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Madison, Wisconsin, had the lowest unemployment rate in December 2022

February 10, 2023

Unemployment rates were lower in December 2022 than a year earlier in 244 of the 389 metropolitan areas, higher in 115 areas, and unchanged in 30 areas. A total of 172 areas had jobless rates of less than 3.0 percent and 2 areas had rates of at least 10.0 percent.

Metropolitan area unemployment rates, December 2022

Metropolitan area unemployment rates, December 2022, not seasonally adjusted
Metropolitan area Unemployment rate

Anniston-Oxford-Jacksonville, AL

2.4%

Auburn-Opelika, AL

2.0

Birmingham-Hoover, AL

2.0

Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL

2.1

Decatur, AL

1.8

Dothan, AL

2.2

Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL

2.4

Gadsden, AL

2.5

Huntsville, AL

1.8

Mobile, AL

3.0

Montgomery, AL

2.5

Tuscaloosa, AL

2.2

Anchorage, AK

3.5

Fairbanks, AK

3.6

Flagstaff, AZ

3.8

Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ

3.9

Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ

2.7

Prescott, AZ

2.7

Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ

3.6

Tucson, AZ

3.1

Yuma, AZ

13.7

Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO

2.0

Fort Smith, AR-OK

2.7

Hot Springs, AR

3.5

Jonesboro, AR

2.4

Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR

2.8

Pine Bluff, AR

4.6

Bakersfield, CA

6.7

Chico, CA

4.0

El Centro, CA

14.8

Fresno, CA

6.2

Hanford-Corcoran, CA

6.8

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

3.9

Madera, CA

6.0

Merced, CA

7.4

Modesto, CA

5.3

Napa, CA

3.0

Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA

3.2

Redding, CA

4.1

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA

3.6

Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA

3.3

Salinas, CA

6.9

San Diego-Carlsbad, CA

2.9

San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA

2.4

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

2.1

San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA

2.4

Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA

4.5

Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA

3.1

Santa Rosa, CA

2.5

Stockton-Lodi, CA

5.2

Vallejo-Fairfield, CA

3.8

Visalia-Porterville, CA

8.2

Yuba City, CA

6.3

Boulder, CO

2.2

Colorado Springs, CO

3.0

Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO

2.8

Fort Collins, CO

2.4

Grand Junction, CO

3.1

Greeley, CO

3.0

Pueblo, CO

4.3

Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT

3.2

Danbury, CT

2.7

Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT

3.1

New Haven, CT

2.9

Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI

3.2

Waterbury, CT

4.0

Dover, DE

4.6

Salisbury, MD-DE

4.7

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

2.8

Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL

2.9

Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL

1.9

Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL

2.5

Gainesville, FL

2.0

Homosassa Springs, FL

3.5

Jacksonville, FL

2.1

Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL

2.7

Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL

1.9

Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, FL

2.2

North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL

2.2

Ocala, FL

2.8

Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL

2.3

Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL

2.2

Panama City, FL

2.1

Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL

2.3

Port St. Lucie, FL

2.4

Punta Gorda, FL

3.0

Sebastian-Vero Beach, FL

2.6

Sebring, FL

3.6

Tallahassee, FL

2.2

Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL

2.2

The Villages, FL

3.4

Albany, GA

3.5

Athens-Clarke County, GA

2.4

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA

2.6

Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC

3.2

Brunswick, GA

2.6

Columbus, GA-AL

3.3

Dalton, GA

3.8

Gainesville, GA

2.1

Hinesville, GA

2.8

Macon-Bibb County, GA

3.0

Rome, GA

2.7

Savannah, GA

2.5

Valdosta, GA

2.8

Warner Robins, GA

2.8

Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI

3.8

Urban Honolulu, HI

3.4

Boise City, ID

2.1

Coeur d'Alene, ID

3.2

Idaho Falls, ID

2.0

Lewiston, ID-WA

2.9

Pocatello, ID

2.2

Twin Falls, ID

2.4

Bloomington, IL

3.1

Carbondale-Marion, IL

3.7

Champaign-Urbana, IL

3.2

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI

4.2

Danville, IL

4.8

Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL

3.7

Decatur, IL

5.1

Kankakee, IL

5.1

Peoria, IL

4.2

Rockford, IL

5.4

Springfield, IL

3.6

Bloomington, IN

2.0

Columbus, IN

1.9

Elkhart-Goshen, IN

2.5

Evansville, IN-KY

2.3

Fort Wayne, IN

2.2

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN

2.2

Kokomo, IN

4.3

Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN

2.0

Michigan City-La Porte, IN

3.3

Muncie, IN

2.4

South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI

3.1

Terre Haute, IN

2.9

Ames, IA

1.9

Cedar Rapids, IA

3.5

Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA

2.8

Dubuque, IA

3.2

Iowa City, IA

2.3

Sioux City, IA-NE-SD

2.9

Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA

3.1

Lawrence, KS

2.6

Manhattan, KS

2.6

Topeka, KS

2.7

Wichita, KS

2.9

Bowling Green, KY

3.2

Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY

3.6

Lexington-Fayette, KY

2.6

Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN

2.7

Owensboro, KY

3.7

Alexandria, LA

2.9

Baton Rouge, LA

3.0

Hammond, LA

4.2

Houma-Thibodaux, LA

3.2

Lafayette, LA

3.1

Lake Charles, LA

3.0

Monroe, LA

3.3

New Orleans-Metairie, LA

3.5

Shreveport-Bossier City, LA

3.4

Bangor, ME

3.1

Lewiston-Auburn, ME

3.5

Portland-South Portland, ME

2.7

Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD

3.1

California-Lexington Park, MD

2.9

Cumberland, MD-WV

4.0

Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV

2.9

Barnstable Town, MA

4.5

Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH

2.9

Leominster-Gardner, MA

3.9

New Bedford, MA

5.0

Pittsfield, MA

4.6

Springfield, MA-CT

3.7

Worcester, MA-CT

3.3

Ann Arbor, MI

3.0

Battle Creek, MI

4.5

Bay City, MI

5.1

Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI

3.3

Flint, MI

5.4

Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI

3.1

Jackson, MI

4.2

Kalamazoo-Portage, MI

3.9

Lansing-East Lansing, MI

3.6

Midland, MI

4.1

Monroe, MI

4.2

Muskegon, MI

5.0

Niles-Benton Harbor, MI

4.6

Saginaw, MI

5.5

Duluth, MN-WI

3.6

Mankato-North Mankato, MN

2.5

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI

2.6

Rochester, MN

2.5

St. Cloud, MN

3.3

Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS

3.4

Hattiesburg, MS

3.0

Jackson, MS

3.0

Cape Girardeau, MO-IL

2.2

Columbia, MO

1.7

Jefferson City, MO

1.9

Joplin, MO

2.1

Kansas City, MO-KS

2.4

St. Joseph, MO-KS

2.0

St. Louis, MO-IL

2.5

Springfield, MO

1.9

Billings, MT

2.1

Great Falls, MT

2.4

Missoula, MT

2.4

Grand Island, NE

2.4

Lincoln, NE

2.1

Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA

2.5

Carson City, NV

3.9

Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV

5.4

Reno, NV

3.4

Dover-Durham, NH-ME

2.3

Manchester, NH

2.3

Portsmouth, NH-ME

2.4

Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ

4.5

Ocean City, NJ

7.8

Trenton, NJ

2.5

Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ

4.9

Albuquerque, NM

3.1

Farmington, NM

4.1

Las Cruces, NM

3.7

Santa Fe, NM

2.8

Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY

2.5

Binghamton, NY

3.1

Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY

3.2

Elmira, NY

3.2

Glens Falls, NY

3.2

Ithaca, NY

2.4

Kingston, NY

2.6

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA

3.8

Rochester, NY

2.9

Syracuse, NY

3.0

Utica-Rome, NY

3.3

Watertown-Fort Drum, NY

3.9

Asheville, NC

2.5

Burlington, NC

3.2

Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC

3.1

Durham-Chapel Hill, NC

2.6

Fayetteville, NC

4.8

Goldsboro, NC

3.4

Greensboro-High Point, NC

3.6

Greenville, NC

3.5

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC

2.9

Jacksonville, NC

3.7

New Bern, NC

3.2

Raleigh, NC

2.7

Rocky Mount, NC

5.2

Wilmington, NC

2.9

Winston-Salem, NC

3.1

Bismarck, ND

2.2

Fargo, ND-MN

1.9

Grand Forks, ND-MN

2.3

Akron, OH

3.9

Canton-Massillon, OH

3.9

Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN

3.1

Cleveland-Elyria, OH

3.5

Columbus, OH

3.1

Dayton, OH

3.5

Lima, OH

3.7

Mansfield, OH

4.4

Springfield, OH

3.7

Toledo, OH

3.9

Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH

4.8

Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA

4.5

Enid, OK

2.5

Lawton, OK

3.2

Oklahoma City, OK

2.4

Tulsa, OK

2.7

Albany, OR

5.0

Bend-Redmond, OR

4.8

Corvallis, OR

3.6

Eugene, OR

4.9

Grants Pass, OR

6.5

Medford, OR

5.1

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA

4.1

Salem, OR

4.5

Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ

3.3

Altoona, PA

3.5

Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA

3.6

Chambersburg-Waynesboro, PA

2.8

East Stroudsburg, PA

4.8

Erie, PA

4.2

Gettysburg, PA

2.3

Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA

2.8

Johnstown, PA

4.4

Lancaster, PA

2.5

Lebanon, PA

2.6

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD

3.4

Pittsburgh, PA

3.7

Reading, PA

3.4

Scranton--Wilkes-Barre--Hazleton, PA

4.3

State College, PA

2.8

Williamsport, PA

4.0

York-Hanover, PA

2.8

Providence-Warwick, RI-MA

2.7

Charleston-North Charleston, SC

2.5

Columbia, SC

2.8

Florence, SC

3.0

Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, SC

2.6

Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC

2.8

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

4.1

Spartanburg, SC

2.9

Sumter, SC

4.0

Rapid City, SD

2.2

Sioux Falls, SD

2.0

Chattanooga, TN-GA

2.9

Clarksville, TN-KY

3.6

Cleveland, TN

3.1

Jackson, TN

2.9

Johnson City, TN

3.0

Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA

3.1

Knoxville, TN

2.6

Memphis, TN-MS-AR

3.7

Morristown, TN

3.0

Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN

2.3

Abilene, TX

3.2

Amarillo, TX

2.6

Austin-Round Rock, TX

2.7

Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX

6.3

Brownsville-Harlingen, TX

5.7

College Station-Bryan, TX

2.8

Corpus Christi, TX

4.5

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

3.2

El Paso, TX

4.0

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX

3.9

Killeen-Temple, TX

4.0

Laredo, TX

3.7

Longview, TX

4.0

Lubbock, TX

2.9

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX

6.8

Midland, TX

2.6

Odessa, TX

3.8

San Angelo, TX

3.0

San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX

3.3

Sherman-Denison, TX

3.2

Texarkana, TX-AR

3.6

Tyler, TX

3.3

Victoria, TX

3.8

Waco, TX

3.2

Wichita Falls, TX

3.3

Logan, UT-ID

1.8

Ogden-Clearfield, UT

2.0

Provo-Orem, UT

1.9

St. George, UT

2.3

Salt Lake City, UT

2.0

Burlington-South Burlington, VT

2.1

Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA

2.5

Charlottesville, VA

2.4

Harrisonburg, VA

2.4

Lynchburg, VA

2.9

Richmond, VA

2.9

Roanoke, VA

2.6

Staunton-Waynesboro, VA

2.3

Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC

3.0

Winchester, VA-WV

2.3

Bellingham, WA

5.0

Bremerton-Silverdale, WA

4.3

Kennewick-Richland, WA

6.2

Longview, WA

5.8

Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA

5.5

Olympia-Tumwater, WA

4.7

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA

3.4

Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA

5.5

Walla Walla, WA

4.9

Wenatchee, WA

6.1

Yakima, WA

8.8

Beckley, WV

3.5

Charleston, WV

3.3

Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH

3.8

Morgantown, WV

2.8

Parkersburg-Vienna, WV

3.7

Wheeling, WV-OH

4.2

Appleton, WI

1.9

Eau Claire, WI

2.5

Fond du Lac, WI

1.8

Green Bay, WI

2.1

Janesville-Beloit, WI

2.6

La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN

2.0

Madison, WI

1.6

Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI

2.4

Oshkosh-Neenah, WI

1.9

Racine, WI

2.6

Sheboygan, WI

1.8

Wausau, WI

1.9

Casper, WY

3.9

Cheyenne, WY

3.3

In December, Madison, Wisconsin, had the lowest unemployment rate, 1.6 percent, closely followed by Columbia, Missouri, 1.7 percent. El Centro, California, had the highest rate, 14.8 percent. The next highest rate was in Yuma, Arizona, 13.7 percent. A total of 227 areas had December jobless rates below the U.S. rate of 3.3 percent, 148 areas had rates above it, and 14 areas had rates equal to that of the nation.

The largest over-the-year unemployment rate decreases in December occurred in Farmington, New Mexico (−2.1 percentage points), and Odessa, Texas (−2.0 points). An additional 43 areas had rate declines between 1.0 percentage point and 1.9 points. Yuma, Arizona, had the largest over-the-year rate increase in December (+3.4 percentage points).

These data are from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics program and are not seasonally adjusted. Data for the most recent month are preliminary. To learn more, see "Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment — December 2022." We also have more charts related to metropolitan area employment and unemployment.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Madison, Wisconsin, had the lowest unemployment rate in December 2022 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2023/madison-wisconsin-had-the-lowest-unemployment-rate-in-december-2022.htm (visited March 29, 2024).

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