WASHINGTON 鈥� Unemployment rates fell in most U.S. metropolitan areas in June, but the Washington area’s jobless rate rose.
The Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics says the Washington region’s unemployment rate was 4.0 percent in June, up from 3.6 percent in May. It was lower than Washington’s June unemployment rate of 4.7 percent a year earlier.
The Washington metro area still added 22,400 jobs in June, entirely in the private sector. Public sector jobs fell by 300.
The Washington Metropolitan Division ended June with a total of 2,672,900 jobs.
June unemployment rates fell in 285 of the nation’s 387 metropolitan statistical divisions. Austin, Texas, had the lowest unemployment rate among big cities, at 3.3 percent; among all metro areas, Sioux Falls, South Dakota had the lowest June unemployment rate at 2.3 percent.
