Nonfarm Payroll Employment up in Metropolitan Areas in December

In December nonfarm payroll employment was up in 108 US metropolitan areas and unchanged in the remaining 281, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Yuma, Arizona, saw the largest employment gain at 10.1% followed by Atlantic City-Hammonton, New Jersey at 9.1% and Daphne-Fairhope, Alabama and Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, Hawaii at 9.0%.

In absolute numbers the largest employment increases were seen in metropolitan areas centered on New York with 427,000, Los Angeles with 388,000 and Dallas with 197,000.

The largest year-over-year percentage increases in employment in metropolitan areas with a population of more than 1 million people were in the Las Vegas, Nevada, area at 8.8%, the Orlando, Florida, area at 7.7% and the Austin, Texas, and Portland, Oregon area at 7.3%.