The US Bureau of Labor Statistics recently released November 2010 Unemployment data for the 372 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) it surveys. According to the BLS the non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for the Boise-Nampa MSA was 9.9% for the month of November, an increase of +0.2% from November 2009. Over that period, the number of unemployed workers in the Boise area climbed by 700, while the labor force fell from 290,900 to 289,700.  The unemployment rate rose +0.5% from October 2010.

At 9.9% Boise’s seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate was higher than the national average (9.3%) and remained stubbornly higher than the state average (9.4%) and most other areas surveyed within the state.  Boise’s +0.2% year-over-year change in the unemployment rate was also more dramatic than the national average (-0.1%) but smaller than the average of the Idaho cities surveyed (+0.7%).

GRAPH: Bureau of Labor Statistics

In November, 182 of the 372 MSAs had unemployment rates higher than a year earlier and 251 MSAs had lower unemployment rates than Boise. The MSAs with the lowest unemployment rates nationally were Bismarck ND (3.3%) and Fargo ND (3.5%). Those with the highest rates were El Centro CA (29.1%) and Yuma AZ (24.8%). The largest decrease in the year-over-year rate was seen in Monroe MI (-3.5%) while the largest increase was in Yuma AZ (+4.3%).

GRAPH: Bureau of Labor Statistics

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics recently released state-by-state Unemployment data for November 2010. According to the BLS the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for the state of Idaho was 9.4% in November, an increase of +0.4% from a year earlier. Over that period, unemployment rose by +3,300 workers, from 67,500 to 70,800.

The change in Idaho’s unemployment rate appeared greater than the nation as a whole; the seasonally adjusted national unemployment rate was unchanged from a year earlier. However, Idaho’s rate remained below the national rate.

Idaho tied for having the 33^th lowest unemployment rate in the nation; North Dakota had the lowest, with 3.8%, and Nevada posted the highest, at 14.3%.

Idaho’s November unemployment remained marginally below the state’s all-time high of 9.6%, posted in March 1983, but is well above the all-time low of 2.7%, set March 2007.

An analysis by industry using non-seasonally adjusted figures highlights the sharp contraction in the construction and other industries within the state. Notably, the several industries have begun to show year-over-year job growth, led by government and education & health services.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics recently released October 2010 Unemployment data for the 372 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) it surveys. According to the BLS the non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for the Boise-Nampa MSA was 9.5% for the month of October, an increase of +0.1% from October 2009. Over that period, the number of unemployed workers in the Boise area was unchanged at 27,200, while the labor force fell from 290,200 to 285,700.  The unemployment rate rose +0.5% from September 2010.

At 9.5% Boise’s seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate was higher than the national average (9.0%) and remained stubbornly higher than the state average (8.7%) and most other areas surveyed within the state.  Boise’s +0.1% year-over-year change in the unemployment rate was also more dramatic than the national average (-0.4%) but smaller than the average of the Idaho cities surveyed (+0.4%).

GRAPH: Bureau of Labor Statistics

In October, 121 of the 372 MSAs had unemployment rates higher than a year earlier and 249 MSAs had lower unemployment rates than Boise. The MSAs with the lowest unemployment rates nationally were Bismarck ND (2.7%) and Fargo ND (3.2%). Those with the highest rates were El Centro CA (29.3%) and Yuma AZ (26.7%).

The largest decrease in the year-over-year rate was seen in Elkhart-Goshen IN (-2.8%) while the largest increases were in Yuma AZ (+4.1%) and Sioux City IA-NE-SD (+1.8%).

GRAPH: Bureau of Labor Statistics

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics recently released state-by-state Unemployment data for September 2010. According to the BLS the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for the state of Idaho was 9.0% in September, an increase of +0.3% from a year earlier. Over that period, unemployment rose by +2,800 workers, from 65,100 to 67,900.

The change in Idaho’s unemployment rate appeared greater than the nation as a whole; the seasonally adjusted national unemployment rate dropped -0.2%, to 9.6%, over the same period. However, Idaho’s rate remained below the national rate.

Idaho tied for having the 28^th lowest unemployment rate in the nation; North Dakota had the lowest, with 3.7%, and Nevada posted the highest, at 14.4%.

Idaho’s September unemployment remained marginally below the state’s all-time high of 9.6%, posted in March 1983, but is well above the all-time low of 2.7%, set March 2007.

An analysis by industry using non-seasonally adjusted figures highlights the sharp contraction in the construction and other industries within the state. Notably, the several industries have begun to show year-over-year job growth, led by government and education & health services.