BLS: Prov. metro has over-the-year drop in jobless rate in January, follows national pattern

JOBLESS RATES were lower in 333 out of 387 metropolitan areas in January than a year earlier, including in the Providence metro.
JOBLESS RATES were lower in 333 out of 387 metropolitan areas in January than a year earlier, including in the Providence metro.

PROVIDENCE – Unemployment rates were lower in 333 out of 387 metropolitan areas in January than a year earlier, including in the Providence metro, where the rate fell to 6.2 percent from 7.5 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said Friday.
Forty-three other areas had higher jobless rates, and 11 metros had no change, the federal agency said Friday.

Ames, Iowa, and Boulder, Colo., had the lowest unemployment rates in January, 2.5 percent each. El Centro, Calif., had the highest unemployment rate, 19.2 percent. The Providence metro was among 184 metro areas that had unemployment rates above the national rate in January of 5.3 percent.

While the unemployment rate declined in the Providence metro in January, the civilian labor force fell to 673,900 from 679,900 the year before. However, the number of unemployed dropped to 42,000 in January from 50,800 in January 2015.

In January, 325 metropolitan areas had over-the-year increases in nonfarm payroll employment, again including the Providence metro, which saw nonfarm employment grow to 565,500 from 558,500, a 1.3 percent increase, or 7,000 jobs.

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An additional 55 metros had decreases, and seven had no change. The largest over-the-year employment increase occurred in New York-Newark-Jersey City, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa. at 186,700. The largest over-the-year percentage gain in
employment occurred in Ocean City, N.J. at 9.2 percent.

The largest over-the-year decrease in employment occurred in Lafayette, La., at 11,800. The largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment was 8.3 percent in Odessa, Texas, the federal agency said.

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