April 2000 — 2000-05-31

In April, 211 metropolitan areas recorded unemployment rates below the U.S. average (3.7 percent, not seasonally adjusted), while 110 areas registered higher rates, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Twenty-eight metropolitan areas had rates below 2.0 percent, with 11 of these located in the South, 10 in the Midwest, and 6 in the Northeast. Of the eight areas with jobless rates over 10.0 percent, six were in California, and two were along the Mexican border in other states. In April, 88 metropolitan areas reported unemployment rates below 2.5 percent, while 34 areas had rates of at least 5.5 percent. The lowest unemployment rates again were reported in Columbia, Mo. (0.8 percent), and Charlottesville, Va. (1.1 percent). The highest unemployment rates were registered in Yuma, Ariz. (22.1 percent), and Visalia-Tulare-Porterville, Calif. (15.0 percent).