March 1999 — 1999-04-28

In March, 213 metropolitan areas recorded unemployment rates below the U.S. average (4.4 percent, not seasonally adjusted), while 110 areas had higher rates, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Of the 11 metropolitan areas with rates below 2.0 percent, 6 were located in the Midwest and 5 were in the South. Ten of the 11 areas with jobless rates of at least 10.0 percent were in the West, with eight of these in California. Seventy-eight metropolitan areas reported unemployment rates below 3.0 percent in March, while 50 areas recorded rates of 6.0 percent or higher. The lowest jobless rates were in Columbia, Mo. (1.0 percent), and Charlottesville, Va. (1.1 percent). For the second straight month, the highest rates were in Visalia-Tulare-Porterville, Calif. (20.9 percent), and Merced, Calif. (17.1 percent).