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The BLS reports rising unemployment rates vs a year ago in 75 percent of metro areas.
 

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Please consider the Metropolitan Areas Unemployment January 2025.

Metro Area Key Stats

• Unemployment rates were higher in January than a year earlier in 290 of the 387 metropolitan areas, lower in 64 areas, and unchanged in 33 areas, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported
• A total of 18 areas had jobless rates of less than 3.0 percent and 11 areas had rates of at least 8.0 percent.
• Nonfarm payroll employment increased over the year in 38 metropolitan areas, decreased in 1 area, and was essentially unchanged in 348 areas.
• The national unemployment rate in January was 4.4 percent, not seasonally adjusted, up from 4.1 percent a year earlier.

Percentage Changes in Metro Area Employment

• 89.9 percent of metro areas had “essentially unchanged” nonfarm payroll employment.
• Only 9.8 percent metro areas had increased nonfarm payroll employment.
• Over the year, nonfarm employment increased in 13 metropolitan areas with a 2020 Census population of 1 million or more and was essentially unchanged in 43 areas.

Unemployment Rate by State
 

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The above numbers are seasonally adjusted. The report lists unadjusted numbers.

Highest Unadjusted Numbers

• Michigan: 5.9%
• D.C.: 5.6%
• California: 5.5%
• Alaska: 5.5%
• Kentucky: 5.5%
• Oregon: 5.4%
• Ohio: 5.3%
• Colorado: 5.0%
• Illinois: 5.0%

Congrats to South Dakota at 2.1 percent. Hawaii is 2.7 percent. No other states were below 3.0 percent.

Nebraska is 3.2 percent, North Dakota is 3.1 percent, Utah is 3.2 percent.

Employment Drops by 588,000 as Jobs Increase by Weaker Than Expected 151,000

On March 7, I noted Employment Drops by 588,000 as Jobs Increase by Weaker Than Expected 151,000

Beneath a weak headline jobs number, the details are even weaker.

23 months ago full-time employment was 134.4 million. It’s now 134.7 million, up by about 300,000. Nonfarm payrolls are reportedly up over 4 million in the same timeframe.

Total full-time work dropped by 1.22 million.

Every number is suspect. Only the QCEW and BED reports based on over 90 percent of the data are accurate.
 

Related Posts

January 31, 2025: The BLS Confirms US is Now Losing Jobs in Net Business Creation

The BLS BED [Business Employment Dynamics] report provides further confirmation the BLS Birth/Death jobs model is seriously screwed up.

February 4, 2025: Job Openings Drop by 556,000 in December, Quits Show Job Finding Stress

Job openings have collapsed. And the number of quits confirms people are staying put.

February 7, 2025: Huge BLS Benchmark Revisions Remove 610,000 Jobs From 2024

Every February the BLS does annual benchmark revisions for the prior year. This year there were huge revisions.

The first link above on BED is a key item.

The Birth-Death model that feeds the monthly jobs report is bogus. It has been screwed up since Covid, first underreporting jobs then overreporting them.

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