Metropolitan Area Employment And Unemployment: September 2004 — 2004-11-03

In September, 265 metropolitan areas recorded lower unemployment rates than a year earlier, 43 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. Twenty-five metropolitan areas registered jobless rates below 3.0 percent, with 12 of these located in the South and 8 in the Midwest. Seven areas posted unemployment rates of at least 10.0 percent; five of these were located in California, and the other two were along the Mexican border in other states. The national unemployment rate was 5.1 percent, not seasonally adjusted, in September. Ninety-nine metropolitan areas had jobless rates below 4.0 percent in September, up from 58 areas a year earlier, while 27 areas registered un- employment rates of at least 7.0 percent, down from 53 areas in September 2003.