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Unemployment rates up in 384 of 389 metropolitan areas from October 2019 to October 2020

December 10, 2020

Unemployment rates were higher in October than a year earlier in 384 of the 389 metropolitan areas and lower in 5 areas. The largest over-the-year unemployment rate increase occurred in Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, Hawaii (+19.8 percentage points). Rates rose over the year by at least 5.0 percentage points in an additional 14 areas.

Change in metropolitan area unemployment rates, October 2019 to October 2020
Metropolitan area12-month change

Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI

19.8 percentage point(s)

Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV

10.0

Urban Honolulu, HI

9.8

Odessa, TX

8.7

Lake Charles, LA

7.6

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

7.1

Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ

7.0

New Orleans-Metairie, LA

6.6

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA

6.2

Midland, TX

6.0

Memphis, TN-MS-AR

5.8

Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL

5.2

Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL

5.2

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA

5.1

Vallejo-Fairfield, CA

5.1

Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX

4.9

Hammond, LA

4.9

Leominster-Gardner, MA

4.9

Mobile, AL

4.9

Flagstaff, AZ

4.8

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX

4.8

San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA

4.8

Stockton-Lodi, CA

4.8

Montgomery, AL

4.7

San Diego-Carlsbad, CA

4.7

Pittsfield, MA

4.6

Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH

4.5

Brownsville-Harlingen, TX

4.4

Corpus Christi, TX

4.4

Laredo, TX

4.4

Pueblo, CO

4.4

Bakersfield, CA

4.3

Barnstable Town, MA

4.3

Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA

4.3

Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO

4.2

Napa, CA

4.2

Springfield, MA-CT

4.2

Hot Springs, AR

4.1

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX

4.1

New Bedford, MA

4.1

Victoria, TX

4.1

Casper, WY

4.0

Greeley, CO

4.0

Jackson, TN

4.0

Modesto, CA

4.0

Santa Fe, NM

4.0

Yuba City, CA

4.0

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI

3.9

Farmington, NM

3.9

Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL

3.9

Longview, TX

3.9

Salinas, CA

3.9

Worcester, MA-CT

3.9

Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD

3.8

Santa Rosa, CA

3.8

Tuscaloosa, AL

3.8

Coeur d'Alene, ID

3.7

Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ

3.7

Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA

3.7

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA

3.7

Tucson, AZ

3.7

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

3.7

Wichita, KS

3.7

Anniston-Oxford-Jacksonville, AL

3.6

Cleveland, TN

3.6

Fayetteville, NC

3.6

Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ

3.6

Providence-Warwick, RI-MA

3.6

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

3.6

Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA

3.6

Shreveport-Bossier City, LA

3.6

El Paso, TX

3.5

Gadsden, AL

3.5

Johnson City, TN

3.5

Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR

3.5

Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN

3.5

Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI

3.5

Pine Bluff, AR

3.5

Reno, NV

3.5

Rocky Mount, NC

3.5

Baton Rouge, LA

3.4

Clarksville, TN-KY

3.4

Lafayette, LA

3.4

San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA

3.4

Carson City, NV

3.3

Greensboro-High Point, NC

3.3

Merced, CA

3.3

San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX

3.3

Bend-Redmond, OR

3.2

Chico, CA

3.2

Colorado Springs, CO

3.2

East Stroudsburg, PA

3.2

Fresno, CA

3.2

Houma-Thibodaux, LA

3.2

Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA

3.2

Lexington-Fayette, KY

3.2

Morristown, TN

3.2

Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA

3.2

Asheville, NC

3.1

Boise City, ID

3.1

Boulder, CO

3.1

Bowling Green, KY

3.1

Erie, PA

3.1

Fort Collins, CO

3.1

Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN

3.1

Medford, OR

3.1

Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI

3.1

Ocean City, NJ

3.1

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD

3.1

Trenton, NJ

3.1

Tulsa, OK

3.1

Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC

3.1

Wichita Falls, TX

3.1

Albuquerque, NM

3.0

Birmingham-Hoover, AL

3.0

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

3.0

Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY

3.0

Eugene, OR

3.0

Knoxville, TN

3.0

Redding, CA

3.0

Richmond, VA

3.0

San Angelo, TX

3.0

Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ

3.0

Albany, OR

2.9

Enid, OK

2.9

Grand Junction, CO

2.9

Madera, CA

2.9

Muskegon, MI

2.9

Oklahoma City, OK

2.9

Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY

2.8

Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC

2.8

Michigan City-La Porte, IN

2.8

Owensboro, KY

2.8

Salem, OR

2.8

Tyler, TX

2.8

Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT

2.7

Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL

2.7

Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL

2.7

Hanford-Corcoran, CA

2.7

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC

2.7

Prescott, AZ

2.7

Scranton--Wilkes-Barre--Hazleton, PA

2.7

Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL

2.7

Waterbury, CT

2.7

Winston-Salem, NC

2.7

Burlington, NC

2.6

Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL

2.6

Chattanooga, TN-GA

2.6

Grants Pass, OR

2.6

Pittsburgh, PA

2.6

Pocatello, ID

2.6

Portland-South Portland, ME

2.6

Austin-Round Rock, TX

2.5

Cleveland-Elyria, OH

2.5

Dothan, AL

2.5

Elmira, NY

2.5

Fort Smith, AR-OK

2.5

Killeen-Temple, TX

2.5

Lawrence, KS

2.5

Lawton, OK

2.5

Lewiston-Auburn, ME

2.5

Rochester, NY

2.5

Syracuse, NY

2.5

Visalia-Porterville, CA

2.5

Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ

2.4

Auburn-Opelika, AL

2.4

Corvallis, OR

2.4

Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV

2.4

Lubbock, TX

2.4

Racine, WI

2.4

South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI

2.4

Twin Falls, ID

2.4

Williamsport, PA

2.4

Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY

2.3

California-Lexington Park, MD

2.3

Danbury, CT

2.3

Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI

2.3

Jonesboro, AR

2.3

Kingston, NY

2.3

Las Cruces, NM

2.3

Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC

2.3

Reading, PA

2.3

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA

2.3

Utica-Rome, NY

2.3

Wilmington, NC

2.3

Durham-Chapel Hill, NC

2.2

Greenville, NC

2.2

Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS

2.2

Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT

2.2

Homosassa Springs, FL

2.2

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN

2.2

Jacksonville, FL

2.2

Kokomo, IN

2.2

North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL

2.2

Ocala, FL

2.2

Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL

2.2

Raleigh, NC

2.2

Sebastian-Vero Beach, FL

2.2

Spartanburg, SC

2.2

Tallahassee, FL

2.2

Waco, TX

2.2

Abilene, TX

2.1

Charleston, WV

2.1

Goldsboro, NC

2.1

Huntsville, AL

2.1

Janesville-Beloit, WI

2.1

Monroe, LA

2.1

Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, FL

2.1

New Haven, CT

2.1

Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL

2.1

Port St. Lucie, FL

2.1

Roanoke, VA

2.1

Salisbury, MD-DE

2.1

Sherman-Denison, TX

2.1

Texarkana, TX-AR

2.1

Amarillo, TX

2.0

Battle Creek, MI

2.0

Bellingham, WA

2.0

Charleston-North Charleston, SC

2.0

Charlottesville, VA

2.0

College Station-Bryan, TX

2.0

Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO

2.0

Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL

2.0

Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA

2.0

New Bern, NC

2.0

Salt Lake City, UT

2.0

Bangor, ME

1.9

Binghamton, NY

1.9

Chambersburg-Waynesboro, PA

1.9

Glens Falls, NY

1.9

Green Bay, WI

1.9

Jackson, MS

1.9

Lynchburg, VA

1.9

Monroe, MI

1.9

Portsmouth, NH-ME

1.9

Punta Gorda, FL

1.9

Sebring, FL

1.9

Sumter, SC

1.9

The Villages, FL

1.9

Topeka, KS

1.9

Albany, GA

1.8

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA

1.8

Decatur, AL

1.8

Decatur, IL

1.8

Dover-Durham, NH-ME

1.8

Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA

1.8

Hattiesburg, MS

1.8

Idaho Falls, ID

1.8

Lebanon, PA

1.8

Manchester, NH

1.8

Savannah, GA

1.8

York-Hanover, PA

1.8

Beckley, WV

1.7

Dover, DE

1.7

Florence, SC

1.7

Longview, WA

1.7

Madison, WI

1.7

Manhattan, KS

1.7

Niles-Benton Harbor, MI

1.7

Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA

1.7

St. George, UT

1.7

Appleton, WI

1.6

Bremerton-Silverdale, WA

1.6

Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN

1.6

Columbia, SC

1.6

Columbus, IN

1.6

Gainesville, FL

1.6

Jacksonville, NC

1.6

Kansas City, MO-KS

1.6

Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN

1.6

Lancaster, PA

1.6

Lewiston, ID-WA

1.6

Lima, OH

1.6

Macon-Bibb County, GA

1.6

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI

1.6

Toledo, OH

1.6

Alexandria, LA

1.5

Bismarck, ND

1.5

Columbus, GA-AL

1.5

Columbus, OH

1.5

Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL

1.5

Cumberland, MD-WV

1.5

Eau Claire, WI

1.5

Evansville, IN-KY

1.5

Jackson, MI

1.5

Johnstown, PA

1.5

Muncie, IN

1.5

Olympia-Tumwater, WA

1.5

Panama City, FL

1.5

Springfield, IL

1.5

Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA

1.5

Akron, OH

1.4

Fort Wayne, IN

1.4

Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI

1.4

Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH

1.4

La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN

1.4

Oshkosh-Neenah, WI

1.4

Rockford, IL

1.4

Sheboygan, WI

1.4

St. Louis, MO-IL

1.4

Staunton-Waynesboro, VA

1.4

Winchester, VA-WV

1.4

Altoona, PA

1.3

Brunswick, GA

1.3

Duluth, MN-WI

1.3

Elkhart-Goshen, IN

1.3

Fargo, ND-MN

1.3

Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, SC

1.3

Harrisonburg, VA

1.3

Missoula, MT

1.3

Ogden-Clearfield, UT

1.3

Peoria, IL

1.3

Rochester, MN

1.3

Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ

1.3

Terre Haute, IN

1.3

Wausau, WI

1.3

Billings, MT

1.2

Dayton, OH

1.2

Dubuque, IA

1.2

Fond du Lac, WI

1.2

Grand Forks, ND-MN

1.2

Great Falls, MT

1.2

Provo-Orem, UT

1.2

St. Cloud, MN

1.2

Yakima, WA

1.2

Ann Arbor, MI

1.1

Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA

1.1

Cedar Rapids, IA

1.1

Cheyenne, WY

1.1

Flint, MI

1.1

Gettysburg, PA

1.1

Iowa City, IA

1.1

Kalamazoo-Portage, MI

1.1

Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH

1.1

Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA

1.0

Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA

1.0

Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC

1.0

Ithaca, NY

1.0

Kankakee, IL

1.0

Kennewick-Richland, WA

1.0

Mansfield, OH

1.0

Parkersburg-Vienna, WV

1.0

Bloomington, IN

0.9

Canton-Massillon, OH

0.9

Carbondale-Marion, IL

0.9

Danville, IL

0.9

Joplin, MO

0.9

Mankato-North Mankato, MN

0.9

Watertown-Fort Drum, NY

0.9

Athens-Clarke County, GA

0.8

Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC

0.8

Bay City, MI

0.8

Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL

0.8

Midland, MI

0.8

Wenatchee, WA

0.8

Bloomington, IL

0.7

Burlington-South Burlington, VT

0.7

Cape Girardeau, MO-IL

0.7

Champaign-Urbana, IL

0.7

Columbia, MO

0.7

Logan, UT-ID

0.7

Morgantown, WV

0.7

Saginaw, MI

0.7

State College, PA

0.7

Valdosta, GA

0.7

Warner Robins, GA

0.7

Wheeling, WV-OH

0.7

Hinesville, GA

0.6

Springfield, MO

0.6

St. Joseph, MO-KS

0.6

Walla Walla, WA

0.6

Lansing-East Lansing, MI

0.5

Rapid City, SD

0.5

Ames, IA

0.4

Gainesville, GA

0.4

Jefferson City, MO

0.4

Rome, GA

0.4

Sioux Falls, SD

0.4

Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA

0.4

Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA

0.3

Sioux City, IA-NE-SD

0.3

Anchorage, AK

0.2

Lincoln, NE

0.2

Springfield, OH

0.2

Dalton, GA

-0.3

El Centro, CA

-0.7

Fairbanks, AK

-0.7

Grand Island, NE

-0.8

Yuma, AZ

-1.0

Unemployment rates decreased in Yuma, Arizona (−1.0 percentage point), Grand Island, Nebraska (−0.8 percentage point), El Centro, California (−0.7 percentage point), Fairbanks, Alaska (−0.7 percentage point), and Dalton, Georgia (−0.3 percentage point) from October 2019 to October 2020.

Unemployment rates for selected metropolitan areas, October 2020
Metropolitan area October 2020 unemployment rate

Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI

22.5%

El Centro, CA

18.8

Yuma, AZ

15.6

Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV

13.8

Urban Honolulu, HI

12.3

Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ

11.8

Lake Charles, LA

11.8

Odessa, TX

11.4

New Orleans-Metairie, LA

11.3

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

11.0

Visalia-Porterville, CA

10.9

Bakersfield, CA

10.6

Hammond, LA

10.5

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX

10.5

Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX

10.0

Stockton-Lodi, CA

10.0

United States

6.6

Provo-Orem, UT

3.1

Grand Forks, ND-MN

3.0

Mankato-North Mankato, MN

3.0

Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA

3.0

Sioux Falls, SD

3.0

Springfield, MO

3.0

Fargo, ND-MN

2.9

Gainesville, GA

2.9

Iowa City, IA

2.8

Sioux City, IA-NE-SD

2.8

Lincoln, NE

2.7

Columbia, MO

2.6

Jefferson City, MO

2.5

Logan, UT-ID

2.4

Burlington-South Burlington, VT

2.1

Ames, IA

1.9

Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, Hawaii, had the highest unemployment rate in October, 22.5 percent, followed by El Centro, California, 18.8 percent. Ames, Iowa, and Burlington-South Burlington, Vermont, had the lowest unemployment rates, 1.9 percent and 2.1 percent, respectively. The national unemployment rate in October was 6.6 percent, up from 3.3 percent a year earlier.

Of the 51 metropolitan areas with a 2010 Census population of 1 million or more, Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, Nevada (13.8 percent), New Orleans-Metairie, Louisiana (11.3 percent), and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, California (11.0 percent) had the highest unemployment rates in October.

These data are from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics program and are not seasonally adjusted. Data for the most recent month are preliminary. To learn more, see "Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment — October 2020." Also see more charts and maps of metropolitan area employment and unemployment.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Unemployment rates up in 384 of 389 metropolitan areas from October 2019 to October 2020 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2020/unemployment-rates-up-in-384-of-389-metropolitan-areas-from-october-2019-to-october-2020.htm (visited March 28, 2024).

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