By Laura Conaway
Unemployment has kept on growing in every one of the nation’s 372 metropolitan areas, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports. Unemployment was higher in July 2009 in each metro than at this time last year.
Of the 19 metros where joblessness tops 15 percent, California lays claim to eight. God bless El Centro, Calif., which has the highest unemployment at 30.2 percent. Another five of the most miserable metros are in Michigan.
At the other end of the scale are Washington, D.C., at 6.2 percent, and Oklahoma City at 5.9 percent.
The jump from this year to last year happened in Greater Detroit, with 8.4 percent. Next up were Bend, Ore., with 7.1 percent and Elkhart County, Ind., at 7 points. The only places where joblessness grew by less than a point were Bismarck and Grand Forks, N.D.
The national unemployment rate dipped by 0.1 percent to 9.4 percent in July. The Bureau of Labor Statistics is set to release the August figure on Friday.
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