B.R. unemployment holds at 6.2% in October

The Baton Rouge metro area’s unemployment rate held at 6.2% in October, unchanged from the month previous but down from 7% in October a year ago. That’s according to a new report released today by the Labor Department on unemployment rates in America’s 372 largest metro areas. The report says the Lafayette metro area not only has the lowest unemployment rate in Louisiana—4.2%—but also led the nation in gain by percentage of total non-farm employment since October last year, 8.5%. Other unemployment rates in Louisiana metro areas in October, according to the report, were: Alexandria, 6.1%; Houma, 4.3%; Lake Charles, 5.8%; Monroe, 6.7%; New Orleans, 6.5%; and Shreveport, 6.5%. Unemployment rates declined last month in more than half of the 372 largest U.S. cities, falling in 201 metro areas. They rose in 116 metros and were unchanged in 55. And the number of cities with unemployment below 7% rose to 180 last month, up from 107 a year ago. Nationwide, the unemployment rate ticked up to 7.9% in October from 7.8% a month earlier. The Associated Press has more on today’s report on metro unemployment here; and you can review the entire report online here.