May 2001 — 2001-06-27

In May, 206 metropolitan areas recorded unemployment rates below the U.S. average (4.1 percent, not seasonally adjusted), while 118 areas registered higher rates, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Among the 16 metropolitan areas with rates below 2.0 percent, 9 were in the Midwest and 4 were in New England. Five of the seven areas with jobless rates over 10.0 percent were in California's Central Valley, and the two remaining areas were along the Mexican border in other states. Forty-seven metropolitan areas recorded unemployment rates of 5.5 percent or more, while 38 areas had rates below 2.5 percent in May. Yuma, Ariz., where summer jobless rates are about double the winter rates, reported the highest rate in May, 29.1 percent. The next highest rate was in Visalia- Tulare-Porterville, Calif., 13.2 percent. The lowest unemployment rates were in Columbia, Mo., and Fargo-Moorhead, N.D.-Minn., 1.4 percent each.