sortable metro area unemployment statistics

wall street journal's real time economics (via minnpost and the bureau of labor statistics) offers a sortable list of metro area unemployment rates and the change in unemployment from march, 2008 to march, 2009.

i've sorted by the march 2009 jobless rate below. the highest unemployment rate is 25.1% (!) in el centro, california, with unemployment still below 4 percent in parts of iowa and louisiana. the job market seems especially bad in california, home to 11 of the 13 highest metro unemployment rates (and none of the 100 lowest rates). overall, the national unemployment rate was 9 percent, up from 5.2 percent a year ago. of 372 metro areas, minneapolis-st. paul ranks 207th on unemployment and 190th on change in unemployment.

Metro Area, March Jobless Rate, ↑ Rise From March 2008
El Centro CA 25.1% 7.5
Merced CA 20.4% 6.7
Yuba City CA 19.5% 6.8
Elkhart-Goshen IN 18.8% 13
Visalia-Porterville CA 17.7% 6.1
Modesto CA 17.5% 6.3
Fresno CA 17.0% 6
Bend OR 17.0% 9.2
Redding CA 16.8% 6.6
Hanford-Corcoran CA 16.7% 5.4
Stockton CA 16.4% 6.2
Bakersfield CA 15.9% 5.2
Salinas CA 15.7% 5
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton NC 15.4% 9.1
Flint MI 15.3% 4.6
Madera-Chowchilla CA 15.3% 5
Yuma AZ 15.3% 5.4
Ocean City NJ 15.0% 4.2
Muskegon-Norton Shores MI 14.9% 7.1
Medford OR 14.8% 7.2
Longview WA 14.8% 7.4
Palm Coast FL 14.3% 6.1
Rocky Mount NC 14.1% 7
Eugene-Springfield OR 14.1% 8.3
Detroit-Warren-Livonia MI 14.0% 6
Monroe MI 13.9% 6.4
Dalton GA 13.7% 7.2
Santa Cruz-Watsonville CA 13.6% 5.3
Kokomo IN 13.6% 6.5
Rockford IL 13.5% 5.1
Janesville WI 13.5% 8
Jackson MI 13.4% 5.5
Chico CA 13.3% 5.1
Mansfield OH 13.3% 6.1
Sumter SC 13.3% 6.1
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario CA 12.9% 5.9
Youngstown-Warren-Boardman OH-PA 12.8% 6
Myrtle Beach-North Myrtle Beach-Conway SC 12.8% 7
Saginaw-Saginaw Township North MI 12.7% 4.1
Morristown TN 12.7% 6.2
Holland-Grand Haven MI 12.6% 6.4
Niles-Benton Harbor MI 12.4% 4.9
Salem OR 12.4% 6.4
Sandusky OH 12.3% 4.1
New Bedford MA 12.2% 4.3
Bay City MI 12.2% 4.3
Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton NJ 12.2% 4.5
Danville VA 12.2% 5.3
Lima OH 12.2% 5.4
Cape Coral-Fort Myers FL 12.2% 5.5
Michigan City-La Porte IN 12.2% 5.9
Ocala FL 12.2% 6
Toledo OH 12.1% 4.8
Sebastian-Vero Beach FL 12.0% 5.8
Florence SC 12.0% 5.9
Kankakee-Bradley IL 11.9% 3.7
Port St. Lucie FL 11.9% 5.5
Anderson SC 11.9% 6.1
Battle Creek MI 11.8% 4.9
Burlington NC 11.8% 6.5
Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton OR-WA 11.8% 6.5
Punta Gorda FL 11.7% 4.9
Atlantic City-Hammonton NJ 11.6% 5.1
Spartanburg SC 11.6% 6.4
South Bend-Mishawaka IN-MI 11.5% 5.5
Anderson IN 11.4% 4.2
Providence-Fall River-Warwick RI-MA 11.4% 4.3
Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord NC-SC 11.4% 6.2
Carson City NV 11.3% 4.8
Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville CA 11.3% 4.9
Grand Rapids-Wyoming MI 11.3% 4.9
Greensboro-High Point NC 11.3% 6
Reno-Sparks NV 11.2% 5.2
Dayton OH 11.1% 4.3
Canton-Massillon OH 11.0% 4.4
Fort Wayne IN 11.0% 4.7
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA 11.0% 5.7
Danville IL 10.9% 3.6
Terre Haute IN 10.9% 4.3
Vallejo-Fairfield CA 10.9% 4.7
Elizabethtown KY 10.9% 5
Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice FL 10.9% 5.3
Racine WI 10.7% 4.9
Mount Vernon-Anacortes WA 10.7% 5.3
Muncie IN 10.6% 3.8
Lansing-East Lansing MI 10.6% 4.5
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana CA 10.6% 4.8
Waterbury CT 10.5% 3.2
Weirton-Steubenville WV-OH 10.5% 4.1
Leominster-Fitchburg-Gardner MA 10.5% 4.2
Kalamazoo-Portage MI 10.5% 4.4
Greenville NC 10.5% 4.9
Rome GA 10.5% 5
Lakeland-Winter Haven FL 10.5% 5.4
Yakima WA 10.4% 3.5
Springfield OH 10.4% 4.2
Spokane WA 10.4% 4.8
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater FL 10.4% 5
Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach FL 10.4% 5.1
Las Vegas-Paradise NV 10.4% 5.2
Fond du Lac WI 10.4% 5.4
Barnstable Town MA 10.3% 4
Louisville-Jefferson County KY-IN 10.2% 4.4
Winston-Salem NC 10.2% 5.3
Wilmington NC 10.2% 5.5
Wenatchee-East Wenatchee WA 10.1% 4.4
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville FL 10.1% 4.8
Duluth MN-WI 10.0% 3.6
Cleveland TN 10.0% 4.1
Bowling Green KY 9.9% 4.6
Hagerstown-Martinsburg MD-WV 9.9% 5
Orlando-Kissimmee FL 9.9% 5.2
Sheboygan WI 9.9% 5.6
Decatur IL 9.8% 3.3
Clarksville TN-KY 9.8% 3.3
Jackson TN 9.8% 3.5
St. Cloud MN 9.8% 3.9
Akron OH 9.8% 3.9
Santa Rosa-Petaluma CA 9.8% 4.6
Greenville-Mauldin-Easley SC 9.8% 5.2
Elmira NY 9.7% 4.3
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura CA 9.6% 4.2
Gadsden AL 9.6% 5.1
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission TX 9.5% 1.7
Lake Havasu City-Kingman AZ 9.5% 3.6
Owensboro KY 9.5% 4.1
Lewiston-Auburn ME 9.5% 4.1
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA 9.5% 4.6
Glens Falls NY 9.4% 3.1
St. Louis MO-IL 1 9.4% 3.2
Williamsport PA 9.4% 3.2
Chicago-Naperville-Joliet IL-IN-WI 9.4% 3.8
Naples-Marco Island FL 9.4% 4.2
Salisbury MD 9.4% 4.4
Wausau WI 9.4% 4.6
Florence-Muscle Shoals AL 9.4% 5
Asheville NC 9.4% 5.1
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford VA 9.4% 5.2
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos CA 9.3% 4.1
Appleton WI 9.3% 4.5
Jacksonville FL 9.3% 4.6
Columbus IN 9.3% 4.9
Buffalo-Niagara Falls NY 9.2% 3.1
Scranton–Wilkes-Barre PA 9.2% 3.2
Goldsboro NC 9.2% 4.3
Green Bay WI 9.2% 4.3
Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent FL 9.2% 4.6
Anniston-Oxford AL 9.2% 5.1
Brownsville-Harlingen TX 9.1% 1.3
Memphis TN-MS-AR 9.1% 2.8
Pueblo CO 9.1% 3.1
Chattanooga TN-GA 9.1% 3.6
Fayetteville NC 9.1% 3.7
Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna WV-OH 9.1% 3.8
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta GA 9.1% 3.9
Evansville IN-KY 9.1% 4.1
Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville SC 9.1% 4.7
Decatur AL 9.1% 5.2
Johnson City TN 9.0% 3.4
Cincinnati-Middletown OH-KY-IN 9.0% 3.7
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis WI 9.0% 4.2
Napa CA 9.0% 4.4
Panama City-Lynn Haven-Panama City Beach FL 9.0% 4.7
Johnstown PA 8.9% 2.8
Cumberland MD-WV 8.9% 3.2
Peoria IL 8.9% 3.6
Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol TN-VA 8.9% 4
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA 8.9% 4.6
Mobile AL 8.9% 4.7
Erie PA 8.8% 2.9
Beaumont-Port Arthur TX 8.8% 3.2
Augusta-Richmond County GA-SC 8.8% 3.5
Kennewick-Pasco-Richland WA 8.8% 3.6
Reading PA 8.8% 3.8
Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin TN 8.8% 3.8
Columbia SC 8.8% 4
Bellingham WA 8.8% 4.1
Prescott AZ 8.8% 4.3
Montgomery AL 8.8% 4.5
Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor OH 8.7% 2.2
Springfield MA-CT 8.7% 3.2
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton PA-NJ 8.7% 3.2
Greeley CO 8.7% 3.5
Pittsfield MA 8.7% 3.6
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles CA 8.7% 3.7
Lafayette IN 8.7% 3.8
Eau Claire WI 8.7% 3.9
Indianapolis-Carmel IN 8.7% 4
Gainesville GA 8.7% 4.3
Corvallis OR 8.7% 4.5
Winchester VA-WV 8.7% 4.7
Coeur d’Alene ID 8.6% 2.7
Binghamton NY 8.6% 2.9
Colorado Springs CO 8.6% 3
Macon GA 8.6% 3.1
Worcester MA-CT 8.6% 3.4
Boise City-Nampa ID 8.6% 4.1
Raleigh-Cary NC 8.6% 4.6
Syracuse NY 8.5% 2.8
Wheeling WV-OH 8.5% 2.9
Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta CA 8.5% 3.3
St. Joseph MO-KS 8.5% 3.4
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach FL 8.5% 3.7
Bremerton-Silverdale WA 8.5% 3.7
Columbus GA-AL 8.4% 3.1
Pascagoula MS 8.4% 3.1
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI 8.4% 3.5
Springfield MO 8.4% 3.6
Oshkosh-Neenah WI 8.4% 3.9
Pine Bluff AR 8.3% 1.6
Fairbanks AK 8.3% 2.2
Utica-Rome NY 8.3% 2.4
Rochester NY 8.3% 2.7
Jacksonville NC 8.3% 3.3
Olympia WA 8.3% 3.4
Birmingham-Hoover AL 8.3% 4.5
El Paso TX 8.2% 2.3
Albany GA 8.2% 2.8
Kansas City MO-KS 8.2% 2.9
Denver-Aurora-Broomfield CO 8.2% 3.4
Knoxville TN 8.2% 3.4
Brunswick GA 8.2% 3.9
Grand Junction CO 8.2% 4.3
Anchorage AK 8.1% 2.1
Bangor ME 8.1% 2.9
Columbus OH 8.1% 3.1
Lexington-Fayette KY 8.1% 3.3
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD 8.1% 3.3
New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island NY-NJ-PA 8.1% 3.4
York-Hanover PA 8.1% 3.6
Dothan AL 8.0% 4.1
Tuscaloosa AL 8.0% 4.2
Ann Arbor MI 7.9% 2.9
Jefferson City MO 7.9% 3.2
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford CT 7.8% 2.4
Kingston NY 7.8% 2.6
Norwich-New London CT-RI 7.8% 2.7
Gulfport-Biloxi MS 7.8% 2.7
Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown NY 7.8% 2.8
Richmond VA 7.8% 4.1
Sherman-Denison TX 7.7% 2.2
Altoona PA 7.7% 2.5
Huntington-Ashland WV-KY-OH 7.7% 2.8
Dover DE 7.7% 3.8
New Haven CT 7.6% 2.2
Pittsburgh PA 7.6% 2.5
Joplin MO 7.6% 2.7
Durham-Chapel Hill NC 7.6% 3.5
Lynchburg VA 7.6% 3.9
Laredo TX 7.5% 2.5
Hinesville-Fort Stewart GA 7.5% 2.6
Savannah GA 7.5% 3
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island IA-IL 7.4% 2.4
Cape Girardeau-Jackson MO-IL 7.4% 2.4
Jackson MS 7.4% 2.5
Trenton-Ewing NJ 7.4% 2.9
Valdosta GA 7.4% 3
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy MA-NH 7.4% 3.1
La Crosse WI-MN 7.4% 3.1
Auburn-Opelika AL 7.4% 3.4
Baltimore-Towson MD 7.4% 3.6
Albany-Schenectady-Troy NY 7.3% 2.3
Lewiston ID-WA 7.3% 2.4
Rochester MN 7.3% 2.5
Fort Smith AR-OK 7.3% 3
Lancaster PA 7.3% 3.4
Roanoke VA 7.3% 3.6
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk CT 7.2% 2.5
Harrisburg-Carlisle PA 7.2% 2.9
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale AZ 7.2% 3.3
Bloomington IN 7.1% 2.3
Burlington-South Burlington VT 7.1% 2.9
Portland-South Portland-Biddeford ME 7.1% 3
St. George UT 7.1% 3.2
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX 7.0% 2.5
Tucson AZ 7.0% 2.8
Fort Walton Beach-Crestview-Destin FL 7.0% 3.2
Champaign-Urbana IL 6.9% 2
Hattiesburg MS 6.9% 2
Mankato-North Mankato MN 6.9% 2.4
Lebanon PA 6.9% 3
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News VA-NC 6.9% 3.1
Springfield IL 6.8% 1.5
Warner Robins GA 6.8% 2.4
Fort Collins-Loveland CO 6.8% 2.5
Danbury CT 6.8% 2.6
Athens-Clarke County GA 6.8% 2.7
Rochester-Dover NH-ME 6.8% 3
Tallahassee FL 6.8% 3.2
Huntsville AL 6.8% 3.7
Topeka KS 6.7% 1.9
Tyler TX 6.7% 2.7
Wichita KS 6.7% 2.8
Wichita Falls TX 6.6% 1.3
Flagstaff AZ 6.6% 2.2
Missoula MT 6.6% 2.2
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown TX 6.5% 1.3
Dubuque IA 6.5% 1.9
Charleston WV 6.5% 2.5
Manchester NH 6.5% 2.6
Hot Springs AR 6.4% 1.6
Shreveport-Bossier City LA 6.4% 1.9
Madison WI 6.4% 2.7
Harrisonburg VA 6.4% 3.3
Jonesboro AR 6.3% 1.5
Bloomington-Normal IL 6.3% 1.7
Pocatello ID 6.3% 1.8
Boulder CO 6.3% 2.3
Albuquerque NM 6.3% 2.6
Tulsa OK 6.3% 3
Longview TX 6.2% 1
Victoria TX 6.2% 1.9
Odessa TX 6.2% 2
Corpus Christi TX 6.2% 2.6
Gainesville FL 6.2% 2.9
Austin-Round Rock TX 6.2% 3.3
Monroe LA 6.1% 1.9
Columbia MO 6.1% 1.9
Las Cruces NM 6.1% 1.9
Waco TX 6.0% 2.5
Idaho Falls ID 6.0% 2.6
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV 5.9% 2.6
Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood TX 5.9% 2.6
San Antonio TX 5.9% 2.8
State College PA 5.8% 1.6
Portsmouth NH-ME 5.8% 2.2
Honolulu HI 5.8% 3.2
Ithaca NY 5.7% 1.9
Alexandria LA 5.7% 2
Charlottesville VA 5.7% 2.9
San Angelo TX 5.6% 1.9
Oklahoma City OK 5.6% 2.3
Cheyenne WY 5.5% 1.3
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway AR 5.5% 1.4
Grand Forks ND-MN 5.5% 1.5
Texarkana TX 5.5% 1.6
Lawrence KS 5.5% 1.8
Ogden-Clearfield UT 5.5% 2
Cedar Rapids IA 5.4% 1.4
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers AR-MO 5.4% 1.9
Great Falls MT 5.3% 1.1
New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner LA 5.3% 1.9
Rapid City SD 5.3% 2.2
Des Moines-West Des Moines IA 5.2% 1.2
Waterloo-Cedar Falls IA 5.2% 1.2
Abilene TX 5.2% 1.2
Baton Rouge LA 5.2% 1.5
Lake Charles LA 5.2% 1.6
Salt Lake City UT 5.2% 2
Farmington NM 5.2% 2.1
Santa Fe NM 5.2% 2.1
Omaha-Council Bluffs NE-IA 5.1% 1.4
Provo-Orem UT 5.1% 1.7
Fargo ND-MN 5.1% 1.9
Sioux Falls SD 5.1% 2.2
Sioux City IA-NE-SD 5.0% 1.2
Lawton OK 5.0% 1.5
Casper WY 4.9% 1.7
Morgantown WV 4.8% 1.4
Billings MT 4.8% 1.5
College Station-Bryan TX 4.8% 2
Bismarck ND 4.7% 1.1
Lincoln NE 4.6% 1.6
Logan UT-ID 4.4% 1.5
Amarillo TX 4.4% 2.4
Lubbock TX 4.4% 3.1
Midland TX 4.3% 3.1
Lafayette LA 4.1% 1.2
Manhattan KS 4.0% 0.8
Ames IA 3.7% 0.8
Iowa City IA 3.6% 0.8
Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux LA 3.6% 0.8