Unemployment rates are lower in nonmetro areas for all education levels

Unemployment rates are lower for those with more educational attainment, partly due to increasing demand for more highly-skilled labor. In 2011, the unemployment rate for nonmetro adults age 25 and older without a high school diploma was 13.1 percent. Unemployment rates were lowest for adults with a bachelor's degree or higher (3.4 percent) in nonmetro areas. Metro areas have had slightly higher unemployment rates than nonmetro areas across all educational attainment categories since the onset of the most recent recession. This chart is from the Employment and Education topic page on the ERS website, updated July 17, 2012.