Jobless rate lower in 345 of 372 metros, BLS reports

Jobless rates this fall were lower than the same time last year in 345 of the 372 metropolitan areas profiled in the Bureau of Labor Statistics' monthly summaries on employment and unemployment. A BLS report released in September* showed unemployment rates higher in 22 of those metros and unchanged in five.

Unemployment highs and lows
According to the report, 217 areas recorded September unemployment rates below the U.S. figure (7.6 percent, not seasonally adjusted). Additionally, 171 metro areas posted jobless rates below 7 percent, up from 123 areas in August. The areas that saw the largest year-over-year decreases in the jobless rate were El Centro, Calif., down 3.1 percentage points, and Elkhart-Goshen, Ind., down 3 points. Kennewick-Pasco-Richland, Wash., reported the largest increase in the jobless rate, up 1.2 percentage points, followed by Elmira, N.Y., up 1 point.

Metros with the most job growth
The report also looked at the areas with the strongest job growth from a year prior, both in the addition of jobs and percentage gains.

The following metro areas experienced the largest year-over-year increases in employment based on the number of jobs added:

• New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa., up 138,300.
• Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas, up 96,600.
• Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif., up 90,400.

The metro areas with the largest year-over-year percentage gains in employment were:

• Lafayette, La., up 8.7 percent.
• Columbus, Ind., up 8.6 percent.
• Elkhart-Goshen, Ind., up 8 percent.

While bigger metro areas topped the list of most jobs added, smaller areas saw the biggest percentage increases in employment. This shows that it's not just the biggest cities that have the most job opportunities.

*Data from the September Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment Summary are not seasonally adjusted.

Debra Auerbach is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, The Work Buzz. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.