January 2002 — 2002-03-13

In January, 276 metropolitan areas recorded higher unemployment rates than a year earlier, 42 areas had lower rates, and 4 areas had rates that were unchanged, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Fifteen metropolitan areas had jobless rates of at least 10.0 percent, nine of which were located in California and three along the Mexican border in other states. Twelve areas posted rates below 3.0 percent, with six of these in the South and five in the Midwest. (Data for the nine metropolitan areas in Michigan were not available at the time of release.) Of the 322 metropolitan areas for which data were available, 87 areas registered unemployment rates of at least 6.5 percent in January, up from 43 a year ago. Meanwhile, 30 areas had rates below 3.5 percent, down from 97 areas in January 2001. Five areas in California reported the highest jobless rates in January, all at 15.4 percent and above.