Metropolitan Area Employment And Unemployment: March 2003 — 2003-05-13

In March, 163 metropolitan areas recorded lower unemployment rates than a year earlier, 145 areas had higher rates, and 23 areas had rates that were unchanged, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Thirteen areas registered jobless rates of at least 10.0 percent, nine of which were located in California and three were along the Mexican border in other states. Nine areas posted unemployment rates below 3.0 percent, with six of these located in the South. The national unemployment rate in March was 6.2 percent, not seasonally adjusted. Sixty-eight metropolitan areas recorded unemployment rates of at least 7.0 percent in March, almost the same number of areas (67) as a year ago, while 55 areas had rates below 4.0 percent, up slightly from 48 areas in March 2002. The highest jobless rates were again registered in four California areas--Visalia-Tulare-Porterville, 18.1 percent, Merced, 17.2 percent, Fresno, 16.8 percent, and Yuba City, 16.2 percent.