Metropolitan Area Employment And Unemployment: July 2003 — 2003-08-27

In July, 187 metropolitan areas recorded higher unemployment rates than a year earlier, 123 areas had lower rates, and 21 areas had rates that were unchanged, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Fifteen areas registered jobless rates of at least 10.0 percent, of which seven were located in California and three were along the Mexican border in other states. Thirteen areas posted unemployment rates below 3.0 percent, with seven of these located in the Midwest and four in the South. The national unemployment rate in July was 6.3 percent, not seasonally adjusted. Eighty-four metropolitan areas recorded unemployment rates of at least 7.0 percent in July, up from 66 areas a year earlier. Fifty-three areas had rates below 4.0 percent, slightly fewer than the number of such areas (55) in July 2002.