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Unemployment rate falls in DC metro area

Unemployment rates in 224 metropolitan areas — including the D.C. area — fell in August.

The Washington area’s unemployment rate in August was 3.2%, down from 3.3% in July and from 3.4% a year ago.

The D.C. metro area’s unemployment rate remains among the lowest; the lowest unemployment rate among cities with a population of 1 million or more is 2.6%, shared by Birmingham, Boston and Denver.

Among all metro areas, Portland, Maine, had the lowest unemployment rate at 1.7%.

The nation’s highest metro unemployment rate in August was in Yuma, Arizona, at 23%.

The unemployment rate rose in 132 metro areas and were unchanged in 33.

The Labor Department will report the national unemployment rate for September on Friday; it’s expected to remain unchanged since last month’s 3.7%.

Jeff Clabaugh

Jeff Clabaugh has spent 20 years covering the Washington region's economy and financial markets for ²ÝÝ®´«Ã½ as part of a partnership with the Washington Business Journal, and officially joined the ²ÝÝ®´«Ã½ newsroom staff in January 2016.

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