June 1998 — 1998-07-29

In June, 213 of the 328 metropolitan areas recorded unemployment rates below the U.S. average (4.7 percent, not seasonally adjusted), while 106 areas had higher rates, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Of the nine areas that had rates below 2.0 percent, seven were in the Midwest and two were in the South. Of the 14 areas with jobless rates of 10 percent or higher, seven were in California and six were along the Mexican border in other states. Unemployment rates were below 3.5 percent in 104 metropolitan areas in June, while rates of 6.5 percent or higher were reported in 43 areas. The lowest rates were recorded in Fargo-Moorhead, N.D.-Minn., Madison, Wis., and Sioux Falls, S.D. (1.5 percent each), and in Lincoln, Neb. (1.6 percent). The highest rates were in Yuma, Ariz. (32.3 percent), where summer jobless rates are roughly double the winter rates each year, and McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Tex. (18.1 percent).