December 1999 — 2000-02-02

In December, 206 metropolitan areas reported unemployment rates below the U.S. average (3.7 percent, not seasonally adjusted), while 114 areas registered higher rates, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Thirty-two metropolitan areas had rates below 2.0 percent, with 15 of these located in the Midwest, 10 in the South, and 5 in New England. Of the nine areas with jobless rates over 10.0 percent, eight were in the West. In December, 143 metropolitan areas reported unemployment rates below 3.0 percent, while 31 areas had rates of at least 6.0 percent. Columbia, Mo., again recorded the lowest jobless rate (0.9 percent), followed by Charlottsville, Va., and Madison, Wis. (both 1.2 percent). The highest unemployment rates were in Yuma, Ariz. (18.8 percent), Visalia-Tulare- Porterville, Calif. (15.0 percent), McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Tex. (14.3 percent), and Merced, Calif. (13.5 percent).