45 metro areas had increases in nonfarm employment from December 2018 to December 2019

Forty-five metro areas had increases in nonfarm employment from December 2018 to December 2019, and 344 were essentially unchanged. The largest statistically significant over-the-year percentage increases in employment occurred in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and Wilmington, North Carolina (4.8 percent each), and Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina-North Carolina (4.7 percent).

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Chart Data Change in nonfarm employment by metropolitan area, December 2018 to December 2019, by top ten largest percent gains and losses, not seasonally adjusted Metropolitan area Percent change Employment change Ocean City, NJ 6.6% 2,500 Idaho Falls, ID 4.8 3,300 Wilmington, NC 4.8 6,200 Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC 4.7 8,000 Yuba City, CA 4.4 2,000 Punta Gorda, FL 4.2 2,100 Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO 4.0 10,300 St. George, UT 4.0 2,800 Ogden-Clearfield, UT 3.9 10,300 Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC 3.7 3,000 Houma-Thibodaux, LA -1.5 -1,300 Shreveport-Bossier City, LA -1.6 -2,900 Glens Falls, NY -1.8 -1,000 Pine Bluff, AR -1.8 -600 Akron, OH -1.9 -6,400 Enid, OK -1.9 -500 Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH -2.0 -800 Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA -2.0 -4,400 Bay City, MI -2.8 -1,000 Cleveland, TN -5.0 -2,600

The largest over-the-year employment increases occurred in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas (127,600), New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA (97,300), and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, California (93,200).

These data are from the Current Employment Statistics (State and Metro Area) program and are not seasonally adjusted. Data for the most recent month are preliminary. To learn more, see "Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment — December 2019." Also see Charts related to the latest "Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment" news release.