Unemployment rates were lower in January than a year earlier in 282 of the 372 metropolitan areas, higher in 73 areas, and unchanged in 17 areas, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sixteen areas recorded jobless rates of at least 15.0 percent, while five areas registered rates of less than 5.0 percent. Two hundred sixty-six metropolitan areas reported over-the-year increases in nonfarm payroll employment, 93 reported decreases, and 13 were unchanged. The national unemployment rate in January was 9.8 percent, not seasonally adjusted, down from 10.6 percent a year earlier.

Metropolitan Area Unemployment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

In January 154 metropolitan areas reported jobless rates of at least 10.0 percent, down from 196 areas a year earlier, while 47 areas posted rates below 7.0 percent, up from 35 areas in January 2010. El Centro, Calif., recorded the highest unemployment rate, 25.1 percent, followed by Yuma, Ariz., 23.2 percent. Among the 16 areas with January 2011 jobless rates of at least 15.0 percent, 12 were located in California. Lincoln, Neb., registered the lowest unemployment rate, 4.1 percent; the remaining four areas with rates under 5.0 percent also were located in the West North Central census division: Fargo, N.D.-Minn. (4.6 percent); Bismarck, N.D. (4.8 percent); and Ames, Iowa, and Iowa City, Iowa (4.9 percent each). Overall 211 areas recorded unemployment rates below the U.S. figure of 9.8 percent, 159 areas reported rates above it, and 2 areas had rates equal to that of the nation.

Rockford, Ill., registered the largest over-the-year unemployment rate decrease in January (-5.3 percentage points), followed by Elkhart- Goshen, Ind. (-4.3 points). Forty-one additional areas recorded rate decreases of at least 2.0 percentage points from a year earlier. Yuma, Ariz., reported the largest over-the-year unemployment rate increase (+2.2 percentage points). No other area had an increase of 2.0 percentage points or more.

Of the 49 metropolitan areas with a Census 2000 population of 1 million or more, the highest unemployment rates in January were registered in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif., 14.2 percent, and Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev., 13.7 percent. Eighteen additional large areas posted rates of 10.0 percent or more. The lowest jobless rates among the large areas were recorded in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va., and Oklahoma City, Okla., 6.1 and 6.3 percent, respectively. Forty of the large areas reported over-the-year unemployment rate decreases, while six areas registered rate increases and three had no change. Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich., experienced the largest unemployment rate decrease from January 2010 (-3.9 percentage points), followed by Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, Ill.-Ind.-Wis. (-2.2 points). Eleven other large areas reported rate decreases of at least 1.0 percentage point. New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, La., posted the largest jobless rate increase over the year (+0.8 percentage point), closely followed by Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, Fla. (+0.7 point).

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 January Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif., and Lawrence-Methuen-Salem, Mass.-N.H., registered the highest jobless rates among the divisions, 13.1 and 13.0 percent, respectively. Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, Md., reported the lowest unemployment rate among the divisions, 5.6 percent.

In January 30 metropolitan divisions recorded over-the-year jobless rate decreases and 4 reported rate increases. The two divisions that make up the Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich., metropolitan area posted the largest rate decreases from January 2010: Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills (-3.9 percentage points) and Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn (-3.7 points). Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, Fla., experienced the largest over-the-year unemployment rate increase among divisions (+0.9 percentage point).

In 3 of the 11 metropolitan areas that contain divisions, the ranges between the highest and lowest division jobless rates were 2.0 percentage points or more in January. Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass.-N.H., recorded the largest rate difference among its divisions, 6.8 percentage points (Lawrence-Methuen-Salem, Mass.-N.H., 13.0 percent, compared with Nashua, N.H.-Mass., 6.2 percent).

Metropolitan Area Nonfarm Employment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

In January 266 metropolitan areas reported over-the-year increases in nonfarm payroll employment, 93 reported decreases, and 13 were unchanged. The largest over-the-year employment increase occurred in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas (+63,600), followed by Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas (+56,600), Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, Ill.-Ind.-Wis. (+42,600), Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va. (+40,800), and New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa. (+34,600). The largest over-the-year percentage gain in employment occurred in Sandusky, Ohio (+9.0 percent), followed by Kokomo, Ind. (+7.1 percent), and Odessa, Texas (+6.0 percent).

The largest over-the-year employment decrease was recorded in Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Roseville, Calif. (-14,500), followed by Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Ga. (-12,300), Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev. (-9,500), Albany-Schenectady-Troy, N.Y. (-6,400), and Memphis, Tenn.-Miss.-Ark. (-6,300). The largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment occurred in Yuma, Ariz. (-3.2 percent), followed by Lawrence, Kan., and Napa, Calif. (-2.6 percent each), and Sebastian-Vero Beach, Fla. (-2.5 percent).

Over the year, nonfarm employment increased in 29 of the 36 metropolitan areas with annual average employment levels above 750,000 in 2010. The large areas with the largest over-the-year percentage increases in employment were Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas, and Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas (+2.3 percent each), followed by Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Fla. (+2.1 percent), and Pittsburgh, Pa. (+2.0 percent). The large area with the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment was Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Roseville, Calif. (-1.8 percent), followed by Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev. (-1.2 percent), Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Ga. (-0.6 percent), and Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif. (-0.5 percent).

Metropolitan Division Nonfarm Employment (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

Nonfarm payroll employment data were available in January for 32 metropolitan divisions, which are essentially separately identifiable employment centers within a metropolitan area. Twenty of the 32 metropolitan divisions reported over-the-year employment gains, while 12 reported losses. The largest over-the-year employment increase in the metropolitan divisions was registered in Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas (+52,800), followed by Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, Ill. (+41,400), New York-White Plains-Wayne, N.Y.-N.J. (+40,800), and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va. (+30,900). The largest over-the-year employment decrease in the metropolitan divisions occurred in Edison-New Brunswick, N.J. (-6,200), followed by Newark-Union, N.J.-Pa. (-6,100), Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, Calif. (-4,100), and Camden, N.J. (-3,900).

The largest over-the-year percentage increase in employment among the metropolitan divisions was posted in Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas (+2.7 percent), followed by Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, Md. (+1.8 percent), Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, Mich. (+1.7 percent), and Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas, and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va. (+1.3 percent each). The largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment among the metropolitan divisions was reported in Peabody, Mass. (-1.4 percent), followed by Camden, N.J. (-0.8 percent), and Edison-New Brunswick, N.J., and Newark-Union, N.J.-Pa. (-0.6 percent each).