The unemployment rate rose in more than two-thirds of the nation's 372 largest metro areas in November, the Labor Department said Tuesday. That's a sharp reversal from the previous month and the most to report an increase in five months. Below are the cities with the highest and lowest unemployment rates.
Best and Worst Metro areas, figures are in percentages.
Lowest unemployment rates Nov. 2010:
- Bismarck, N.D. -- 3.3
- Fargo, N.D. -- 3.5
- Lincoln, Neb. -- 3.5
- Grand Forks, N.D. -- 3.7
- Iowa City, Iowa -- 4.3
- Ames, Iowa -- 4.4
- Sioux Falls, S.D. -- 4.4
- Omaha-Council Bluffs, Neb.-Iowa -- 4.6
- Rapid City, S.D. -- 4.6
- Portsmouth, N.H. -- 4.7
Highest unemployment rates:
- El Centro, Calif. -- 29.1
- Yuma, Ariz. -- 24.8
- Yuba City, Calif. -- 19.3
- Merced, Calif. -- 18.6
- Stockton, Calif. -- 17.5
- Modesto, Calif. -- 17.2
- Fresno, Calif. -- 16.9
- Visalia-Porterville, Calif. -- 16.8
- Palm Coast, Fla. -- 16.6
- Hanford-Corcoran, Calif. -- 16.4
