USA Today (05/31/12) Christopher S. Rugaber
The U.S. Department of Labor reports a decline in unemployment rates in 356 of the 372 biggest metro areas in April, up from 339 showing decreases in April 2011. The number of cities with unemployment rates under 7% rose to 163 from 100, while the number with jobless rates above 10% slipped from 79 to 41. The lowest unemployment rate in the nation is 2.8% in Bismarck, ND, and the highest is 26.8% in El Centro, CA. Of the 49 biggest U.S. cities, Oklahoma City, has the lowest unemployment rate at 4%, and Riverside-San Bernardino, CA, has the highest at 11.7%.