The Baltimore-Columbia-Towson area of Maryland posted the lowest jobless rate among the 51 largest US metro areas in September at 1.8%, according to data released today by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise area of Nevada posted the highest rate among large metros at 5.7%.

Among metro areas of all sizes, Bismarck, North Dakota and Fargo, North Dakota, posted the lowest unemployment rates at 1.4% each in September.

El Centro, California, had the highest jobless rate at 21.1% in September.

According to the BLS, 11 of the most populous metropolitan areas comprise of 38 metropolitan divisions, which are essentially separately identifiable employment centers. In September, Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, Florida, had the lowest division unemployment rate at 1.5%. Conversely, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, California, had the highest rate among the divisions at 5.8%.

Unemployment rates were higher in September than a year earlier in 231 of the 389 metropolitan areas, lower in 131 and unchanged in 27 areas.

A total of 10 areas had less than 2.0% jobless rates, while four areas had rates of at least 8.0%. The national unemployment rate in September was 3.6%, up from 3.3% a year earlier.