Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment Summary – December, 2014

METROPOLITAN AREA EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT -- DECEMBER 2014

Unemployment rates were lower in December than a year earlier in 341 of the

372 metropolitan areas, higher in 25 areas, and unchanged in 6 areas, the U.S.

Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Fourteen areas had jobless rates of

at least 10.0 percent and 158 areas had rates of less than 5.0 percent. Nonfarm

payroll employment increased over the year in 312 metropolitan areas, decreased

in 49 areas, and was unchanged in 11 areas. The national unemployment rate in

December was 5.4 percent, not seasonally adjusted, down from 6.5 percent a year

earlier.

Metropolitan Area Unemployment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

Yuma, Ariz., and El Centro, Calif., had the highest unemployment rates in

December, 22.1 percent and 21.0 percent, respectively. Midland, Texas, had the

lowest unemployment rate, 2.1 percent. A total of 208 areas had December

unemployment rates below the U.S. figure of 5.4 percent, 155 areas had rates

above it, and 9 areas had rates equal to that of the nation. (See table 1.)

Decatur, Ill., had the largest over-the-year unemployment rate decrease in

December (-4.9 percentage points), followed by Danville, Ill. (-4.8 points).

Fifty-one other areas had rate decreases of at least 2.0 percentage points.

Alexandria, La., had the largest over-the-year jobless rate increase (+1.9

percentage points).

Of the 49 metropolitan areas with a Census 2000 population of 1 million or more,

Memphis, Tenn.-Miss.-Ark., had the highest unemployment rate in December, 7.6

percent. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minn.-Wis., had the lowest jobless

rate among the large areas, 3.3 percent. Forty-eight of the large areas had

over-the-year unemployment rate decreases, the largest of which occurred in

Providence-Fall River-Warwick, R.I.-Mass. (-2.9 percentage points), and Chicago-

Joliet-Naperville, Ill.-Ind.-Wis. (-2.7 points). The only rate increase occurred

in New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, La. (+1.5 percentage points).

Metropolitan Division Unemployment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

Eleven of the most populous metropolitan areas are made up of 34 metropolitan

divisions, which are essentially separately identifiable employment centers. In

December, Gary, Ind., had the highest unemployment rate among the divisions, 7.8

percent. Framingham, Mass., and San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, Calif., had

the lowest rates among the divisions, 3.7 percent each. (See table 2.)

Thirty-three of the metropolitan divisions had over-the-year unemployment rate

decreases in December. The largest of the declines occurred in Chicago-Joliet-

Naperville, Ill. (-2.9 percentage points). The only unemployment rate increase was

in Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, Fla. (+0.1 percentage point).

Metropolitan Area Nonfarm Employment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

In December, 312 metropolitan areas had over-the-year increases in nonfarm payroll

employment, 49 had decreases, and 11 had no change. The largest over-the-year

employment increases occurred in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas (+136,900), New

York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa. (+129,000), and Houston-Sugar

Land-Baytown, Texas (+120,600). The largest over-the-year percentage gain in

employment occurred in Midland, Texas (+6.0 percent), followed by Longview, Texas

(+5.2 percent), and Lake Charles, La. (+5.0 percent). (See table 3.)

The largest over-the-year decreases in employment occurred in Atlantic City-Hammonton,

N.J. (-8,100), Peoria, Ill. (-1,900), and Syracuse, N.Y. (-1,800). The largest over-

the-year percentage decreases in employment occurred in Atlantic City-Hammonton, N.J.

(-6.0 percent), Steubenville-Weirton, Ohio-W.Va. (-3.6 percent), and Ocean City, N.J.

(-3.2 percent).

Over the year, nonfarm employment rose in all of the 38 metropolitan areas with

annual average employment levels above 750,000 in 2013. The largest over-the-year

percentage increase in employment in these large metropolitan areas occurred in

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas (+4.4 percent), followed by Orlando-Kissimmee-

Sanford, Fla. (+4.3 percent), and Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas (+4.2 percent).

Metropolitan Division Nonfarm Employment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

Nonfarm payroll employment data were available in December 2014 for 32 metropolitan

divisions, which are essentially separately identifiable employment centers within a

metropolitan area. All of the 32 metropolitan divisions had over-the-year employment

gains. The largest over-the-year increase in employment among the metropolitan

divisions occurred in Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas (+108,100), followed by New York-

White Plains-Wayne, N.Y.-N.J. (+106,900), and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif.

(+70,600). (See table 4.)

The largest over-the-year percentage increase in employment among the metropolitan

divisions occurred in Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas (+4.9 percent), followed by Fort

Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach, Fla., and San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood

City, Calif. (+3.7 percent each).

Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment Technical Note

Table 1. Civilian labor force and unemployment by state and metropolitan area

Table 2. Civilian labor force and unemployment by state, selected metropolitan area, and metropolitan division (1)

Table 3. Employees on nonfarm payrolls by state and metropolitan area

Table 4. Employees on nonfarm payrolls by state, selected metropolitan area, and metropolitan division

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Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics