Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment (Monthly) News Release - 2025 M09 Results — 2025-12-17

Unemployment rates were higher in September than a year earlier in 275 of the 387 metropolitan areas, lower in 83 areas, and unchanged in 29 areas, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. A total of 45 areas had jobless rates of less than 3.0 percent and 8 areas had rates of at least 8.0 percent. Nonfarm payroll employment increased over the year in 10 metropolitan areas and was essentially unchanged in 377 areas. The national unemployment rate in September was 4.3 percent, not seasonally adjusted, up from 3.9 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 people by where they reside.