October 1998 — 1998-12-02

In October, 208 metropolitan areas recorded unemployment rates below the U.S. average (4.2 percent, not seasonally adjusted), while 109 areas had higher rates, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Of the 21 metropolitan areas with jobless rates below 2 percent, 16 were located in the Midwest. Of the 10 areas with rates of at least 10 percent, 6 were in California and 4 were along the Mexican border in other states. Unemployment rates were below 3.5 percent in 151 metropolitan areas in October, while rates of 6.5 percent or higher were reported in 31 areas. The lowest jobless rates were recorded in Fargo-Moorhead, N.D.-Minn. (0.9 percent), and Columbia, Mo., Rochester, Minn., and Sioux Falls, S.D. (1.2 percent each). The highest rates were in Yuma, Ariz. (25.0 percent), where persistently high unemployment moderates during the winter, McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Tex. (16.3 percent), and Visalia-Tulare- Porterville, Calif. (14.7 percent).