Unemployment falls in a majority of U.S. cities
WASHINGTON (AP) — Unemployment rates fell or remained level in three-quarters of the 372 largest metropolitan areas, a sign that the economic recovery is widespread.
The Labor Department says the jobless rate dropped in 69 percent of metro areas last month, rose in 24 percent and remained the same in the rest.
That's an improvement from February, when the unemployment rate decreased in 51 percent of metro areas and increased in one-third.
The report follows other recent encouraging news about jobs. Employers added 162,000 jobs in March, the government said earlier this month, the most significant gain in three years.
Still, the growth wasn't enough to bring down the unemployment rate, which remained at 9.7 percent for the third straight month.