October 10, 2019

Unemployment rates trended downward for the month of August in 224 of the 389 metropolitan states compared to a year earlier. According to Bureau Labor Statistics, this was “higher in 132 areas, and unchanged in 33 areas.”  Jobless rates lower than 3% were recorded in 82 areas while 2 areas posted rates of at least 10.0%. Nonfarm payroll employment rose in 52 metropolitan areas and was stable in the remaining 337 areas. The national unemployment rate as at August 2019 stood at 3.8%, not seasonally adjusted, little changed from a year earlier.

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. San Francisco-Redwood City-South San Francisco, CA, in August had the lowest unemployment rate among the divisions, 2.2%. Tacoma-Lakewood, WA, however, experienced the highest division rate, 5.7%.

Moreover, BLS stated, “31 metropolitan divisions had over-the-year unemployment rate decreases, 4 had increases, and 3 had no change in August. The largest rate decline occurred in Elgin, IL (-1.0 percentage point). The largest over-the-year jobless rate increase occurred in Tacoma-Lakewood, WA (+0.7 percentage point).”

Metropolitan Division Nonfarm Employment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

Nonfarm payroll employment rose in 14 of the 38 metropolitan divisions over the year and was stable in 24 divisions in August. The largest over-the-year increase in employment among the metropolitan divisions took place in New York-Jersey City-White Plains, NY-NJ (+109,800), followed by Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX (+100,300), and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA (+59,100).

Furthermore, the largest over-the-year percentage increases in employment occurred in Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX (+3.8%), Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA (+3.2%), and San Francisco-Redwood City-South San Francisco, CA (+3.1%).

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