obless rates were lower in April than a year earlier in 344 of the 387 metropolitan areas, higher in 36, and unchanged in 7. Nonfarm payroll employment was up in 330 metropolitan areas over the year, down in 46, and unchanged in 11.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; 
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 unemployment 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-Jersey

City-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).





_____________

The Regional and State Employment and Unemployment news release for May is 

scheduled to be released on Friday, June 19, 2015, at 10:00 a.m. (EDT). The 

Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment news release for May is 

scheduled to be released on Wednesday, July 1, 2015, at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).







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  |                                                                       |

  |         Current Employment Statistics (CES) Data Corrections          |

  |                                                                       |

  | This news release contains corrections to previously released employ- |

  | ment data in table 3. A complete list of corrections in this news     |

  | release and in the CES (State and Area) database can be found at      |

  | www.bls.gov/bls/errata/sae_errata.htm.                                |

  |                                                                       |

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