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Unemployment rates down in 27 large metro areas, up in 26, over year ended June 2026
August 03, 2026
Of the 56 metropolitan areas with a 2020 Census population of 1 million or more, 27 large areas had unemployment rate decreases from June 2025 to June 2026, 26 had increases, and 3 had no change. The largest rate decrease occurred in Columbus, Ohio (−1.2 percentage points). The largest rate increase occurred in Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, Connecticut (1.3 percentage points).
| Metropolitan area | Over-the-year change (in percentage points) | June 2025 rate (in percent) | June 2026 rate (in percent) |
|---|---|---|---|
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 0.0 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | 0.6 | 3.5 | 4.1 |
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | -0.1 | 4.1 | 4.0 |
Birmingham, AL | 0.9 | 2.8 | 3.7 |
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | -0.4 | 4.3 | 3.9 |
Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | 0.4 | 3.7 | 4.1 |
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | -0.4 | 4.0 | 3.6 |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 0.6 | 4.7 | 5.3 |
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | -0.8 | 4.7 | 3.9 |
Cleveland, OH | -1.0 | 4.5 | 3.5 |
Columbus, OH | -1.2 | 4.5 | 3.3 |
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 0.7 | 4.0 | 4.7 |
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | -0.1 | 4.0 | 3.9 |
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 0.6 | 4.8 | 5.4 |
Fresno, CA | -0.6 | 8.3 | 7.7 |
Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI | -0.6 | 4.8 | 4.2 |
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | 1.3 | 3.6 | 4.9 |
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 0.7 | 4.5 | 5.2 |
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | -0.2 | 3.6 | 3.4 |
Jacksonville, FL | 0.6 | 4.2 | 4.8 |
Kansas City, MO-KS | -0.3 | 4.0 | 3.7 |
Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | -0.5 | 5.7 | 5.2 |
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | -0.4 | 5.4 | 5.0 |
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | 0.8 | 4.4 | 5.2 |
Memphis, TN-MS-AR | -0.1 | 4.9 | 4.8 |
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 0.6 | 3.3 | 3.9 |
Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | 0.0 | 3.8 | 3.8 |
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 0.6 | 3.8 | 4.4 |
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | -0.1 | 3.3 | 3.2 |
New Orleans-Metairie, LA | 0.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | -0.3 | 4.8 | 4.5 |
Oklahoma City, OK | 1.0 | 3.2 | 4.2 |
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 0.7 | 3.9 | 4.6 |
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | -0.6 | 4.7 | 4.1 |
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 0.9 | 4.0 | 4.9 |
Pittsburgh, PA | -0.5 | 4.3 | 3.8 |
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 0.2 | 4.8 | 5.0 |
Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | -0.6 | 4.3 | 3.7 |
Raleigh-Cary, NC | -0.3 | 3.4 | 3.1 |
Richmond, VA | 0.4 | 3.4 | 3.8 |
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | -0.4 | 5.7 | 5.3 |
Rochester, NY | 0.5 | 3.5 | 4.0 |
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | -0.3 | 5.1 | 4.8 |
Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | -0.2 | 3.8 | 3.6 |
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 0.8 | 4.0 | 4.8 |
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | -0.3 | 4.7 | 4.4 |
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | -0.4 | 4.6 | 4.2 |
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | -0.5 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 0.3 | 4.7 | 5.0 |
St. Louis, MO-IL | -0.3 | 4.1 | 3.8 |
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 0.7 | 4.0 | 4.7 |
Tucson, AZ | 1.1 | 4.6 | 5.7 |
Tulsa, OK | 1.2 | 3.3 | 4.5 |
Urban Honolulu, HI | 0.4 | 2.7 | 3.1 |
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | 0.4 | 3.6 | 4.0 |
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 0.2 | 3.9 | 4.1 |
Note: Data are not seasonally adjusted. | |||
In June 2026, Raleigh-Cary, Noth Carolina, and Urban Honolulu, Hawaii, had the lowest unemployment rates among the 56 large areas at 3.1 percent each. Fresno, California, had the highest rate at 7.7 percent.
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 — June 2026." 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, Unemployment rates down in 27 large metro areas, up in 26, over year ended June 2026 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2026/unemployment-rates-down-in-27-large-metro-areas-up-in-26-over-year-ended-june-2026.htm (visited August 03, 2026).
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