Metropolitan Area Employment And Unemployment: November 2004 — 2004-12-29

In November, 259 metropolitan areas recorded lower unemployment rates than a year earlier, 63 areas had higher rates, and 9 areas had rates that were unchanged, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Twenty-four metropolitan areas registered jobless rates below 3.0 percent, with 12 of these located in the South and 7 in the Midwest. Eight areas had unemployment rates of at least 10.0 percent. Six of these areas were located in California, and the other two were along the Mexican border in other states. The national unemployment rate in November was 5.2 percent, not seasonally adjusted. In November, 103 metropolitan areas had unemployment rates below 4.0 percent, up from 71 areas a year earlier, while 32 areas registered rates of at least 7.0 percent, down from 52 areas in November 2003.