Unemployment rates for cities in the West (AP)

Unemployment rates fell in three-quarters of large U.S. cities in November. The second straight month of declines for most major markets suggests the modest improvement in the job market is widespread. The Labor Department said Wednesday that unemployment rates fell in 277 metro areas. They rose in 71 and were unchanged in 29. In October, 281 cities reported having lower unemployment rates, the most in seven months. The metro area unemployment data can be volatile because they aren't adjusted for seasonal variations, such as hiring for the winter holiday. Nationwide, the unemployment rate fell to 8.6 percent in November, the lowest level in 2 1/2 years. Employers added about 120,000 net jobs. Still, a big reason the unemployment rate fell was because more people said they have given up on their job searches and dropped out of the work force. Below are the unemployment rates in November, for states and cities in the West: Metro Unemployment, West Unemployment rates by state and city Figures in percentages November 2011 October 2011 November 2010 Alaska 7.2 6.8 7.8 Anchorage 6.1 6 6.9 Fairbanks 6.3 5.9 6.8 Arizona 8.4 8.9 9.6 Flagstaff 7.7 7.3 8.3 Lake Havasu City-Kingman 9.5 10.1 11.1 Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale 7.7 8.1 8.8 Prescott 9.1 9.5 10 Tucson 7.6 7.9 8.7 Yuma 23.7 26.4 24.9 California 10.9 11.2 12.5 Bakersfield-Delano 13.4 13.5 15.6 Chico 11.9 12.2 13.8 El Centro 27.2 30.4 30.9 Fresno 15.7 15.7 17.3 Hanford-Corcoran 14.7 14.6 16.8 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana 10.7 11 12.1 Madera-Chowchilla 14.3 14 16.1 Merced 16.9 15.9 18.6 Modesto 15.5 15.3 17.2 Napa 8.6 8.2 10.3 Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura 9.5 9.8 10.9 Redding 13.1 13.2 16 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario 12.5 13.3 14.5 Sacramento-Arden-Arcade 10.9 11.4 12.8 Salinas 11 10.3 12.2 San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos 9.2 9.7 10.6 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont 8.7 9.1 10.3 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara 9.2 9.5 11 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles 8.8 9.2 10.1 Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta 8.2 8.6 9.5 Santa Cruz-Watsonville 10.6 10.1 12.7 Santa Rosa-Petaluma 8.9 9.3 10.3 Stockton 15.5 15.5 17.8 Vallejo-Fairfield 10.6 10.9 12.1 Visalia-Porterville 15 15.3 16.8 Yuba City 16.8 16.6 19.5 Colorado 7.8 7.7 8.9 Boulder 5.9 5.9 7.1 Colorado Springs 8.7 8.6 9.6 Denver-Aurora-Broomfield 7.9 7.8 9 Fort Collins-Loveland 6.2 6.1 7.3 Grand Junction 8.5 8.5 10.1 Greeley 8.7 8.7 9.9 Pueblo 9.6 9.4 10.5 Hawaii 6.6 6.5 6.5 Honolulu 5.7 5.6 5.5 Idaho 8.4 8 9.6 Boise City-Nampa 8.5 8.4 9.9 Coeur d'Alene 9.8 9.4 11.3 Idaho Falls 7 6.6 7.4 Lewiston 7 7.1 7.9 Pocatello 8 7.6 8.7 Montana 6.6 6.9 7.4 Billings 4.7 5.2 5.4 Great Falls 5.6 6.2 6.2 Missoula 6.9 7.1 7.5 Nevada 12.2 12.7 14.4 Carson City 11.7 12 13.5 Las Vegas-Paradise 12.5 13.1 14.9 Reno-Sparks 11.6 12.1 13.6 New Mexico 6.3 6.4 8.4 Albuquerque 6.7 7 8.8 Farmington 6.3 6.4 9 Las Cruces 6.3 6.3 8.1 Santa Fe 5 5.4 7 Oregon 8.4 8.8 10.5 Bend 11.2 11.6 14.3 Corvallis 5.4 6 6.9 Eugene-Springfield 8.3 8.9 10.7 Medford 9.4 10 11.9 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro 7.8 8.6 10.1 Salem 8.8 9.2 10.8 Utah 5.7 6.3 7.3 Logan 3.9 4.5 5.1 Ogden-Clearfield 5.8 6.5 7.4 Provo-Orem 5.4 6.3 7.2 St George 7.2 7.9 9.6 Salt Lake City 5.6 6.2 7.2 Washington 8.3 8.4 9.4 Bellingham 7.5 7.5 8.2 Bremerton-Silverdale 7.2 7.3 7.4 Kennewick-Pasco-Richland 8.4 7.6 7.2 Longview 10.7 10.8 12.1 Mount Vernon-Anacortes 9.2 8.7 10.2 Olympia 7.5 7.5 7.8 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue 8 8.3 9.3 Spokane 8.1 8.1 8.8 Wenatchee-East Wenatchee 7.7 6.3 8.3 Yakima 9.6 8.2 9.4 Wyoming 5.8 5.3 6.3 Casper 5.6 5.3 6.5 Cheyenne 6.5 6.1 6.8

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120104/ap_on_bi_ge/us_metro_unemployment_west_glance

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