Metropolitan Area Employment And Unemployment: January 2003 — 2003-03-26

In January, 164 metropolitan areas recorded lower unemployment rates than a year earlier, 139 areas had higher rates, and 28 areas had rates that were unchanged, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Thirteen metropolitan areas reported jobless rates of at least 10.0 percent, nine of which were located in California and three of which were along the Mexican border in other states. Six areas posted rates below 3.0 percent, with five of these in the South. The national unemployment rate was 6.5 percent in January, not seasonally adjusted. Seventy-one metropolitan areas reported unemployment rates of at least 7.0 percent in January, down from 81 a year ago, while 42 areas had rates below 4.0 percent, almost the same number of areas as in January 2002.