By Ben Rozema
With so many sources on the subject, the jury’s still out in regards to exact unemployment rates of individual cities. It is accepted that the national rate of unemployment has finally begun to decline, as the even 10.0% unemployment in December 2009 has fallen to 9.7%, as of January 2010. With that significant of a fall, it would be expected that the cities of America would be providing more jobs as well. However, it seems that the metropolitan areas are not recovering quite as quickly as the suburban and rural areas of the country.
At least 17 out of 372 states have recorded unemployment rates above 15%, which is far above the national unemployment rate.
In a fierce battle with Yuma, El Centro, California, is currently at the top of the list, and bottom of the barrel, when it comes to unemployment rates. With rates recorded as high as 30.2 in the past 18 months, they seem to have leveled out at about 29.2% unemployment.
Next, just across the state line to Arizona is Yuma. They shamefully report 21.1% unemployment rates as of the most recent measurements in 2010. This is down from their 26.2 peak. Though the housing market in Arizona has taken a huge hit, no other cities in the state have risen above the 15% unemployment mark.
The states that have been pummeled the hardest with a large number of high unemployment rates include California and Michigan. In California, Yuba has hit 19.6% unemployment, while Stockton and Fresno are both above 15% as well. According to the U.S. Bureau Department of labor Statistics, both Modesto and Visalia-Porterville are at 17.5%. Of the 17 cities with over 15% unemployment, nine of them are in California.Our old pal from Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11, Flint, Michigan has made the list as well. Surprise, surprise. At the end of 2008, Flint was at about 10%, but is now at about 16.6%. Pascagoula, Monroe, Detroit and Jackson are also quite high on the list of jobless residents. This can be blamed on the downfall of the American automobile industry, combined with a variety of other factors.
The metropolitan area of Palm Coast, FL has peaked at 16.9 % as of December 2009. The housing market is partially to blame for this one. In New Jersey, the state with one of the lowest overall unemployment rates and highest overall tax rates has a city at the bottom as well. Ocean City has an unemployment rate of 16.4%.
A few hours west, Rockford, Illinois is another city that could brush up on its resume writing tips. At 16% unemployment, it is the only city in Illinois in the club.
It is expected that unemployment rates in cities will continue to rise throughout the year while national and statewide rates are expected to fall. The unemployment rate, like a virus seems to be controlled in terms of the big picture, but it’s going to get worse before it gets better –and cities will have to amp up their antibodies to fight it.
About Ben Rozema
Ben is a blogger and writer living in San Diego, CA. In his spare time he enjoys hiking, sailing, and traveling.
