August Jobless Rates Down Over the Year in 325 of 372 Metro Areas; Payroll Jobs Up in 274

Washington, DC—(ENEWSPF)—October 3, 2012.  Unemployment rates were lower in August than a year earlier in 325 of the 372 metropolitan areas, higher in 40 areas, and unchanged in 7 areas, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Five areas recorded jobless rates of at least 15.0 percent, while 20 areas registered rates of less than 5.0 percent. Two hundred seventy-four metropolitan areas reported over-the-year increases in nonfarm payroll employment, 92 reported decreases, and 6 had…