June 2001 — 2001-08-01

In June, 208 metropolitan areas recorded unemployment rates below the U.S. average (4.7 percent, not seasonally adjusted), and 112 areas registered higher rates, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Of the seven metropolitan areas with rates below 2.0 percent, four were in the Midwest, and two were in New England. Ten areas had jobless rates of 10.0 percent or more in June, including six in California's Central Valley and three along the Mexican border in other states. Sixty-nine metropolitan areas recorded unemployment rates of at least 5.5 percent in June, up from 59 areas a year earlier. Meanwhile, 18 areas had rates below 2.5 percent, down from 31 areas in June 2000. Yuma, Ariz., where summer jobless rates typically are about double those of the winter, reported the highest rate, 28.4 percent. Visalia-Tulare-Porterville, Calif., reported the next highest rate, 14.3 percent.