Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment (Monthly) News Release — 2010-01-05

Unemployment rates were higher in November than a year earlier in all 372 metropolitan areas, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Seventeen areas recorded jobless rates of at least 15.0 percent, while 13 areas registered rates below 5.0 percent. The national unem- ployment rate in November was 9.4 percent, not seasonally adjusted, up from 6.5 percent a year earlier. In November, 125 metropolitan areas reported jobless rates of at least 10.0 percent, up from 21 areas a year earlier; while 80 areas posted rates below 7.0 percent, down from 255 areas in November 2008. El Centro, Calif., and neighboring Yuma, Ariz., continued to record the highest unemployment rates, 29.2 and 21.1 percent, respectively. Among the 17 areas with jobless rates of at least 15.0 percent, 11 were lo- cated in California and 3 were in Michigan.