More than three-quarters of the nation's metropolitan areas have seen their unemployment rates rise year on year

More than three-quarters of the nation's metropolitan areas saw their unemployment rates rise last month from a year earlier.

According to data released Wednesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, unemployment rose in 305 of 389 metropolitan areas in April. Unemployment rates fell in 56 regions and remained unchanged in 28 regions.

In about 10 percent of metropolitan areas, the unemployment rate rose a full percentage point or more from a year earlier, Bloomberg reported. Nine of the 51 largest metropolitan areas have unemployment rates above the nation's 3.9 percent rate. Las Vegas tops the list with an unemployment rate of 5.2%, and six California regions have the highest unemployment rates.

The unemployment rate in Providence, Rhode Island, jumped from 2.5 percent to 3.7 percent, and Baltimore's rose from 1.5 percent to 2.7 percent, one of the lowest in the nation. Other areas with sharp increases in unemployment include Seattle, Detroit, Columbus, SAN Jose and Cincinnati.

In terms of numbers, the Portland metro area lost the most jobs, with 14,600 fewer people employed than in April 2023. Denver lost 9,900 jobs and Memphis lost 7,500.