June 03, 2011 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Employment and unemployment in the Southwest, April 2011

In April 2011, 38 metropolitan areas in the Southwest reported over-the-year increases in nonfarm payroll employment, and 8 reported decreases. The largest over-the-year percentage increase in employment in the Southwest was reported in Odessa, Texas (+4.5 percent); the largest decrease in Pine Bluff, Arkansas (-3.2 percent).

[Chart data]

Employment and unemployment in the Southwest, April 2011