Unemployment rates for cities in the West (AP)

Nearly 90 percent of major U.S. cities had lower unemployment rates in December than the same month a year earlier, a reflection of stronger hiring nationwide. The Labor Department said Wednesday that unemployment rates fell in 329 cities last year. They rose in 37 cities and were unchanged in seven. The national unemployment rate fell in December to 8.5 percent ? the lowest level in nearly three years. Employers added 200,000 net jobs, the sixth straight month of solid hiring. Unemployment rates rose from November to December in a majority of U.S. cities. However monthly metro area unemployment data can be volatile because they aren't adjusted for seasonal variations, such as holiday hiring. The government will report Friday on U.S. hiring and unemployment in January. Below are the unemployment rates in December, for states and cities in the West: Metro Unemployment, West Unemployment rates by state and city Figures in percentages December 2011 November 2011 December 2010 Alaska 7.7 7.1 8.1 Anchorage 6.4 6.1 7 Fairbanks 6.7 6.3 7.1 Arizona 8.7 8.4 9.2 Flagstaff 8.5 7.7 8.5 Lake Havasu City-Kingman 10.1 9.5 10.7 Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale 7.9 7.7 8.5 Prescott 9.6 9.1 10 Tucson 7.9 7.6 8.4 Yuma 23.1 23.7 22.9 California 10.9 10.9 12.3 Bakersfield-Delano 14.5 13.4 16.4 Chico 12.6 12.1 13.9 El Centro 26.8 28.5 29.2 Fresno 16.2 15.7 17.4 Hanford-Corcoran 15.3 14.6 17 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana 10.6 10.6 11.7 Madera-Chowchilla 14.7 14.4 16.2 Merced 18.7 16.8 19.9 Modesto 16.1 15.4 17.5 Napa 9 8.7 10.7 Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura 9.4 9.5 10.7 Redding 13.4 13.2 16.1 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario 12.2 12.5 14 Sacramento-Arden-Arcade 10.9 10.9 12.6 Salinas 14.9 11 16.3 San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos 8.9 9.2 10.1 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont 8.5 8.7 9.8 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara 8.9 9.2 10.6 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles 8.8 8.9 10 Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta 8.7 8.3 9.7 Santa Cruz-Watsonville 12.2 10.8 13.8 Santa Rosa-Petaluma 8.9 9 10 Stockton 15.9 15.5 18.1 Vallejo-Fairfield 10.5 10.5 12 Visalia-Porterville 16.2 15 17.5 Yuba City 18.1 16.8 20.5 Colorado 7.9 7.8 8.7 Boulder 5.8 5.9 6.7 Colorado Springs 9 8.7 9.4 Denver-Aurora-Broomfield 8.1 7.9 8.9 Fort Collins-Loveland 6.3 6.2 7.2 Grand Junction 9 8.5 10.4 Greeley 9.1 8.8 10 Pueblo 9.8 9.4 10.3 Hawaii 6.2 6.6 5.8 Honolulu 5.3 5.7 4.8 Idaho 8.5 8.4 9.7 Boise City-Nampa 8.4 8.5 9.8 Coeur d'Alene 10.2 9.9 11.6 Idaho Falls 7 6.9 7.5 Lewiston 7.4 7.4 7.6 Pocatello 8.3 7.9 8.8 Montana 6.7 6.6 7.5 Billings 4.8 4.7 5.6 Great Falls 5.8 5.6 6.4 Missoula 7.2 6.9 7.6 Nevada 12.4 12.2 14.7 Carson City 12.2 11.9 14 Las Vegas-Paradise 12.7 12.4 15.1 Reno-Sparks 11.9 11.6 13.8 New Mexico 6.4 6.3 8.2 Albuquerque 6.8 6.7 8.5 Farmington 6.5 6.3 8.9 Las Cruces 6.6 6.3 8.2 Santa Fe 5.2 5 7 Oregon 8.9 8.4 10.3 Bend 12.3 11.4 14.6 Corvallis 5.7 5.4 6.6 Eugene-Springfield 8.7 8.4 10.4 Medford 10.3 9.6 11.6 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro 8.1 8 9.8 Salem 9.2 8.8 10.7 Utah 5.6 5.7 7.2 Logan 3.9 3.9 5.1 Ogden-Clearfield 5.8 5.8 7.4 Provo-Orem 5.3 5.4 7 St George 7.6 7.4 9.7 Salt Lake City 5.4 5.6 6.9 Washington 8.6 8.3 9.2 Bellingham 8.1 7.3 8.2 Bremerton-Silverdale 7.6 7 7.3 Kennewick-Pasco-Richland 9.7 8.1 7.9 Longview 11.3 10.7 11.4 Mount Vernon-Anacortes 10.2 9.1 10.1 Olympia 7.9 7.2 7.7 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue 7.8 8 8.8 Spokane 9 7.9 9.1 Wenatchee-East Wenatchee 8.9 7.5 8.8 Yakima 12 9.3 10.6 Wyoming 5.7 5.8 6.4 Casper 5.5 5.6 6.5 Cheyenne 6.7 6.5 7.1

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120201/ap_on_bi_ge/us_metro_unemployment_west_glance

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