1
2.9
Manchester, NH NECTA
-0.1
2.6
Mankato-North Mankato, MN
-0.1
3.1
New Haven, CT NECTA
-0.1
3.7
Panama City, FL
-0.1
4.4
Portsmouth, NH-ME NECTA
-0.1
2.6
Rochester, MN
-0.1
3.4
Springfield, MA-CT NECTA
-0.1
3.9
St. Cloud, MN
-0.1
4.2
Tuscaloosa, AL
-0.1
3.1
Wichita, KS
-0.1
3.5
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT NECTA
0.0
4.0
Danbury, CT NECTA
0.0
3.5
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
0.0
3.6
Evansville, IN-KY
0.0
3.3
Grand Forks, ND-MN
0.0
3.2
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
0.0
3.4
Missoula, MT
0.0
3.9
Mobile, AL
0.0
4.2
Montgomery, AL
0.0
3.4
New Bern, NC
0.0
4.3
Sioux Falls, SD
0.0
3.1
Waterbury, CT NECTA
0.0
5.0
Worcester, MA-CT NECTA
0.0
3.6
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH NECTA
0.1
3.0
Cheyenne, WY
0.1
3.8
Duluth, MN-WI
0.1
4.9
Jacksonville, NC
0.1
4.9
Leominster-Gardner, MA NECTA
0.1
4.1
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN
0.1
2.8
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
0.1
4.0
Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI NECTA
0.1
4.1
Raleigh, NC
0.1
3.7
Trenton, NJ
0.1
3.3
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
0.1
3.3
Wilmington, NC
0.1
4.0
Winchester, VA-WV
0.1
3.1
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY
0.2
4.1
Burlington, NC
0.2
4.1
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
0.2
3.9
Charlottesville, VA
0.2
2.9
Cleveland, TN
0.2
3.9
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
0.2
4.9
Glens Falls, NY
0.2
5.5
Goldsboro, NC
0.2
4.5
Greensboro-High Point, NC
0.2
4.4
Greenville, NC
0.2
4.4
Harrisonburg, VA
0.2
3.1
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC
0.2
4.0
Ithaca, NY
0.2
3.7
Jackson, TN
0.2
3.8
Knoxville, TN
0.2
3.5
Memphis, TN-MS-AR
0.2
4.3
Morgantown, WV
0.2
4.3
New Bedford, MA NECTA
0.2
5.3
Pittsfield, MA NECTA
0.2
4.6
Staunton-Waynesboro, VA
0.2
3.0
Winston-Salem, NC
0.2
4.0
Asheville, NC
0.3
3.6
Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ
0.3
5.8
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC
0.3
4.2
Barnstable Town, MA NECTA
0.3
5.5
Chattanooga, TN-GA
0.3
3.7
Cumberland, MD-WV
0.3
5.5
Johnson City, TN
0.3
4.1
Kansas City, MO-KS
0.3
3.9
Kingston, NY
0.3
4.2
Morristown, TN
0.3
4.2
Richmond, VA
0.3
3.4
Rocky Mount, NC
0.3
5.5
St. Louis, MO-IL
0.3
4.0
Syracuse, NY
0.3
4.9
Utica-Rome, NY
0.3
5.1
Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ
0.3
6.3
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC
0.3
3.6
Casper, WY
0.4
4.5
Columbia, MO
0.4
3.0
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
0.4
3.6
Fayetteville, NC
0.4
5.5
Gainesville, GA
0.4
3.4
Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA
0.4
4.2
Logan, UT-ID
0.4
2.9
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN
0.4
4.5
Roanoke, VA
0.4
3.4
Rochester, NY
0.4
4.7
Ames, IA
0.5
2.2
Clarksville, TN-KY
0.5
4.8
Dalton, GA
0.5
5.1
Elmira, NY
0.5
4.9
Lynchburg, VA
0.5
3.9
Ocean City, NJ
0.5
11.4
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ
0.5
4.7
Salisbury, MD-DE
0.5
5.8
Santa Rosa, CA
0.5
3.6
St. Joseph, MO-KS
0.5
4.1
Binghamton, NY
0.6
5.6
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY
0.6
5.2
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI
0.6
4.8
Chico, CA
0.6
6.7
Columbus, GA-AL
0.6
4.8
Gadsden, AL
0.6
4.4
Iowa City, IA
0.6
2.8
Jefferson City, MO
0.6
3.6
Lubbock, TX
0.6
3.7
Prescott, AZ
0.6
5.1
Provo-Orem, UT
0.6
3.4
Rome, GA
0.6
4.4
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA
0.6
4.1
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
0.6
3.4
Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ
0.6
6.5
Sioux City, IA-NE-SD
0.6
3.8
Warner Robins, GA
0.6
4.2
Amarillo, TX
0.7
3.4
Athens-Clarke County, GA
0.7
4.2
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
0.7
4.2
Brunswick, GA
0.7
4.3
Burlington-South Burlington, VT NECTA
0.7
2.7
Fort Smith, AR-OK
0.7
4.2
Lexington-Fayette, KY
0.7
4.5
Macon-Bibb County, GA
0.7
4.6
Napa, CA
0.7
4.0
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA
0.7
4.7
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA
0.7
3.5
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA
0.7
3.8
Santa Fe, NM
0.7
4.5
Tucson, AZ
0.7
5.2
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA
0.7
5.0
Albany, GA
0.8
5.2
Austin-Round Rock, TX
0.8
3.5
Charleston, WV
0.8
5.9
Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL
0.8
3.7
Dubuque, IA
0.8
4.1
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO
0.8
3.3
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH
0.8
6.1
Joplin, MO
0.8
4.1
Lincoln, NE
0.8
3.8
Ogden-Clearfield, UT
0.8
3.8
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA
0.8
4.6
Salt Lake City, UT
0.8
3.8
Springfield, MO
0.8
3.9
Valdosta, GA
0.8
4.5
Abilene, TX
0.9
4.0
Albuquerque, NM
0.9
5.3
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA
0.9
4.0
Cape Girardeau, MO-IL
0.9
4.3
Cedar Rapids, IA
0.9
4.2
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN
0.9
4.6
Columbus, OH
0.9
4.4
Gainesville, FL
0.9
3.9
Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ
0.9
6.7
Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA
0.9
4.4
Owensboro, KY
0.9
5.2
Parkersburg-Vienna, WV
0.9
6.6
Providence-Warwick, RI-MA NECTA
0.9
4.9
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
0.9
5.1
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
0.9
5.6
Savannah, GA
0.9
4.2
St. George, UT
0.9
4.2
Toledo, OH
0.9
5.4
Bowling Green, KY
1.0
5.4
College Station-Bryan, TX
1.0
3.7
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
1.0
4.3
Dayton, OH
1.0
4.9
Hinesville, GA
1.0
4.7
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
1.0
4.0
North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL
1.0
4.2
San Angelo, TX
1.0
4.0
Tallahassee, FL
1.0
4.2
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
1.0
4.3
Texarkana, TX-AR
1.0
5.4
Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
1.0
4.2
Wichita Falls, TX
1.0
4.2
Akron, OH
1.1
5.6
Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL
1.1
4.3
Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY
1.1
5.7
Gettysburg, PA
1.1
4.2
Jacksonville, FL
1.1
4.3
Jonesboro, AR
1.1
3.9
Killeen-Temple, TX
1.1
4.9
Lancaster, PA
1.1
4.4
Midland, TX
1.1
3.1
Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, FL
1.1
4.0
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
1.1
4.2
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL
1.1
4.4
Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL
1.1
4.3
Redding, CA
1.1
6.8
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
1.1
4.2
Tyler, TX
1.1
4.5
Waco, TX
1.1
4.5
Watertown-Fort Drum, NY
1.1
7.5
Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA
1.1
7.2
Yuba City, CA
1.1
10.0
Canton-Massillon, OH
1.2
6.1
El Paso, TX
1.2
5.0
Flagstaff, AZ
1.2
7.1
Grand Island, NE
1.2
4.7
Hot Springs, AR
1.2
4.8
Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL
1.2
4.9
Ocala, FL
1.2
5.2
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
1.2
5.1
Port St. Lucie, FL
1.2
4.9
Punta Gorda, FL
1.2
4.9
Beckley, WV
1.3
6.7
Corpus Christi, TX
1.3
5.7
Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL
1.3
4.9
Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA
1.3
4.8
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR
1.3
4.4
Mansfield, OH
1.3
6.0
Modesto, CA
1.3
8.3
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA
1.3
7.9
Sebastian-Vero Beach, FL
1.3
5.1
Sherman-Denison, TX
1.3
4.3
Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH
1.3
7.0
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ
1.4
5.8
Boulder, CO
1.4
4.0
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
1.4
5.1
Springfield, OH
1.4
5.6
State College, PA
1.4
4.4
The Villages, FL
1.4
6.3
York-Hanover, PA
1.4
5.0
Fort Collins, CO
1.5
4.2
Laredo, TX
1.5
5.2
Las Cruces, NM
1.5
7.5
Lebanon, PA
1.5
5.2
Stockton-Lodi, CA
1.5
8.3
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO
1.6
4.6
Dover, DE
1.6
5.5
Longview, TX
1.6
5.3
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
1.6
5.7
Sebring, FL
1.6
6.1
Chambersburg-Waynesboro, PA
1.7
5.4
Greeley, CO
1.7
4.6
Homosassa Springs, FL
1.7
6.6
Houma-Thibodaux, LA
1.7
5.7
Lima, OH
1.7
5.7
Reading, PA
1.7
5.9
Reno, NV
1.7
5.3
Victoria, TX
1.7
5.1
Wheeling, WV-OH
1.7
7.6
Baton Rouge, LA
1.8
5.4
Colorado Springs, CO
1.8
5.5
Farmington, NM
1.8
7.3
New Orleans-Metairie, LA
1.8
5.6
Pine Bluff, AR
1.8
6.9
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
1.8
5.4
Alexandria, LA
1.9
6.3
Altoona, PA
1.9
6.2
Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA
1.9
6.4
Fresno, CA
1.9
10.8
Pittsburgh, PA
1.9
6.2
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
2.0
7.4
Lafayette, LA
2.0
6.1
Madera, CA
2.0
10.5
Odessa, TX
2.0
4.4
Salinas, CA
2.0
11.8
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre--Hazleton, PA
2.0
7.4
Shreveport-Bossier City, LA
2.0
6.4
East Stroudsburg, PA
2.1
7.4
Hammond, LA
2.1
6.8
Carson City, NV
2.2
6.7
Erie, PA
2.2
6.9
Lake Charles, LA
2.2
5.6
Monroe, LA
2.2
6.9
Williamsport, PA
2.2
7.4
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX
2.3
7.5
Pueblo, CO
2.3
6.9
Yuma, AZ
2.3
14.8
Bakersfield, CA
2.4
12.0
Grand Junction, CO
2.4
6.3
Hanford-Corcoran, CA
2.5
12.3
Johnstown, PA
2.5
7.7
Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV
2.6
6.7
Merced, CA
2.6
12.9
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
2.8
8.5
Visalia-Porterville, CA
2.8
14.5
Cleveland-Elyria, OH
3.0
7.3
El Centro, CA
3.9
20.5
Note: Data for the most recent month are preliminary.
In El Centro, California, the unemployment rate increased 3.9 percentage points, the largest over-the-year unemployment rate increase in March 2020. In Cleveland-Elyria, Ohio, the unemployment rate increased 3.0 percentage points, while McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas, and Visalia-Porterville, California, each had over-the-year jobless rate increase of 2.8 percentage points.
The largest over-the-year rate decrease occurred in Yakima, Washington (−2.5 percentage points), followed by Danville (−1.9) and Kankakee (−1.8) in Illinois and Kennewick-Richland and Walla Walla (both −1.8), Washington.
In March 2020, a total of 226 metropolitan areas had jobless rates below the U.S. rate of 4.5 percent, 150 areas had rates above it, and 13 areas had rates equal to that of the nation.
Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina and Urban Honolulu, Hawaii, had the lowest unemployment rates, 2.1 percent each. Unemployment rates were 2.4 percent or lower in Ames, Iowa; Ann Arbor, Michigan; Idaho Falls, Idaho; and Madison, Wisconsin.
El Centro, California, had the highest unemployment rate in March, 20.5 percent, followed by Yuma, Arizona; and Visalia-Porterville, Merced, Hanford-Corcoran, and Bakersfield, all in California, which had all had unemployment rates of 12.0 percent or higher.
Of the 51 metropolitan areas with a 2010 Census population of 1 million or more, 43 had over-the-year unemployment rate increases, 7 had decreases, and 1 had no change. The largest jobless rate increases among these large metropolitan areas were in Cleveland-Elyria, Ohio (+3.0 percentage points), and Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, Nevada (+2.6). The largest rate decrease occurred in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, Oregon-Washington (−0.6 percentage point).
Among the large metropolitan areas, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, had the lowest unemployment rate in March, 2.5 percent. Cleveland-Elyria, Ohio, and Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, Nevada, had the highest jobless rates, 7.3 percent and 6.7 percent, respectively.
United States Department of Labor
