D.C. Tops Nation, Other Cities on Job Front

Unemployment soars for rest of nation

When it comes to the jobless rate, Washington, D.C.'s the tops.   

In March, unemployment actually took a slight dip to 5.9 percent.  That's a lot better than the national unemployment rate of 9 percent and way better than the more than 15 percent or more jobless rate in 18 metro areas across the country.

Nationally, fallout has been especially pronounced in the manufacturing, construction and retail industries, which have suffered heavy layoffs, according to the AP.

Here’s how it breaks down for the Metro area:

  • Overall, there were about 177,600 people looking for work and unable to find it, down from about 183,000 from February, according the Washington Business Journal.
  • In the District, unemployment dropped out of the double digits in March to 9.5 percent, or about 30,900 people looking for work.  (Those numbers do not take seasonal trends into account, by the way.)
  • Virginia stuck with its 7 percent unemployment rate in March, with about 289,000 people out of work.
  • Maryland’s rate slightly dropped to 7 percent, with about 207,000 people looking for jobs.

And now for your Bureau of Labor Statistics disclaimer: Those numbers don’t reflect discouraged workers, who choose to retire, go back to school or stay home with children; nor do they include people working part-time who want to be working full time.

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