Metropolitan Area Employment And Unemployment: May 2003 — 2003-07-02

In May, 151 metropolitan areas recorded lower unemployment rates than a year earlier, 149 areas had higher rates, and 31 areas had rates that were unchanged, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Twenty-one metropolitan areas registered unemployment rates below 3.0 percent, with nine of these in the Midwest and seven in the South. Eleven areas posted jobless rates of at least 10.0 percent; six of these were located in California and three were along the Mexican border in other states. The national unemployment rate in May was 5.8 percent, not seasonally adjusted. Eighty-one metropolitan areas recorded unemployment rates below 4.0 percent in May, about the same number of areas (78) as a year ago, while 50 areas had rates of at least 7.0 percent, up from 40 areas in May 2002.