Statistics released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show only 19 of the nation’s 372 metropolitan areas had unemployment rates lower than Northwest Arkansas in November.
The Northwest Arkansas area, which includes Benton, Madison and Washington counties in Arkansas and McDonald County, Mo., had an unemployment rate of 4.6 percent, according to the bureau. Unemployment was 5.4 percent in November 2011.
The bureau reported there were 11,000 unemployed people in the four counties in November 2012.
Arkansas unemployment was 7 percent.
Among all the metropolitan areas, many of those with lower unemployment are in the farm states of Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota. North Dakota and South Dakota have low unemployment due to thriving oil and natural gas industries.
In the southern U.S., only two metropolitan area had unemployment lower than the Northwest Arkansas rate of 4.6 percent. In Midland, Texas, unemployment was 3.8 percent. In Oklahoma City, it was 4.5 percent.
Areas with lower unemployment than the Northwest Arkansas metropolitan area were:
Ames, Iowa: 3.8 percent
Iowa City, Iowa: 3.8 percent
Ann Arbor, Mich.: 4.3 percent
Columbia, Mo.: 4.3 percent
Mankato, Minn.: 4.2 percent
Rochester, Minn: 4.4 percent
Lincoln, Neb.: 3.4 percent
Omaha, Neb.: 4.3 percent
Portsmouth, N.H.: 4.4 percent
Bismarck, N.D.: 2.8 percent
Fargo, N.D.: 3.2 percent
Grand Forks, N.D.: 4.1 percent
Oklahoma City, Okla.: 4.5 percent
Rapid City, S.D.: 4.2 percent
Sioux Falls, S.D.: 3.7 percent
Midland, Texas: 3.8 percent
Logan, Utah: 3.8 percent
Burlington, Vermont: 3.9 percent
Morgantown, W.V.: 4.5 percent
To review the full report on unemployment in the U.S., click on this U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report.
