Unemployment Concentrated in Metro Areas (US Conference of Mayors)
The Conference of Mayors recently conducted a survey of its Workforce Development Council members regarding local unemployment rates. In many cases, cities were able to provide not only unemployment rates for the metropolitan
areas, but also for the city proper. Some staggering unemployment numbers were found in this survey including 13.9 percent in Long Beach (CA); 13.4 percent in Las Vegas (NV); 19.4 percent in National City (CA); 14.9 percent in Providence (RI); 11.5 percent in St. Louis (MO); and 10.9 percent in Cleveland (OH).
It is also important to understand the extent to which very large percentages of states’ unemployed workers are concentrated in metropolitan statistical areas. For example, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ most recent data for
Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs or metro areas) from August 2009:
• In Georgia, the Atlanta and Augusta metro areas account for 62 percent of the state’s unemployed.
• In Ohio, the Akron, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, and Toledo metro areas account for 42 percent of the unemployed.
• In Iowa, the Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, and Waterloo metro areas account for 31 percent of the unemployed.
• In Texas, the Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin metro areas account for 65 percent of the unemployed.
• In Florida, the Miami, Orlando, and Tampa metro areas account for 58 percent of the unemployed.
• In Arizona, the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas account for 75 percent of the unemployed.
• In California, the Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Francisco metro areas account for 57 percent of the unemployed.
