Technical information:
Employment: (202) 691-6559 USDL 08-1552
http://www.bls.gov/sae/
Unemployment: (202) 691-6392
http://www.bls.gov/lau/ For release: 10:00 A.M. (EDT)
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Wednesday, October 29, 2008
METROPOLITAN AREA EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT: SEPTEMBER 2008
Unemployment rates were higher in September than a year earlier in
349 of the 369 metropolitan areas, lower in 14 areas, and unchanged
in 6 areas, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of
Labor reported today. Ten areas recorded jobless rates of at least
10.0 percent, while nine areas registered rates below 3.0 percent. The
national unemployment rate in September was 6.0 percent, not seasonally
adjusted, up from 4.5 percent a year earlier.
Metropolitan Area Unemployment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
In September, 84 metropolitan areas reported jobless rates of at
least 7.0 percent, up from 17 areas a year earlier, while 46 areas
posted rates below 4.0 percent, down from 133 areas in September 2007.
El Centro, Calif., and neighboring Yuma, Ariz., continued to record
the highest unemployment rates, 24.5 and 20.5 percent, respectively.
Joblessness in these two areas is typically higher during summer
months due to the effect of extreme heat on agricultural activity.
Bismarck, N.D., Casper, Wyo., Logan, Utah-Idaho, and Sioux Falls, S.D.,
registered the lowest jobless rates, 2.5 percent each. Overall, 145
areas posted unemployment rates above the U.S. figure of 6.0 percent,
219 areas reported rates below it, and 5 areas had the same rate.
(See table 1.)
Elkhart-Goshen, Ind., recorded the largest jobless rate increase
from September 2007 (+5.1 percentage points). This area has experi-
enced layoffs in transportation equipment manufacturing for several
months. Rocky Mount, N.C., had the next largest rate increase (+3.9
points), followed closely by El Centro, Calif., and Yuma, Ariz. (+3.8
points each). Seventy-eight additional areas registered over-the-year
unemployment rate increases of 2.0 percentage points or more, and
another 179 areas had rate increases of 1.0 to 1.9 points. Two Arkan-
sas areas experienced the largest jobless rate decreases from Septem-
ber 2007: Jonesboro and Hot Springs (-1.0 and -0.8 percentage point,
respectively).
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| |
| Correction to Data for Montana |
| |
| Nonfarm payroll employment for August 2008 for the state |
|of Montana published in table 3 of this news release is dif- |
|ferent from that originally published on October 21, 2008, in |
|the "Regional and State Employment and Unemployment: Septem- |
|ber 2008" news release (http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ |
|archives/laus_10212008.pdf). Corrected data were released on |
|October 24, 2008. |
| |
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- 2
Of the 49 metropolitan areas with a Census 2000 population of 1 mil-
lion or more, Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif., reported the
highest unemployment rate in September 2008, 9.1 percent, followed by
Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich., at 8.3 percent. Seven additional large
areas posted rates of 7.0 percent or more. Oklahoma City, Okla., regis-
tered the lowest jobless rate in September, 3.5 percent, and Washington-
Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va., had the next lowest rate, 4.0
percent. Forty-seven large areas recorded higher unemployment rates
than in September 2007, one reported a lower rate, and one had no change.
The areas with the largest jobless rate increases from a year earlier
were Providence-Fall River-Warwick, R.I.-Mass. (+3.2 percentage points),
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif. (+2.8 points), and Tampa-St.
Petersburg-Clearwater, Fla. (+2.5 points). Twelve additional large
areas posted over-the-year unemployment rate increases of 2.0 percent-
age points or more, and 28 other areas had rate increases of at least
1.0 point. The only large area to register a jobless rate decrease
from a year earlier was Oklahoma City, Okla. (-0.5 percentage point).
Metropolitan Division Unemployment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
Eleven of the most populous metropolitan areas are composed of 34
metropolitan divisions, which are essentially separately identifiable
employment centers. In September 2008, Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, Mich.,
again registered the highest division jobless rate, 9.6 percent, fol-
lowed by Lawrence-Methuen-Salem, Mass.-N.H., at 8.5 percent. Bethesda-
Frederick-Gaithersburg, Md., continued to report the lowest unemployment
rate among the divisions, 3.4 percent. Nashua, N.H.-Mass., posted the
next lowest rate, 3.9 percent. (See table 2.)
In September, all 34 metropolitan divisions recorded over-the-year
jobless rate increases. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif., ex-
perienced the largest unemployment rate increase (+2.6 percentage
points). West Palm Beach-Boca Raton-Boynton Beach, Fla., registered
the next largest increase (+2.3 percentage points). Two additional
divisions reported over-the-year rate increases of 2.0 percentage
points or more, and 21 others had increases of at least 1.0 point.
In 6 of the 11 metropolitan areas that contain divisions, the ranges
between the highest and lowest division jobless rates were 1.0 percent-
age point or more in September. Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass.-N.H.,
posted the largest rate difference among its divisions, 4.6 percentage
points (Lawrence-Methuen-Salem, Mass.-N.H., 8.5 percent, compared with
Nashua, N.H.-Mass., 3.9 percent).
Metropolitan Area Nonfarm Employment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
Among the 310 metropolitan areas for which nonfarm payroll data were
available in September 2008, 140 areas reported over-the-year employ-
ment gains, 164 reported losses, and 6 had no change. The largest
over-the-year employment increase was recorded in Houston-Sugar Land-
Baytown, Texas (+55,700), followed by Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington,
Texas (+54,300), Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va.
(+40,700), and Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Wash. (+33,900). The largest
over-the-year percentage gain in employment was reported in Grand Junc-
tion, Colo. (+4.2 percent), followed by Laredo, Texas (+3.7 percent),
Morgantown, W.Va. (+3.5 percent), McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas (+3.3
percent), and Odessa, Texas (+3.0 percent). (See table 3.)
- 3 -
The largest over-the-year decreases in employment occurred in De-
troit-Warren-Livonia, Mich. (-57,800), Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa
Ana, Calif. (-53,200), Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz. (-43,200), At-
lanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Ga. (-33,600), Miami-Fort Lauderdale-
Pompano Beach, Fla. (-32,400), and Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater,
Fla. (-22,700). The largest over-the-year percentage decreases in
employment were reported in Flint, Mich. (-5.5 percent), Elkhart-
Goshen, Ind. (-4.1 percent), Lake Havasu City-Kingman, Ariz. (-3.9
percent), Dalton, Ga. (-3.5 percent), Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Fla.
(-3.4 percent), St. George, Utah (-3.3 percent), Hattiesburg, Miss.
(-3.2 percent), and Janesville, Wis., and Naples-Marco Island, Fla.
(-3.0 percent each).
Over the year, nonfarm employment rose in 17 of the 38 metropoli-
tan areas with annual average employment levels above 750,000 in 2007.
The largest over-the-year percentage increases in employment were
posted in Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas, and Virginia Beach-Nor-
folk-Newport News, Va.-N.C. (+2.2 percent each), San Antonio, Texas
(+2.1 percent), Austin-Round Rock, Texas, and Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue,
Wash. (+1.9 percent each), Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas (+1.8
percent), and Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, N.C.-S.C. (+1.6 percent).
Among these large areas, 21 reported over-the-year decreases in em-
ployment. The largest over-the-year percentage decreases in employ-
ment were recorded in Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich. (-2.9 percent),
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz. (-2.3 percent), Tampa-St. Petersburg-
Clearwater, Fla. (-1.8 percent), and Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario,
Calif. (-1.6 percent).
Metropolitan Division Nonfarm Employment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
Nonfarm payroll employment data were available in September 2008
for 32 metropolitan divisions, which are essentially separately iden-
tifiable employment centers within a metropolitan area. Fifteen of
the 32 metropolitan divisions reported over-the-year employment gains,
while 17 reported losses. The largest over-the-year employment gain
in the metropolitan divisions occurred in Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas
(+39,200), followed by Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-
W.Va. (+35,400), Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, Wash. (+29,700), and New
York-White Plains-Wayne, N.Y.-N.J. (+23,700). Of the 17 metropolitan
divisions that reported losses, the largest over-the-year employment
decrease occurred in Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, Mich. (-33,800), fol-
lowed by Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, Calif. (-29,600), Warren-Troy-Farm-
ington Hills, Mich. (-24,000), Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif.
(-23,600), and Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, Calif. (-21,400). (See
table 4.)
The largest over-the-year percentage increase in employment among
the metropolitan divisions was reported in Seattle-Bellevue-Everett,
Wash. (+2.0 percent), followed by Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas (+1.9
percent), Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas (+1.7 percent), and Tacoma,
Wash., and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va. (+1.5
percent each). Of the metropolitan divisions that reported over-the-
year declines in employment, the largest decreases were in Detroit-
Livonia-Dearborn, Mich. (-4.3 percent), and Oakland-Fremont-Hayward,
Calif., Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, Calif., and Warren-Troy-Farmington
Hills, Mich. (-2.0 percent each).
______________________________
The Regional and State Employment and Unemployment release for
October is scheduled to be issued on Friday, November 21. The
Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment release for October is
scheduled to be issued on Tuesday, December 2.
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| |
| Recent Tropical Storms |
| |
| Hurricane Ike struck the east coast of Texas and portions of coastal |
|Louisiana on September 13th in the midst of the establishment survey re- |
|ference period. For the weather conditions to have affected payroll em- |
|ployment, people would have had to be off work for the entire pay period |
|and not paid for the time missed. Therefore, it is unlikely the storm |
|had substantial effects on the September state and metropolitan area em- |
|ployment estimates. |
| |
| In the Current Population Survey of households, which provides inputs |
|for the model-based estimation of labor force and unemployment for states|
|and areas included in this release, people who miss work for weather- |
|related events are counted as employed whether or not they are paid for |
|the time off. |
| |
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| |
| Hurricane Katrina |
| |
| For September, BLS and its state partners continued to make modifica- |
|tions to the usual estimation procedures for the LAUS program to reflect |
|the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the labor force statistics in affected|
|areas. These modifications included: (1) modifying the state population|
|controls to account for displacement due to Katrina; (2) developing labor|
|force estimates for the New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner metropolitan area |
|using an alternative to the model-based method; and (3) not publishing |
|labor force estimates for the months immediately following the hurricane |
|for the parishes within the New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner metropolitan area|
|and cities within those parishes, where the quality of input data was |
|severely compromised by the hurricane. |
| |
| For more information on LAUS procedures and estimates for September |
|2008, see Hurricane Information: Katrina and Rita at http://www.bls. |
|gov/Katrina/home.htm or call (202) 691-6392. |
| |
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Bureau of Labor Statistics
