It's official: Las Vegas' Unemployment Rate in June Highest Among Major U.S. Cities

In a #1 ranking no one wants, the Las Vegas Valley topped major U.S. metro regions in unemployment for the second consecutive month, according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report released this morning.

 

Of the 49 metropolitan areas with a population of 1 million or more, Las Vegas topped the list at 14.5%, the BLS said.

Unemployment rates were lower in June than a year earlier in more than half of the 372 metropolitan areas the bureau ranks. A dozen areas recorded jobless rates of at least 15% percent, while 6 areas registered rates below 5.0%. The national unemployment rate in June was 9.6%, not seasonally adjusted, compared with 9.7% a year earlier.

El Centro, Calif., and Yuma, Ariz., again recorded the highest unemployment rates, 27.6 and 26.4%, respectively. 

Las Vegas was narrowly surpassed by Yuma as the area that registered the largest over-the-year jobless rate increase in June. Yuma's increased 2.9 percentage points, while Las Vegas' was up 2.1 percentage points.

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