Unemployment rates rose in more than 90% of U.S. cities in June, mirroring a national slowdown in hiring. The Labor Department says that unemployment rates rose in 345 large metro areas. They dropped in 20 cities and were unchanged in seven. June’s figures are worse than those of May, when rates rose in only 210 cities. The rise in unemployment is a sharp reversal from April, when rates fell in nearly all metro areas. The biggest increase was in Joplin, Mo., which was hit by a major tornado on May 22. The city lost 9,400 jobs in June, and the unemployment rate jumped nearly two percentage points, to 9.6%. The national unemployment rate ticked up to 9.2% in June—the highest level this year. According to the Louisiana Workforce Commission, the unemployment rate in metro Baton Rouge was 8.4% in June, up slightly from 8.3% in May.
Unemployment rose in nearly all U.S. cities
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