February 2000 — 2000-04-04

In February, 210 metropolitan areas recorded unemployment rates below the U.S. average (4.4 percent, not seasonally adjusted), while 114 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 Midwest and four in the South. 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 February, 81 metropolitan areas reported unemployment rates below 3.0 percent, while 48 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. (1.4 percent). The highest unemployment rates were registered in two areas in the Central Valley of California: Visalia-Tulare-Porterville (16.6 percent) and Merced (16.5 percent).