363 U.S. cities find unemployment rising

Unemployment rose in 363 out of 369 U.S. cities in 2008, the Labor Department announced Wednesday.

As the recession sunk its teeth into the labor market, 40 cities reported jobless rates above 10 percent. Two reported rates under 3 percent, the report said.

In December, the nation's unemployment rate hit 7.1 percent, compared with December 2007, when it was 4.8 percent.

In one year, Elkhart-Goshen, Ind., beset by manufacturing sector layoffs, found its unemployment rate jump 10.6 percentage points, the largest leap in the country. The second highest jump was recorded in Dalton, Ga., where the unemployment rate grew by 6.2 percentage points.

In total, 27 cities saw their unemployment rate jump by 4 percentage points or more, the report said.

Among larger cities in December, the greater Detroit area recorded the highest jobless rate with unemployment reaching 10.6 percent, the Labor Department said.

The lowest unemployment rates among cities with a population of 1 million or more in the 2000 census was in Oklahoma City, Okla. -- at 4.6 percent in December.

The highest rate in December among all cities was in El Centro, Calif. at 22.6 percent; the lowest was in Morgantown, W. Va. -- 2.7 percent.

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