Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment (Monthly) News Release — 2020-02-05

Unemployment rates were lower in December than a year earlier in 266 of the 389 metropolitan areas, higher in 101 areas, and unchanged in 22 areas, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. A total of 136 areas had jobless rates of less than 3.0 percent and 3 areas had rates of at least 10.0 percent. Nonfarm payroll employment increased over the year in 45 metropolitan areas and was essentially unchanged in the remaining 344 areas. The national unemployment rate in December was 3.4 percent, not seasonally adjusted, down from 3.7 percent a year earlier. This news release presents statistics from two monthly programs. The civilian labor force and unemployment data are based on the same concepts and definitions as those used for the national household survey estimates. These data pertain to individuals by where they reside. The employment data are from an establishment survey that measures nonfarm employment, hours, and earnings by industry.