Unemployment: The Worst-Hit Cities In July (MAP)

Unemployment rates are higher in every metropolitan area of the United States than the same time last year for the seventh consecutive month, the government announced on Tuesday. Of the nation's 372 metro areas, 139 have jobless rates above 10 percent, up from just 14 a year ago.

For jobs, the worst place to be is El Centro, Calif., where the unemployment rate is 30.2 percent, followed by Yuma, Ariz. at 26.2 percent. Of metro areas with populations above one million, Detroit continues to outpace other urban areas, with both the highest unemployment rate (17.7 percent) and the largest percentage-point increase over last year (+8.4).

The metropolitan unemployment rates from the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics are not seasonally adjusted, meaning the numbers could fluctuate in ways that don't say anything about a local economy's performance. (The national non-adjusted rate is 9.7 percent; the adjusted rate, the one everybody talks about, is 9.4 percent.) The department notes in its report that El Centro and Yuma, while battered by the economic downturn, are also "highly agricultural and experience extreme weather during summer months."

"Seasonal patterns are dramatically different throughout the country," BLS spokesman Gary Steinberg told the Huffington Post. He said the BLS doesn't have the resources to make seasonal adjustments in every metro area, so month-to-month fluctuations should be taken with a grain of salt.

Here's a chart from the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics showing the damage:

Click here for a bigger pop-up version of the map.

Click here for a PDF of the government's report.

Click here for HuffPost's stories about regular people dealing with unemployment.

Comments

[TN]

10:59 PM on 09/02/2009

Congress needs to tweak the free trade deals. Oh that's right, they can't cause Bush gave China all of our jobs and then had to borrow the money back. We owe China trillions. Thanks for the national security Republicans.

[SecretSister]

11:24 PM on 09/02/2009

Great point. Thanks.

[DuganS1]

08:17 AM on 09/03/2009

President Clinton made all the moves to get China into the world trade organization, although it was President Bush that actually signed the bill. This situation was just the opposite of NAFTA, where George H.W. Bush did all the groundwork and Clinton passed the bill. Increasing trade has simply been a bi-partisan goal since the end of WW2. It's mostly been the labor unions and labor union backing representatives that have been against increasing global trade. In my opinion, the move to incorporate China into the global economy should have been more incremental. It happened very fast and has created fairly severe dislocations in the American economy. Too many manufacturing jobs have been lost this decade.

http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/economic-time-series/data/blsce/ces3000000001.aspx

The leg down in manufacturing jobs from 2000 to 2004 was IMO almost completely caused by China's entry into the WTO. The lack of a recovery in manufacturing job growth from 2004 through 2007 was because of the same, again IMO. The recent drop is because of the recession, not China, and I believe we'll a good percentage of those jobs back within three years as employers hire back their laid-off workers.

[leevntheus]

11:34 AM on 09/02/2009

Am I the only one that looks at the map and sees predominantly Democratic counties hit hardest by the unemployment figures?

When looking at the map of counties that are hit hardest, it seems odd that most places in the country that would be considered conservative areas seem unscathed.

To what point are the billionaire fed connected elite banker swindlers able to terrorize the American financial system to the point that they can prohibit a political bloc from achieving a standard of living that allows for freedom of political expression and voting?

When will the masses begin to realize that this whole dog and pony show, that began almost as soon as it was obvious Dems would roll to victories, has been conjured up for the elite ruling class of Repubs and some Dems to keep the public shook up and at bay enough to maintain control of the country through means other than elections of our government?

There is simply NO democracy in America.

[itssafetosay]

02:18 PM on 09/02/2009

Agree with your sentiment, but the west coast is the only area that jumps out to me as predom. Dem. Fl, southern states, "rust Belt" are not.

[DuganS1]

08:19 AM on 09/03/2009

California, Arizona, Nevada, and Florida were the states whose economies went up the most because of the housing bubble, so they're going to fare the worst in the housing bust. Atlanta saw a substantial housing boom too, so Georgia is suffering as well. The problems in Michigan and Ohio have been ongoing for many years now.

[wilray]

10:10 AM on 09/02/2009

I heard that a lot of the medical transcription work is done overseas in India. Does it make you happy to know that in order to undercut American workers someone in Bangalore is reading your health care records. Who knows if they even have to pledge confidentiality. And to think of it further, I have heard that a huge part of the identity theft problem can be traced to Russia and Nigeria. I am not certain how this medical transcription stuff is handled. If not done for our protection, I can certainly see huge potential problems. After all your social security number is on a lot of medical documents.

[FreedomCorpse]

08:18 AM on 09/02/2009

The federal government apparently wants to destroy its own nation. Everything is going just as planned by the money power that owns DC.

[MetalCanuck]

10:55 AM on 09/02/2009

"free trade" and no tarrifs are 2 of the biggests causes for this, our government want us to compete with slaves...the endgame is here.

We Ron Paul supporters wanted to end NAFTA and bring the troops home..keep voting for the MSM parties and you will get the same thing everytime because they are 2 sides of the same coin.

[FoonTheElder]

10:58 AM on 09/02/2009

MSM parties?-Last I saw Ron was still a Republican.

[watchTVgetSTUPID]

05:10 AM on 09/02/2009

Meanwhile like Bush, the Obama aministration continues to support the outsourcing of American jobs. Even half of the cash for clunkers money subsidized imported cars.

Nobody in Washington is on the side of American jobs when it comes to unfair trade. Geithner recently said China is not manipulating their currency for the sake of giving their manufacturers a cost advantage over foreign manufacturers.

[DuganS1]

08:45 AM on 09/02/2009

The outsourcing of jobs as you call it hasn't affected the US economy negatively. That has effected only an extremely small number of jobs relative to the entire job market. It has also brought benefits to the economy which have offset the negatives, like jobs created from increased trade and exports, lower interest rates, increased consumer buying power, more consumer choices, and profits gained from foreign operations. As for the Cash for Clunkers program, most the "imported cars" as you call them are as much made in America as those stamped with the name of Ford, Chrysler, and GM.

[MetalCanuck]

10:57 AM on 09/02/2009

That is complete nonsense, outsourcing has helped to destroy us.

[FoonTheElder]

11:00 AM on 09/02/2009

Every state has a net loss in jobs from trade with China.

https://www.policyarchive.org/handle/10207/8012

[Scent]

03:05 AM on 09/02/2009

Three news items:

1. The economy rebounds from recession through stimulus

2. Unemployment rises

3. Bankers make huge profits

So what "economy" are we talking about that is on its way to health? - The profiteering crimeworld of high business or the lives of the people? - Well, I guess the news answers that question.

[lcyspeaking]

12:46 AM on 09/02/2009

well...

[trubeliever52]

12:35 AM on 09/02/2009

At least our President has ideas and plans. What in the world has any Republican come up with lately to help? Nothing - all they can do is whinge and whine and say no. Not "no I don't like your plan here's something better." Just no. Face it, Republicans have run out of ideas - if they ever had any that their Gods - the corporations didn't give them. Once you can give any of us a decent plan of how to get out of the mess we're in instead of simply saying no like some recalcitrant child, then sit down, shut up and let the grown ups drive the car. The Republicans, these last eight years have not proven to be adult enough to drive a golf cart let alone this country.

[meko]

01:50 AM on 09/02/2009

The ideas of the Republicans are the same as those of their faith-healing brethren, "if you get sick or lose your job, it's because you didn't have enough faith and didn't work hard enough."

[jimmyjones22]

02:44 AM on 09/02/2009

eh?

[DuganS1]

08:48 AM on 09/02/2009

The Democrats hold the Executive, House, and Senate. The Republicans have no power to enact their own ideas or policies. Republicans do have many ideas though. If you haven't heard them, then you haven't been paying attention.

[FooFighter007]

12:14 AM on 09/02/2009

Right off the bat i noticed three areas are immune from the bad times... Texas, New York, and Washington DC (the mid-atlantic). Hmmm, I wonder why??

[itssafetosay]

02:28 PM on 09/02/2009

I certainly am a believer in the corruption and sinister doings of the repugs and former administrations (looking like the current one too), but I must point out that TX never had a housing bubble. While friends and family in FL, were crowing about their 30%+ yearly gains, we were looking at 2-3%, at the most. Ca and FL really stand out and are still dealing with the effects of housing. With exception of the coast, the western states really stand out as "immune" (although I know that they lack the population density of many other places.)

[DFL]

10:58 PM on 09/01/2009

Obama was handed the worst economy since republican depression #1

[MetalCanuck]

10:58 AM on 09/02/2009

Yeah but he is doing his best to make it worst, he even appoint the guys that bush put there to deal with it.

[walkaway]

09:53 PM on 09/01/2009

Thanks George Bush for almost destroying the United States as the worst president ever. Let's hope the republicans shut up and sit down while the real Americans try to fix their mess as usual.

[Yurasis Dragon]

10:42 PM on 09/01/2009

Obama is continuing, or expanding, almost ALL programs that Bush started.

Wake up! This is like Bush's 3rd term.
Bush's Third Term?
You're Living It
By David Swanson

It sounds like the plot for the latest summer horror movie. Imagine, for a moment, that George W. Bush had been allowed a third term as president, had run and had won or stolen it, and that we were all now living (and dying) through it. With the Democrats in control of Congress but Bush still in the Oval Office, the media would certainly be talking endlessly about a mandate for bipartisanship and the importance of taking into account the concerns of Republicans. Can't you just picture it?
cont'd..............

[Yurasis Dragon]

10:44 PM on 09/01/2009

Bush's 3rd term, continued..........

There's Dubya now, still rewriting laws via signing statements. Still creating and destroying laws with executive orders. And still violating laws at his whim. Imagine Bush continuing his policy of extraordinary rendition, sending prisoners off to other countries with grim interrogation reputations to be held and tortured. I can even picture him formalizing his policy of preventive detention, sprucing it up with some "due process" even as he permanently removes habeas corpus from our culture.

I picture this demonic president still swearing he doesn't torture, still insisting that he wants to close Guantanamo, but assuring his subordinates that the commander-in-chief has the power to torture "if needed," and maintaining a prison at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan that makes Guantanamo look like summer camp. I can imagine him continuing to keep secret his warrantless spying programs while protecting the corporations and government officials involved.

If Bush were in his third term, we would already have seen him propose, yet again, the largest military budget in the history of the world. We might well have seen him pretend he was including war funding in the standard budget, and then claim that one final supplemental war budget was still needed, immediately after which he would surely announce that yet another war supplemental bill would be needed down the road. And of course, he would have held onto his Secretary of Defense from his second term, Robert Gates, to run the Pentagon............

[moonwatcher]

09:51 PM on 09/01/2009

Where do most of the people live in the United States? Certainly not in the center of the United States. What state has the most millionaires? California. What states pay out more in taxes than they receive? Those blue states who are having the problems. Don't knock them. They are paying the Red States bills.

[Lupin77]

09:29 PM on 09/01/2009

So far, the stim package has created 0 jobs as far as I can tell. It is an utter failure.

[armchairprotester]

09:20 PM on 09/01/2009

Fix it now???

Obama is wrong about Americans... Most want it fast, easy and someone else to pay for it.

Time to grow up and be a country and not political partisan whiners with super tiny-weeney sour grapes.

[legalies76]

08:35 PM on 09/01/2009

First the energy crisis years ago and now unemployment? Is there a war on California???

[booboo111]

09:11 PM on 09/01/2009

...don't forget the fires.

[armchairprotester]

09:14 PM on 09/01/2009

I blame Texas and Republicans. We never vote their way so they punish us economically. I Loath Conservatives and their pettiness. Never voting Republican again!!

[legalies76]

11:22 PM on 09/01/2009

Yeah...they hate that CA is the only place to go full bore anti-war.

[itssafetosay]

02:32 PM on 09/02/2009

Well, I live in TX and have never voted Republican in my life, like many Texans. You show your ignorance by admitting to ever voting this way. I blame you and the Idio#s who ever did vote repub.