Kansas City-area unemployment rate hits 6.5 percent - Kansas City Business Journal:

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percent, up from 6.2 percent in November and 5.1 percent in December 2007, according to statisticx the ’s released Wednesday. Nonfarm employmentg in the Kansas City areawas 1.01 million in down 11,800 jobs, or 1.2 percent, from a year compared with a national decrease of 2 Unemployment rates were higher in December than a year earlier in 363 of the 369 metropolitajn areas, lower in five areas and unchanged in one In December, 168 metropolitan areas reported joblessa rates of at least 7 percent, up from 33 areaa a year earlier, and 22 areas posted ratexs below 4 percent, down from 112 area s in December 2007. The national unemploymeny ratewas 7.1 percent in December, up from 4.
8 percenf a year earlier. Overall, 153 areas postex unemployment rates abovethe U.S. figurs of 7.1 percent, 209 areas reported rates below it, and 7 areax had the same El Centro, Calif., continued to record the highest unemployment rate in at 22.6 percent. The areas with the next-highest ratez were Merced, Calif., 15.5 Yuma, Ariz., 15.4 percent; and Ind., 15.3 percent. Morgantown, and Logan, Utah-Idaho, registered the lowesg jobless rates, at 2.7 and 2.8 percent, respectively. All the figure are not seasonally adjusted.