March 1998 — 1998-04-29

In March, 233 of the 328 metropolitan areas recorded unemployment rates below the U.S. average (5.0 percent, not seasonally adjusted), while 89 areas had higher rates, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The 20 metropolitan areas with the lowest unemployment rates again were in the Midwest and South. More than half of the 20 areas with the highest rates were in California. Unemployment rates were below 3.5 percent in 106 metropolitan areas in March, while rates of 6.5 percent or higher were reported in 47 areas. The lowest jobless rates were recorded in Columbia, S.C. (1.3 percent), Charlottesville, Va. (1.4 percent), Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, S.C. (1.5 percent), and Bryan-College Station, Tex., and Columbia, Mo. (1.6 percent each). The highest rates were in three California areas--Merced (19.0 percent), Yuba City (18.7 percent), and Visalia-Tulare-Porterville (18.4 percent)--and in Yuma, Ariz. (18.1 percent).