Metropolitan Area Employment And Unemployment: April 2006 — 2006-05-31

Unemployment rates were lower in April than a year earlier in 277 of the 367 metropolitan areas, higher in 68 areas, and unchanged in 22 areas, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Forty-three metropolitan areas, including 29 in the South, regis- tered jobless rates below 3.0 percent. Six areas, three of which were located in California, recorded rates of at least 10.0 percent. The na- tional unemployment rate in April was 4.5 percent, not seasonally adjusted, down from 4.9 percent a year earlier. In April, 134 metropolitan areas recorded unemployment rates below 4.0 percent, up from 84 areas a year earlier, while 28 areas had jobless rates of at least 7.0 percent, down slightly from 29 areas a year earlier. Three Florida areas posted the lowest unemployment rates in April: Fort Walton Beach-Crestview-Destin and Naples-Marco Island, 2.0 percent each, and Cape Coral-Fort Myers, 2.1 percent.