Washington has lowest jobless rate
October 02, 2007
The Washington DC area posted the lowest jobless rate among all large metropolitan areas in August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The unemployment rate around the nation's capital was 3.0%. The Phoenix AZ and Richmond VA areas both had the second-lowest jobless rates at 3.2% each.
Detroit had the highest unemployment rate among all large metropolitan areas at 7.9%.
Idaho Falls ID posted the lowest jobless rate among all metropolitan areas at 1.6% in August. Coeur d'Alene ID had the second-lowest at 1.8%, followed by Billings MT at 1.9%. Twelve of the 25 metropolitan areas with jobless rates below 3.0% were in Idaho, Montana, Utah, or Wyoming.
El Centro CA and Yuma AZ again had the highest jobless rates among all metropolitan areas at 20.7% and 20.3%, respectively.
Overall, 206 of the 369 metropolitan areas reported lower unemployment rates in August than a year earlier. Rates were higher in 134 and unchanged in 29.