By J. PATRICK PEPPER
Times-Herald Newspapers
Michigan for the month of February once again had the highest unemployment rate of any state, according to data released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
At 14.6 percent, Michigan’s unemployment rate was nearly one and a half points higher than its closest competitor for the dubious distinction, Nevada, which posted a 13.2 rate. But the rate still is a slight improvement from data released by the bureau in February.
Of the 11 most populous metropolitan areas nationwide, there are 34 metropolitan divisions, which are essentially separately identifiable employment centers.
In January, the two divisions that comprise the metropolitan Detroit area registered the highest jobless rates of any metropolitan divisions in the country: Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, 16.4 percent, and Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, 15.0 percent. The division with the next highest rate was Lawrence-Methuen-Salem, Mass.-N.H.,14.6 percent.