April 2001 — 2001-05-30

In April, 223 metropolitan areas recorded unemployment rates below the U.S. average (4.2 percent, not seasonally adjusted), while 99 areas registered higher rates, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Fourteen metropolitan areas had rates below 2.0 percent. Among the nine areas with jobless rates over 10.0 percent, six were in California's Central Valley and two were along the Mexican border in other states. Forty-eight metropolitan areas recorded unemployment rates below 2.5 percent in April, while 45 areas had rates of at least 5.5 percent. The lowest rates were in Charlottesville, Va., and Stamford-Norwalk, Conn., both 1.3 percent. The highest jobless rates were in areas with seasonal agricultural employment--Yuma, Ariz., 23.0 percent, Visalia-Tulare- Porterville, Calif., 15.3 percent, and Merced, Calif., 15.1 percent. (See table 1 and the chart.) Compared with April 2000, 184 metropolitan areas had higher unemployment rates, 126 areas posted lower rates, and 21 areas were unchanged. (The U.S.