January 2000 — 2000-03-14

In January, 206 metropolitan areas recorded unemployment rates below the U.S. average (4.5 percent, not seasonally adjusted), while 118 areas registered higher rates, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Eleven metropolitan areas had rates below 2.0 percent, with five of these located in the South, four in the Midwest, and two in New England. Of the 11 areas with jobless rates over 10.0 percent, 7 were in California, and 3 were along the Mexican border in other states. In January, 80 metropolitan areas reported unemployment rates below 3.0 percent, while 52 areas had rates of at least 6.0 percent. The lowest unemployment rates were reported in metropolitan areas with major state universities: Columbia, Mo. (1.0 percent), and Charlottesville, Va., and Madison, Wis. (both 1.6 percent). The highest unemployment rates were in Yuma, Ariz. (17.5 percent), and Visalia-Tulare-Porterville, Calif. (16.9 percent).