The Washington metro area’s unemployment rate fell to 3.0% in April, down from 3.6% in March, and matching the region’s unemployment rate in February 2020, just before the pandemic sent jobless rates soaring nationwide.
A year ago, the area’s unemployment rate was 4.9%. Its pandemic peak was 9.9% in April 2020. The region’s most recent low for unemployment was 2.7% in December 2019.
The Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reports almost all of the nation’s 389 metropolitan areas had lower unemployment rates in April than a year ago, with 169 metros having an unemployment rate of less than 3.0%.
Mankato and Rochester, both in Minnesota, tied for the lowest April unemployment rate at 1.3%. Yuma, Arizona, had the highest April unemployment rate, at 13.1%.
Among metros with a population of 1 million or more, Minneapolis had the lowest unemployment rate, at 1.5%; Cleveland had the highest, at 5.4%.
Metro unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics posts monthly metropolitan unemployment rates and civilian workforce changes online.
