June 2000 — 2000-08-02

In June, 199 metropolitan areas reported unemployment rates below the U.S. average (4.2 percent, not seasonally adjusted), while 122 areas registered higher rates, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Fourteen metropolitan areas had jobless rates below 2.0 percent, with eight of these located in the Midwest, four in New England, and two in the South. Of the eight areas with rates above 10.0 percent, six were in California, and two were along the Mexican border in other states. Thirty-eight metropolitan areas reported unemployment rates below 2.5 percent in June, while 48 areas had rates of at least 5.5 percent. For the 10th straight month, Columbia, Mo. (1.2 percent), had the lowest jobless rate. Yuma, Ariz., where summer rates are roughly double the winter rates, registered the highest unemployment rate, 33.2 percent. Visalia-Tulare-Porterville, Calif., followed at 15.2 percent.