The Nashville metropolitan area in Tennessee posted the lowest unemployment rate in December among the 51 largest metro areas in the US with a jobless rate of 2.3%, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The formal designation of the area is the Nashville-Davidson — Murfreesboro — Franklin area.

Highest was in Cleveland-Elyria, Ohio, with a rate of 4.9%.

Among metro areas of all sizes, Ames, Iowa, posted the lowest rate at 1.4%. The highest rates were in El Centro, Calif., at 17.3%, and Yuma, Ariz., at 15.4%