Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment Summary – April, 2015

METROPOLITAN AREA EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT -- APRIL 2015

Unemployment rates were lower in April than a year earlier in 344 of the 387 metropolitan areas, higher in 36 areas, and unchanged in 7 areas, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Eleven areas had jobless rates of less than 3.0 percent and 11 areas had rates of at least 10.0 percent. Nonfarm payroll employment increased over the year in 330 metropolitan areas,

decreased in 46 areas, and was unchanged in 11 areas. The national unemployment rate in April was 5.1 percent, not seasonally adjusted, down from 5.9 percent a year earlier.

Metropolitan Area Unemployment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

Lincoln, Neb., had the lowest unemployment rate in April, 2.1 percent. Yuma, Ariz., and El Centro, Calif., had the highest unemployment rates, 22.2 percent and 21.2 percent, respectively. A total of 201 areas had April unemployment rates below the U.S. figure of 5.1 percent, 173 areas had rates above it, and 13 areas had rates equal to that of the nation. (See table 1.)

Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, Mich., had the largest over-the-year unemployment rate decrease in April (-2.7 percentage points). Fourteen other areas had rate decreases of at least 2.0 percentage points. Lafayette, La., had the largest over-the-year jobless rate increase (+1.9 percentage points).

Of the 51 metropolitan areas with a 2010 Census population of 1 million or more, Austin-Round Rock, Texas, and Salt Lake City, Utah, had the lowest unemployment rates in April, 3.0 percent and 3.1 percent, respectively. Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, Nev., had the highest jobless rate among the large areas, 7.1 percent. Forty-nine of the large areas had over-the-year unemployment rate decreases, the largest of which occurred in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, Mich. (-2.7 percentage points). New Orleans-Metairie, La., had the largest over-the-year nemployment rate increase (+1.0 percentage point).

The only other unemployment rate increase among the large areas occurred in Kansas City, Mo.-Kan. (+0.1 percentage point).

Metropolitan Division Unemployment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

Eleven of the most populous metropolitan areas are made up of 38 metropolitan divisions, which are essentially separately identifiable employment centers. In April, Framingham, Mass.; San Francisco-Redwood City-South San Francisco, Calif.; and San Rafael, Calif., had the lowest unemployment rates among the divisions, 3.3 percent each. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif., had the highest division rate, 7.1 percent. (See table 2.)

All 38 metropolitan divisions had over-the-year unemployment rate decreases in April. The largest of the declines occurred in Detroit-Dearborn-Livonia, Mich. (-3.3 percentage points), and Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, Mich. (-2.4 points).

Metropolitan Area Nonfarm Employment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

In April, 330 metropolitan areas had over-the-year increases in nonfarm payroll employment, 46 had decreases, and 11 had no change. The largest over-the-year employment increases occurred in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, Calif. (+160,100), New York-Newark-Jersey City, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa. (+135,900), and Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas (+125,800). The largest over-the-year percentage gain in employment occurred in Lake Charles, La. (+7.8 percent), followed by Odessa, Texas, and Provo-Orem, Utah (+6.4 percent each). (See table 3.)

The largest over-the-year decreases in employment occurred in Peoria, Ill. (-3,100), Atlantic City-Hammonton, N.J. (-2,300), and Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, Miss. (-2,100). The largest over-the-year percentage decreases in employment occurred in Great Falls, Mont. (-2.8 percent), Pine Bluff, Ark. (-2.7 percent), and El Centro, Calif., and Monroe, La. (-2.0 percent each).

Over the year, nonfarm employment rose in 50 of the 51 metropolitan areas with a 2010 Census population of 1 million or more and was unchanged in New Orleans-Metairie, La. The largest over-the-year percentage increase in employment in these large metropolitan areas occurred in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif. (+6.0 percent), followed by Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Fla. (+4.3 percent), and Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif. (+4.1 percent).

Metropolitan Division Nonfarm Employment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

In April 2015, 36 of the 38 metropolitan divisions had over-the-year gains in nonfarm payroll employment. The largest over-the-year increase in employment among the metropolitan divisions occurred in New York-JerseyCity-White Plains, N.Y.-N.J. (+116,300), followed by Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif. (+109,600), and Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas (+93,600). The over-the-year decreases in employment occurred in Dutchess County-Putnam

County, N.Y. (-600), and Taunton-Middleborough-Norton, Mass. (-100). (See table 4.)

The largest over-the-year percentage increase in employment among the metropolitan divisions occurred in San Francisco-Redwood City-South San Francisco, Calif. (+4.9 percent), followed by Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas (+4.1 percent), and Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton, Mass., and Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, Wash. (+3.9 percent each). The over-the-year percentage decreases in

employment occurred in Dutchess County-Putnam County, N.Y. (-0.4 percent),and Taunton-Middleborough-Norton, Mass. (-0.2 percent).

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics