Metropolitan Area Employment And Unemployment: August 2002 — 2002-10-02

In August, 259 metropolitan areas recorded higher unemployment rates than a year earlier, 62 areas had lower rates, and 10 areas had rates that were unchanged, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Seven metropolitan areas had jobless rates of at least 10.0 percent, of which three were located in California's agricul- tural Central Valley and three were along the Mexican border in other states. Twenty-three areas posted unemployment rates below 3.0 percent, with 10 located in the Midwest, 7 in the South, and 4 in the Northeast. The national unemployment rate was 5.7 percent, not seasonally adjusted, in August. Fifty-three metropolitan areas reported unemployment rates of at least 6.5 percent in August, up from 32 areas a year earlier, while 42 areas had rates below 3.5 percent, down from 70 areas in August 2001.