New Orleans Metro Area Ties for Lowest Unemployment Rate

The New Orleans metro area tied for the lowest unemployment rate among the nation’s largest metropolitan areas, according to a report released by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Louisiana Workforce Commission reported that the unemployment rate for the New Orleans metro area, which includes Metairie and Kenner, was 6.1 percent for November 2009, tied with the Washington, D.C., metro area.

All of Louisiana’s metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) ranked in the top quarter of the nation’s 372 MSAs for lowest rates, with the Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux MSA tied for the ninth lowest rate in the nation. Houma’s rate was 4.6 percent for November 2009.

The not seasonally adjusted state rate was 6.3 percent in November 2009. The U.S. rate was 9.4 percent.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) figures reflect unemployment rates that are not seasonally adjusted. The BLS news release can be accessed at www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/metro.pdf.

Source: Louisiana Workforce Commission, www.laworks.net