PROVIDENCE – Unemployment rates were lower in February than a year earlier in 274 of the nation’s 388 metropolitan areas, including in the Providence-Warwick-Fall River metropolitan area, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said this week.
The unemployment rate fell to 5.1 percent in the Providence metro in February, compared with 6.2 percent in February 2016.
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Eighty-eight metro areas had higher unemployment rates over the year, and another 26 metros did not have a change in their rates, the agency said.
The national unemployment rate in February was 4.9 percent, three-tenths of a percentage point lower than a year earlier.
Ames, Iowa, had the lowest unemployment rate in February at 2.1 percent, while El Centro, Calif., had the highest unemployment rate, 18.4 percent. A total of 190 areas had February jobless rates above the U.S. rate of 4.9 percent, including the Providence metro.
The civilian labor force in the Providence metro grew over the year to 677,924 in February, a 0.1 percent increase. The number of unemployed dropped over the year to 34,897 from 41,702, a 16.3 percent decline.
Nonfarm payroll employment rose over the year in 323 metropolitan areas, decreased in 64 areas, and was unchanged in one area. The Providence metro was one of the areas that had an increase, to 571,500 in February from 569,600 in February 2016, a 0.3 percent change.
The largest over-the-year employment increase occurred in New York-Newark-Jersey City, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa. (+145,800), while the largest over-the-year percentage gain in employment occurred in Sebring, Fla. (+6.6 percent).
The largest over-the-year decrease in employment occurred in Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, Wis. (-6,200), with the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment in Casper, Wyo. (-8.4 percent).
