July 2000 — 2000-08-30

In July, 212 metropolitan areas recorded unemployment rates below the U.S. average (4.2 percent, not seasonally adjusted), while 107 areas registered higher rates, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Twenty-one metropolitan areas had unemployment rates below 2.0 percent, with 10 of these located in the Midwest, 7 in the South, and 4 in the Northeast. Of the eight areas with jobless rates over 10.0 percent, six were in California, and two were along the Mexican border in other states. Forty metropolitan areas reported unemployment rates below 2.5 percent, while 48 areas had rates of at least 5.5 percent. The lowest unemployment rate again was reported in Columbia, Mo. (1.1 percent), followed by Cedar Rapids, Iowa (1.2 percent), and Sioux Falls, S.D. (1.3 percent). Yuma, Ariz., where summer rates are typically about double the winter rates, continued to register the highest jobless rate, 36.2 percent. Visalia- Tulare-Porterville, Calif., followed at 15.8 percent.