September 1998 — 1998-10-28

In September, 219 metropolitan areas recorded unemployment rates below the U.S. average (4.4 percent, not seasonally adjusted), while 101 areas had higher rates, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Of the 18 metropolitan areas with rates below 2.0 percent, 12 were located in the Midwest, 4 were in the South, and 2 were in the Northeast. Eleven of the 12 areas with jobless rates above 9.0 percent were in California or along the Mexican border in other states. Unemployment rates below 3.5 percent were reported in 131 metropolitan areas in September, while rates of 6.5 percent or higher were recorded in 35 areas. The lowest jobless rates were in Fargo-Moorhead, N.D.-Minn. (1.1 percent), and Sioux Falls, S.D. (1.2 percent). All six areas with rates below 1.5 percent were in the Midwest. The highest rate, 35.4 percent, was in Yuma, Ariz.