metro area unemployment trends: february 2012

8/3/2019 Metro Area Unemployment Trends: February 2012

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Metro Area Unemployment

February 2012

National Association of REALTORS

Research Division

Compilation of Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics


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D

ata Highlights While the unemployment rate is not yet back to normal in most areas, improvement isunmistakable and fairly well-spread geographically.

From one year ago, 24 metro areas have job gains. Of the 27 areas, Houston had the biggestpercent growth in payrolls in the last year

Among the 27 metro areas reviewed, the Minneapolis area had the lowest unemployment rate, 5.5percent in December, while Las Vegas continues to have the highest, at 12.7 percent in

December. Both theW

ashington, DC and Boston areas had unemployment rates under 6 percentin December 2011.

Looking at changes in the last year, 25 large metro areas reviewed saw improvement in theunemployment rate. Among those reviewed, only the Chicago and New York metro areas saw anincrease, or worsening, in the unemployment rate in that time period. By comparison, theunemployment rate in the US decreased by 0.8 percentage points in the year.

Las Vegas, NV had the greatest improvement in unemployment rate over the year. Theunemployment rate there fell by 2.5 percentage points, from 15.2 percent to 12.7 percent. While

Las Vegas saw an increase in the number of employed persons and a decline in the number ofthose unemployed, the balance was such that the labor force shrank slightly. By comparison, theUS labor force was grew slightly in the same period.

Local unemployment rates are pictured in the graphs that follow.


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Large Metros Unemployment Rate in

December 2011

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

14.0

Percent


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Unemployment Rate, Phoenix-Mesa AZ

%

1110090807Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 02/01/12

10

8

6

4

2


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Unemployment Rate, L os Angeles-Long Beac h-Santa Ana, CA

%


14

12

10

8

6

4


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Unemployment Rate, San Diego CA

%


12

10

8

6

4

2


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Unemployment Rate, San Francisco -Oakland-Fremont, C A

%


12

10

8

6

4

2


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Unemployment Rate, Denver-Aurora, CO

%


10

8

6

4

2


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Unemployment Rate, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV MetDiv

%


7

6

5

4

3

2


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Unemployment Rate, Atlanta GA

%


12

10

8

6

4


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Unemployment Rate, Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, IL-IN-WI

%


12

10

8

6

4


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Unemployment Rate, New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA

%


10

8

6

4

2


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Unemployment Rate, Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA NECTA Division

%


9

8

7

6

5

4

3


15/31

Unemployment Rate, Detroit-Warren-Livonia, MI

%


18

16

14

12

10

8

6


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Unemployment Rate, Minneapolis-St Paul MN-WI

%


9

8

7

6

5

4

3


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Unemployment Rate, St L ouis MO-IL

%


12

10

8

6

4


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Unemployment Rate, Las Vegas-Paradise-Pahrump, NV CSA

%


16

14

12

10

8

6

4


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Unemployment Rate, New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island NY-NJ

%


10

8

6

4

2


20/31

Unemployment Rate, Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill NC-SC

%


14

12

10

8

6

4


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Unemployment Rate, Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington, OH-KY-IN CSA

%


12

10

8

6

4


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Unemployment Rate, Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, OH

%


11

10

9

8

7

6

5


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Unemployment Rate, Columbus OH

%


10

9

8

7

6

5

4


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Unemployment Rate, Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton OR-WA

%


12

10

8

6

4


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

%


10

8

6

4

2


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Unemployment Rate, Pittsburgh PA

%


10

8

6

4

2


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Unemployment Rate, Memphis TN-AR-MS

%


12

10

8

6

4


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Unemployment Rate, Houston-Baytown-Sugar Land, TX

%


9

8

7

6

5

4

3


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Unemployment Rate, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

%


9

8

7

6

5

4


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Unemployment Rate, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA

%


12

10

8

6

4

2


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Unemployment Rate, Milwaukee-Waukesha WI

%


12

10

8

6

4

metro area unemployment trends: february 2012

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